Homelessness is not going away. It was a contributing factor to why I moved out of Seattle at the end of September. As much as I feel sympathy for people out on the street, their challenges often present problems for neighborhoods. The final straw was when a man camping out on the front steps of my building tried to jump into an Uber I was riding in on August 1. If the driver had not bravely stepped in, I don't know what would have happened.

It is not fair or accurate to stigmatize the homeless population as a whole. Most in that unenviable circumstance are harmless. There are many reasons one ends up in the street life- loss of a job, drug or alcohol addiction, or lingering mental illness. I don't think the majority of unsheltered people want to live off the grid.

Two young people lived in a pink-painted bus, out of the 60s Hippie era, in front of my building for months. A former property manager talked to the young woman and relayed that she could have been a college student-articulate and noncombative. I did not interview the bus's occupants. But I know they repeatedly were told to move their rig. How crummy that must be to have to move perhaps ten times a month, as the 72-hour parking rule is enforced now. My issue is not with people trying to survive. It's with those who perpetrate crimes against others.

Homeless encampments can spark criminal activities but not always. I witnessed that firsthand when I lived a few blocks from a homeless camp. Although I was safely ensconced in a nice condominium-type unit, I often heard gunshots in the middle of the night--and more stories I can list from neighbors regarding confrontations. It was disheartening to hear from a social worker neighbor that a 52-year-old woman had been attacked and raped down the street in a tiny village set up by the city. The problem was obvious: no security, according to my neighbor.

Many homeless would rather sleep outside than go to a shelter where they could be assaulted or robbed. Businesses suffer too. Many have relocated from Seattle-sick of being hit time and time again.

The Comcast Service Center in North Seattle has a unique solution. For weeks, the store has been blasting loud classical music out of speakers to deter homeless in a nearby camp. Like other businesses in the North Seattle area, employees are weary from drug trafficking, theft, and garbage around the camp.

A nearby body shop owner Tyler told King 5 TV said he was told by a Comcast employee, "we're thinking about playing some loud music, see if we can get them to move away.'"

But this is a bandaid. And the issue of noise pollution disturbing residents must be addressed. Current remedies don't work. NYC Mayor Eric Adams might be on the right track. Perhaps tough love is part of the solution.