SPD currently has 1,200 sworn officers and 631 civilian employees, according to the city’s website. That’s up from only having 424 active officers, the lowest staffing levels since at least 1957, in April 2024.

“Numbers are up. It’s a good thing. It’s amazing what a contract can do,” Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG) President Mike Solan told “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio Wednesday.

Earlier this month, the City of Seattle reached a new collective bargaining agreement with the SPOG, which represents all Seattle police officers.

Under the agreement, police officers will receive a retroactive pay increase of 6% for 2024 and 4.1% for 2025. Officers will get an additional 2.7% increase in 2026, and the 2027 increase will range from 3% to 4%, depending on the Consumer Price Index.

Solan told KIRO host John Curley the two typically go without a contract for around three years, but this time it was over 12 years before a deal was made.

“To me, it’s unacceptable. But I credit the Harrell administration for recognizing that we’re in a public safety quagmire, as I usually refer to it, and they thought outside the box, and they got serious at the table. And we did as well, our contract team, and we put a deal together that I think the constituents across the city will want to have more cops,” he said.

Watch the full discussion in the video above. 

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After taking the lead in a poll over Mayor Bruce Harrell, Katie Wilson started laying the groundwork for her potential administration.

“We’ve been doing a lot of serious work to make sure that I’m going to be ready to step into office and lead from day one,” Wilson told “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio Thursday.

Harrell recently claimed Wilson lacks the experience to become mayor, saying she has “zero housing experience” and has “done no work in the sector.”

Meanwhile, Wilson sees the homelessness crisis as a housing issue.

“There’s lots of homeless people in Seattle who work full-time jobs, and they might live in their vehicle, or they might even live in a tent, but housing is so expensive that it’s just really hard to afford that. That’s more of an issue here,” Wilson shared.

And really, if we look at it, we’ve had this tech boom for the last 10, 20 years, we’ve had population growth, and our housing stock hasn’t grown to match, and that’s really driven up rents. It’s really driven up home prices, and so we have a much worse homelessness crisis here as a result,” she continued.

Wilson said building more housing comes down to Seattle’s land use and zoning laws.

“One of the things that we can do, that I’m interested in, is expanding the number of neighborhood centers around the city, and so those are areas where, kind of like neighborhood business districts — you’re allowed to build higher, you’re allowed to build more multi-family housing. There’s a lot of things we can do in our land use and zoning laws to make it possible for the private market to build more housing in the great neighborhoods all over the city. And we absolutely need to do that,” she explained.

When asked about deterring homeless people from other cities from coming to Seattle, Wilson said she doesn’t think that’s the right approach.

“Certainly within King County, it’s true that a lot of people who become homeless in other cities end up coming to Seattle because that is where lots of the services are. That is where a lot of the shelter is — and so we do need those other cities to step up — but I don’t think that trying to take a hard line here in Seattle on not helping people who become homeless somewhere else is the right way to do that,” she said.

Watch the full discussion in the conversation above.

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Despite the financial concerns, Balducci noted that Sound Transit remains a valuable transportation option for the community on “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio.

“You can ride the light rail in East King County, which was not a thing that you could do before I was on the county council, so I’m proud that we are opening the light rail. We’re testing across the bridge right now; it’ll open in a few months. The challenge is that we are spending a lot of money,” Balducci said. “The next phase is terribly over budget. We’re looking at a $30 billion potential cost overrun.”

Considering the project is largely over budget and beyond the initial projected completion date, Curley asked whether the transit system, overall, will be utilized in a way that is worth the amount of money spent.

“What percentage of money are you taking from the taxpayer, putting it into the train, and then saying, ‘Is that worth it?'” Curley asked. “Two to 3% of the total commuters will actually use public transportation, so that’s a lot of money for a very, very small group of people.”

“It gives all of us a choice; we can all choose to ride it. We didn’t have that choice before; to me, that is the value of creating a fixed route, high-capacity transit system, as opposed to just another bus. And it drives economic development in ways that nothing else does.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

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Wilson shared a post on social media discussing the price of pizza, which garnered more than 96,000 views. This prompted Mayor Harrell to release a campaign video explaining his deep ties to Seattle, accompanied by a touch of music from Nirvana and some pivotal Mariners highlights from recent years.

KIRO host John Curley laid out the two candidates’ participation in social media in full on “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio, concluding that Wilson’s success on various social media platforms has led Mayor Harrell to follow suit.

“Apparently, social media is rearing its ugly head, or pretty head, when it comes to the mayoral race in Seattle,” Curley said. “I guess Harrell is slowly starting to make his way into social media, because he realized that Katie Wilson has done so well with that pizza thing she put on TikTok or Instagram, and Bruce decided he’s going to start flexing his Seattle roots on TikTok.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

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Taylor Humphrey’s, 37, full-time profession is naming other people’s kids, charging anywhere between $200 to $30,000.

“This is not just a creative choice, like this isn’t just something that parents are saying, ‘Oh, we just don’t have any good ideas,'” Curley shared. “Parents fill out a questionnaire, and Taylor sends back a name report and does consultations over Zoom. Names are so deeply personal, and they really are going to be your child’s legacy.”

Through this career, Humphrey revealed that the most financially successful men are typically named John, David, Thomas, Michael, Wang, Mark, Charles, Richard, and Jim.

“The highest rank, John and David, both biblical names, are tied in first position on the chart when they examined CEOs,” Curley added. “But that’s not really fair, because if you see the CEOs in America, they primarily tend to be white men. They tend to be born in a certain sort of grouping.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

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Nelson wants residents to feel confident that leaders in city hall are working to protect them.

“My voters, the constituents of Seattle, small business owners and residents need to have the confidence that there are people in city hall that are also trying to protect them, trying to keep our streets safe, and so I think that that’s the balance we’re talking about,” she said on “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio.

Unlike Harrell’s threshold for six or seven crimes, Nelson believes action should be taken sooner.

“I think maybe you find out why they’re committing that crime after maybe the first or the second crime, and then we have millions of dollars allocated to diversion programs, which is supposed to get low-level criminals out of the criminal justice system and into treatment,” she said.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

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Harrell was asked his stance on repeat offenders.

“If somebody has offended six, seven, eight times, even if it’s a minor offense, but they continue to fail to turn their life around—at what point do you balance public safety, to giving this person some accountability?” the moderator asked.

KIRO host John Curley thought Harrell would take the opportunity to shift more to the middle, but instead took a far-left position.

“I was one that sponsored the Ban the Box legislation because the criminal system has had a disparate impact on black and brown communities, let me lead with that,” Harrell answered. “So when this person is committing six or seven crimes, I don’t know his or her story. Maybe they were abused as a child. Maybe they’re hungry. So my remedy is to find their life story to see how we could help first. I have no desire to put them in jail, but I need to protect you, and that’s the calibration.”

Curley questioned Harrell’s response.

“I can’t imagine that the mayor of a city, he’s coming around for another term, would really believe that?” he remarked on “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “Like, who is he saying that to? I want to know if they’re hungry, what? Feed them in prison.”

Curley noted both options for Seattle voters are now “extremely to the left.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

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KIRO host John Curley placed blame on the U.S. healthcare system and summarized its handling over the past years, leading up to the current government shutdown.

“Under the Biden Administration, or whoever’s running the auto pen, they took the number of people that were eligible for Obamacare, for government health insurance, and they extended it out because we were in an emergency and people weren’t working,” Curley said on “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “They got rid of the income caps and just showered money down, extending the health care benefits.”

Curley jumped forward to the Trump administration’s prioritization of federal funding and drew attention to an underperforming Affordable Care Act, informally known as Obamacare.

“Now the Republicans want to bring the number back to where it was before. Instead of 24 million people who were getting this benefit, they want to put some sort of requirements in place, which was part of the ‘big, beautiful bill,'” Curley said. “You’re talking about spending our tax dollars to provide healthcare for people, which was supposed to bring down the cost of healthcare, but it hasn’t.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

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KIRO host John Curley called the move “a horrible idea.”

“The $100,000 to Microsoft, or some of the other big tech companies, is like to us a cup of coffee. They make billions and billions of dollars. So for them to bring somebody in for $100,000—nothing to them. But if you’re a small tech startup in Austin, do you think you can afford $100,000 to have somebody come in from India, or some other country, to do the work? Absolutely not,” Curley said on “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio.

He emphasized that bigger companies will dominate, shutting out smaller ones.

“This thing is crony capitalism all the way through, and this happens with Democrats and Republicans,” Curley said. “And this is just a bad, bad idea, because now you’re going to make it that much harder for the small guy to compete against the big guy, and the big guy is going to easily be able to write as many checks as they want for $100,000.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

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He emphasized that the First Amendment protects individuals from government censorship but does not apply to actions taken by private employers or companies. Curley also criticized Pam Bondi for her response to Office Depot’s refusal to print a memorial poster for Charlie Kirk, arguing that pursuing legal action over such a decision misrepresents the intent of free speech protections.

“The common man should be able to speak against the government, whatever he or she wants to say,” Curley said. “Now, in private, your boss can go, hey, I don’t like you saying that. You’re not allowed to say that that’s your boss. That’s between your boss and you. You’re not protected.”

Listen to the full conversation above.

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Authorities are continuing to investigate the motive behind the killing of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk.

KIRO host John Curley has seen numerous conspiracy theories swirling around Kirk’s death.

Curley had Joe Rosati and Scott Stone, hosts of the TruthStream podcast, on “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio to go through the list of the most popular theories.

“There have been a number of shows that suggest there’s a theatrical element involved, and that there’s footage—if you examine it, frame by frame—the shirt Charlie was wearing kind of inflates for a moment, and then there’s this spot that travels from one side to the other. Don’t know how to explain that, but it’s kind of odd,” Stone said.

Listen to the full conversation above.

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Kirk, a political activist, was shot and killed while hosting an open-mic political debate at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. Kirk’s assassin allegedly fired a single rifle shot from the roof of a campus building approximately 200 yards from Kirk.

“Despite what people are saying online, this was not an impressive shot. Anyone with access to the internet and minimal experience could’ve made that shot.” Rosenthal said on “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “At 200 yards, 600 feet, it’s a very easy shot.”

Listen to the full conversation and breakdown of the shot above.

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Wilson stated that she was endorsed by Claude Burfect, a prominent civil rights activist who was the first vice president of the Seattle-King County National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). However, Burfect told Frontlines he never endorsed her.

Burfect also accused Wilson of photoshopping a picture of him for her campaign and tagging it with the word “endorsed.”

EXCLUSIVE: Seattle Mayoral candidate Katie Wilson is accused of manipulating photos of Black leaders and falsely claiming they have endorsed her.

Wilson is now facing enormous backlash from community leaders and fending off calls to quit the race.@choeshow | @TPAction_ pic.twitter.com/um37ZK1Y0S

— FRONTLINES (@FrontlinesTPUSA) September 9, 2025

“She used me to elevate her,” Burfect said in the report. “She’s dishonest.”

Meanwhile, Wilson told KIRO Newsradio that Burfect did endorse her over the phone and subsequently confirmed his endorsement through an email exchange.

KIRO host John Curley responds

KIRO host John Curley, who previously endorsed Wilson on “The John Curley Show,” was let down by the situation.

“I’ve only endorsed one candidate for mayor in Seattle my entire career,” he said. “It’s disappointing.”

Burfect said that Wilson called him on the phone, but he never gave the go-ahead.

“When you do call somebody and you’re sort of coming around and ask for the close, like ‘Can I ask for your endorsement, or will you endorse me?’ If you don’t specify the question, you’re not going to get the answer that you want,” Curley remarked.

While Curley noted he didn’t know the full story, he believes the situation is a “big deal.”

“So now this is going to be something that she’s going to have to deal with,” he added.

Curley said that while Wilson may recover, Harrell, whom Burfect did endorse, will certainly use it to his advantage.

Katie Wilson claims Claude Burfect did endorse her

However, Wilson told KIRO Newsradio that Burfect both endorsed her over the phone and confirmed his endorsement through email.

“Claude Burfect endorsed me during a phone conversation I had with him in August, and subsequently confirmed his endorsement via email,” Wilson’s team wrote in a statement. “Claude is free to change his mind, as sometimes happens during campaigns, and we wish him nothing but the best.” 

Wilson’s team then sent two screenshots of the email exchange between her and Burfect, which she said occurred after the phone call.

Burfect first emailed an official photo of himself to Wilson.

Wilson responded:

Thank you, Claude, and it was great to talk with you this afternoon. I’m so honored to have your support.

This photo is a little bigger than the one you texted, but the resolution may still be too low. I did find a larger black-and-white version online (attached), so we can use that in a pinch if you’re not able to send a larger file.

How is “Civil Rights Activist and Union Leader” as a description of you? Or let me know if you prefer something else.

I’m ccing my campaign manager, Alex Gallo-Brown, so he can make sure we add you to our endorsements webpage.

Let’s keep in touch!

Katie”

To which Burfect replied, “Perfect.”

Wilson and Harrell face off in 20 debates

Wilson led Harrell in the primary election, scoring 98,562 votes (50.75%), while Harrell maintained 80,043 votes (41.21%).

The two completed their first of 20 debates on Sept. 4.

Listen to John Curley weekday afternoons from 3 – 7 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

Cliff Mass, a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Washington (UW), believes the Climate Commitment Act “is not a good investment” for the state or its residents.

“The impact of what we’re doing here in Washington state, it doesn’t make any sense at all. And that’s the truth,” Mass said on “The John Curley Show.” “The impact [towards global warming] of the U.S. is only like 15% of the total problem, and Washington state is way, way, way, way less, like 10% or less. So we’re not the problem, and the Climate Commitment Act will have no benefit for mankind.”

Curley provided Mass with a frequently-used counter-argument, that we all have to do our part in order to make substantial change.

“If we don’t do anything, then no one else does anything, then nothing happens,” Curley said. “But if we’re all in it, doing our part, it will help save this planet, the only planet that we have, from existential disaster.”

“There are a lot of weaknesses in that argument,” Mass countered. “First, global warming, even continuing what’s happening right now, is not an existential threat. It’s not even close to an existential threat. So that whole argument is false. Mankind can easily handle the moderate warming that’s going on.

“Secondly, the way to get out of this business is technological,” Mass continued. “In the end, we can use nuclear power, and we can use fusion power, which will eventually be available. Once we have that, the game is over. We will have unlimited energy that will put no CO2 in the atmosphere. In fact, it’s even better than that. Once we have large amounts of nuclear or fusion power, we can actually pull CO2 out of the atmosphere, if we choose to do that. So this is not a threat of any significant nature. And in any case, the way to fix this problem is not by putting a few more windmills up, or something which don’t really help that much.”

Many climate activists are hesitant, or simply do not accept, nuclear power as a climate-friendly alternative, citing nuclear waste, accidents, the proliferation of nuclear weapons, the damage to local ecosystems, cost, and the amount of energy required as reasons against it.

“Well, I think the environmental activists, for some reason, have decided that nuclear is no good. It’s not a rational decision,’ Mass said. “We need a more rational approach to energy. And again, nuclear is definitely very, very useful. Fusion power, it will come, that is very useful. If we do have modest changes in climate, we can adapt to that.”

New study disputes claims that sea levels are rising

In a new peer-reviewed study in the Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, “A Global Perspective on Local Sea Level Changes,” Dutch engineer Hessel Voortman and researcher Rob de Vos found that the models for rising sea levels are wrong —  worldwide sea levels have not been rising any faster than they were a century ago.

“Well, it turns out that this information is not secretive,” Mass said. “I mean, I blogged about the same thing myself. If you actually look at the data, the sea level rise data, you’re stunned to see that there’s no acceleration upward, that the sea level has been rising steadily and slowly for over a century. And so this question about global warming, whether it’s causing the sea level to rise more rapidly, we know the answer — it’s not.”

Listen to the full conversation here.

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While SPD celebrated the closure of a more than decade-long investigation, former King County Prosecutor Bob Scales believed Seattle is worse off now than when the consent decree began.

“No, there’s nothing to celebrate. Before the consent decree, Seattle PD was one of the best police departments in the country,” Scales said on “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “Now, after 13 years of the consent decree, it’s one of the worst.”

Former King County prosecutor sees shift in SPD’s perception

Scales went on to explain a massive shift in the SPD’s perception as a highly touted police department following a few key events that contributed to being issued a consent decree by the DOJ.

“A series of things happened, one being the shooting of John T. Williams in 2010,” Scales said. “The department went through a lot of review processes, and ultimately the U.S. Attorney at the time, Jenny Durkan, decided that there would be a pattern or practice investigation in 2011.”

After an eight-month investigation, a press conference was held with the head of the Civil Rights Division, Tom Perez, who announced Seattle had a pattern or practice of unnecessary force. The investigation found that 20% of use-of-force cases by the SPD were unconstitutional.

“We said, ‘That’s not possible that we have 20%, we review all of our use of force cases, less than 1% are found to be out of policy, and much less than 1% are unconstitutional,'” Scales said. “So we said, ‘Show us the cases,’ and they refused to show us the cases.”

Scales worked for the City of Seattle for 12 years under three different mayors. Scales served more than nine years as a senior policy analyst for the City of Seattle and was a King County deputy prosecutor for five years.

“I went as a city employee to Washington, D.C., to hear accolades from the feds about what a great department we were,” Scales said. “So good that Chief Kerlikowske went on to become Obama’s drug czar and then head of Customs and Border Patrol, we must have been doing something right.”

DOJ’s consent decree history

Scales suggested that the DOJ had other motives behind selecting departments for consent decree investigations.

“Based on what I’ve seen nationally over the last few decades, it’s 100% political,” Scales said. “There’s never been a consent decree in Texas, probably because they know the local officials would never agree to it. Seattle was investigated at the same time as Austin. Austin got a technical assistance letter, and Seattle got a consent decree. Liberal cities are generally easier to get compliance with local officials than a conservative city.”

As the City of Seattle fights to stay above water amid a steep $150 million budget shortfall, KIRO host John Curley questioned whether cities sign the consent decree in fear of fighting the DOJ due to budget concerns.

“Most officials think, ‘We don’t have the resources to fight the DOJ, so let’s sign the consent decree.’ But you don’t have to fight the DOJ; the DOJ has the burden of proof. The DOJ has to prove in court that there’s a pattern or practice,” Scales said. “There’s one agency that has ever said no to the DOJ, which was a small county in North Carolina. The DOJ took it to federal court and lost miserably.”

Seattle recently ranked as the fourth-worst metro city for total crime in 2024 based on an FBI report. Seattle’s total crime numbers in comparison to the national average were 172.9% higher.

“In Seattle, we had some of the best policies around, especially use of force policies, and we had to rewrite everything,” Scales said. “One of the real costs for Seattle was having to pull so many officers off the street to deal with the consent decree. Public safety goes down when a consent decree goes into effect.”

Scales detailed how a vital part of being a police officer is being able to use force in life-threatening circumstances, and how the consent decree can contribute to boosted crime statistics.

“Use of force is a necessary part of policing. If someone flees or assaults an officer or resists arrest, officers can lawfully use force,” Scales said. “The issue isn’t the use of force being down 60%, it’s down 60% because there aren’t any officers to make arrests.”

Listen to the full conversation below.

Listen to John Curley weekday afternoons from 3 – 7 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

KIRO host John Curley exposed the downsides of hindering ICE operations within Seattle.

“The idea of not helping ICE, that’s fine. I understand why you’d want to set that up,” Curley said on “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “But at the same time, if you have somebody that ICE asks to hold while they come to get him, and he’s wanted for murder in Honduras, or sexually assaulting kids, whatever it is. And you say, ‘No, we’re not doing you any favors,’ well, that’s going to make it much harder for ICE.”

Trump increases ICE activity in sanctuary cities

In a poll conducted by KOMO News, readers were asked, “How do you feel about ICE increasing operations in the Seattle area?” Of the more than 4,700 voters, 75% voted that they approve, 23% disapproved, and 2% believed that each case is different.

“It’s amazing that this is still a big story that people gravitate to. If you came into the country illegally, you broke a law,” Curley said. “You’re here illegally, that’s the rule. You’re not following the rules, that’s the case.”

On Thursday, U.S. Border Czar Tom Homan claimed ICE agents would be sent into Chicago, and operations would ramp up in four other cities that have refused to aid in ICE’s efforts to apprehend illegal immigrants.

“[Mayor Bruce Harrell] is playing the best card right now, which is Trump’s bad, Trump’s evil, anything that Trump wants to do, I’ll do the absolute opposite of that. So that’s where we are in Seattle,” Curley said.

Seattle is currently recognized as a sanctuary city, and has been since 2003. According to the City of Seattle, the term sanctuary city “can often be misused, misinterpreted, or misunderstood.” The city prefers to use the term “Welcoming City,” meaning “all City departments prioritize and consider policies, actions, and practices that help immigrant and refugee communities succeed.”

“You can see in certain cities that are sanctuary cities, where you can’t be arrested, so that’s where you get more drug dealing. That’s where you get more sex trafficking, in the sanctuary cities,” Curley said. “They know they get a little bit of a pass, and no one’s going to ask them where they’re from.”

Since January, 1.6 million illegal immigrants have left the United States population, according to the Department of Homeland Security. In January 2025, 15.8 million illegal immigrants were estimated to be in the U.S. As of July, there are now an estimated 14.2 million illegal immigrants.

“ICE will have to go around and try to find these people somewhere, possibly go into places where there are other people around, and then they sweep them all up,” Curley said. “I get the idea you’re not going to assist them, but again, it just makes their job a little harder.”

Listen to the full conversation below.

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Earlier this week, Kent Mayor Dana Ralph released a statement on the closures, saying she was “angry, frustrated, and sad” about the impact the shuttering of her local Fred Meyer would have on the community.

Although she was displeased by the closure, she wanted to make it clear that her office understands the reason behind the decision.

“It’s a business decision on the part of a for-profit corporation. It is based on crime concerns. It’s based on the fact that the merger that they attempted was denied, and the fact that the model for shopping has just changed significantly, not only just across our region, but across the country. So I think there’s a lot more nuance to it than just being upset with Fred Meyer,” Ralph said on “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio Friday.

Kent leaders have been in conversation with Fred Meyer over its business model and crime concerns, according to Ralph.

“Over the last couple of years, the City of Kent has been advocating with the legislature for several sessions around support for public safety funding, and Fred Meyer was one of our local businesses that showed up in support of the City of Kent,” she said.

Data shows crime surrounding Kent Fred Meyer declining

Crime in the area surrounding the Fred Meyer in Kent, located on S.E. 240th Street, has actually decreased, according to Ralph, citing police department data.

“We’re back to about pre-COVID levels,” she shared. “So we absolutely saw a spike in 2022, 2023, and then as 2024 and 2025 are unfolding, we’re seeing back to that probably 2019 level.”

Ralph acknowledged there are crime issues, but said Kroger’s decision to shut down the store was thought out long-term.

“That progress that we’ve been making has not probably played as much of a role in their decision as I would have hoped,” she added.

Ralph also mentioned that if stores don’t report crime, the city can’t respond.

“We hear it from retailers all the time, ‘It’s a waste of our time.’ Well, if we don’t know, how can we come and make an arrest? How can we stop the crime?” she said.

Fred Meyer closure hurts low-income families

As Kroger continues to withdraw from various King County communities, Ralph worries about low-income families.

“My primary and initial concern was we now have a neighborhood, that is a lower-income neighborhood, that no longer has that direct access to a grocery store, to prescriptions, to diapers and formula within walking distance or on transit routes,” she shared.

Kent mayor continues fight against crime

Regarding the role theft played in the store closures, Ralph will continue to fight against crime, outlining how softer enforcement can have consequences.

“There’s this belief that you can’t have compassion and accountability,” Ralph remarked. “There’s a belief that we shouldn’t be treating crime as crime, that there’s always an additional reason for it — and I’m not saying that people aren’t motivated by different things and we don’t need to take care of them — but we also can’t say it’s OK.

“Until we change the mindset and get to the place where we’re holding people with substance abuse disorders accountable to either seek treatment or stop committing crimes — that’s compassion, not letting people kill themselves is compassion,” Ralph continued. “We have to normalize that conversation. And it continues to be an uphill battle, but in my mind, it’s one that’s worth fighting because we care enough about people to save them from themselves.”

Listen to the full conversation below.

Listen to John Curley weekday afternoons from 3 – 7 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

KIRO host John Curley pointed his finger at the many ways groups can keep their relevance in the media through public controversy, highlighting that ignorance is bliss when it comes to a march through the city.

“I think they’re just instigating problems,” Curley said on “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “If you really oppose them and you don’t like what they talk about, the best thing you can do is to ignore them.”

Religious concert moved to Gas Works Park

The next religious gathering is scheduled for August 30, after the City of Seattle approved a permit that allows the group to congregate peacefully within the park.

“If you don’t like these people, completely ignore them,” Curley said. “If you go down there and scream, yell, throw stuff at them like they did before, mess around with the police and get arrested, that’s exactly what they want. They want you to get mad.”

The Seattle Police Department (SPD) reported 23 arrests at the previous religious gathering at Cal Anderson Park in May, and at least 30 people were detained.

“They want the media attention. If they came to Gas Works Park, had their rally, and no one showed up, this thing would go poof. It would be a failure for them,” Curley said.

The “Let Us Worship” group is continuing its “Revive in 2025” tour across the country. Other stops the religious group will make include Yakima, Montana, Texas, Idaho, Utah, and Canada.

“Don’t go there, because here’s what the news coverage would be on this, if you don’t show up and you don’t protest: silence. We wouldn’t cover it; there would be nothing there,” Curley said.

Immense public controversy sparked from the previous Let Us Worship gathering in May, leading to Mayor Harrell saying “anarchists” had infiltrated the counter-protest and incited violence.

The event plans to include a march through the streets from Cal Anderson Park toward Pike Place Market throughout the day, and later finish at Gas Works Park for a concert at 5 p.m.

“Oh my god, they’re going to march down the streets,” Curley said. “OK, well, then it won’t be silent like I predicted earlier; the police will be called out. They’re all going to be there. People will throw stuff at them.”

SPD said it will monitor the Gas Works Park event, and park gates will close at 10 p.m., consistent with new security measures implemented earlier this summer.

“It’s going to be the same old story, and again, they win if there’s any video of somebody being arrested,” Curley said.

Contributing: Luke Duecy, KIRO Newsradio

Listen to the full conversation below.

Listen to John Curley weekday afternoons from 3 – 7 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

“I’ve never done anything like ‘I’m going to endorse somebody,’ but I endorsed Katie Wilson, and the reason I endorse Katie Wilson running for mayor — looks like she’s going to beat Bruce Harrell — it’s because I said I want to see it as a socialism experiment, and it’s a redefinition of socialism,” Curley said on “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio.

“It’s not socialism where you overtake the production elements of the economy, and the government runs it like in Bolivia,” he continued. “After 20 years, they canned that. This is just light socialism, as people understand it. A bigger, more supportive welfare state.”

Wilson, the co-founder and executive director of the Transit Riders Union, earned more than 50% of the Aug. 5 primary vote in the Seattle mayoral race, leading incumbent Bruce Harrell, who captured less than 42% of the vote. Curley said he believes in her heart.

“I believe from talking to her that there are rich people who don’t pay their fair share,” he shared. “That if we could get the rich people to pay just a little bit more, or ‘their fair share,’ and then the government would have the revenue that it needs to provide the services for the people that the people want.”

Should Seattle go the way of Norway or Denmark?

However, Curley noted that when Norway implemented a similar approach, more than 30 multi-millionaires and billionaires left, taking their money with them. Wilson said Seattleites support a more progressive system.

“We’ve seen that Seattle residents support progressive taxes — that’s taxes on wealthy individuals and corporations who in our state are currently not paying their share,” Wilson said on “The John Curley Show.” “We have the second most regressive tax system in the country, and I think we all support adequately funded public services, from libraries to parks to first responders.”

Curley said the situation leaves Seattle at a crossroads: The city can do what Norway did, but risk losing its wealthier citizens, or implement the same strategy as Denmark.

“You could look at Denmark, which, by the way, in the 1990s, they decided they needed to reduce government services so that they could have a thing called a balanced budget,” he said. “And the people were in favor of that. They said, ‘In order for us to balance the budget, we’re going to have to cut the size of government.’ Which they did, they cut the size of government, they balanced their budget.”

However, to provide services, Denmark upped its sales tax for the middle class.

“The experiment it’s already been done,” Curley noted. “It’s been done in Norway, and it’s failed — which is, we are going to tax businesses, and then we’re going to take the money from the business, and we’re going to give it to everybody. Or you go to Denmark, and Denmark simply says, ‘We’re going to increase businesses and lower the taxes.’ So businesses will come here.”

Listen to the full conversation below.

Listen to John Curley weekday afternoons from 3 – 7 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

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“Sue Bird is the ultimate point guard. I love Sue Bird. I wish I had the honor of coaching her,” Coach K said. “She took that position to the highest level, not only in what she did physically, but what she did mentally and emotionally. I love her, and I think she is the absolute best.”

Coach K recaps Sue Bird’s career

Bird played her entire career in a Seattle Storm uniform and led the team to win four WNBA championships in 2004, 2010, 2018, and 2020. Bird retired as the all-time leader in assists with 3,234 and 6,803 points.

“The assists, she saw things that no one else saw in the moment,” Coach K said. “Her ability to think in the moment and play with courage allowed her to make those plays. No one in the history of women’s basketball really has made the number of plays like she has.”

Along with Bird’s assist record, she also holds WNBA records for total games played (580) and total minutes played (18,080). Bird also played on Team USA in the Olympics, winning five gold medals.

“She didn’t sit out of any games, and you could see days where she was hurting, bad ankles and knees, because she got banged up,” KIRO host John Curley said. “You always talk about players that play with heart and go beyond. Were there players that you knew you could count on, no matter what pains they brought to the game that day?”

“Yes, no question, and Sue understood her commitment to the team, her teammates, and also understood her commitment to the fans,” Coach K replied. “That’s why she’s so beloved in Seattle, and has a beautiful statue named in her honor.”

Bird’s statue outside of Climate Pledge illustrates her scoring a layup, which she said was a nod to how she scored both her first and final baskets in the WNBA.

Coach K’s love for Seattle

Coach K won five NCAA men’s basketball championships with Duke University in 1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, and 2015. Coach K also holds the NCAA record for most Final Four appearances with 13.

“Seattle, aside from basketball, is one of the great cities in the world. I mean, it’s a beautiful city, and I’ve loved every time I’ve been here,” Coach K said. “In basketball, though, Seattle is a basketball city. It has a basketball community that takes care of its young.”

Seattle native, Paolo Banchero, attended O’Dea High School and later played basketball in college under Coach K at Duke. Banchero went on to be the first overall pick by the Orlando Magic in the 2022 NBA draft.

“The last great player that I coached in college was Paolo Banchero, and he benefited from the experiences he had with the older veteran players in Seattle,” Coach K said. “They have a commitment to the game and to one another that is just beautiful, and it’s not seen hardly anywhere else in the country.”

The loss of the Seattle Supersonics nearly two decades ago created speculation ever since the team’s sale over when, if ever, the NBA would bring a team back to the city.

“I don’t know where expansion is right now on the list of things for Adam Silver and the NBA hierarchy. I know Seattle is being considered, but I don’t know the time frame for that,” Coach K said. “When the time comes, I think they’ll be right there and hopefully get that franchise back that they deserve.”

The V Foundation

Jimmy Valvano, also known as Jimmy V, was a successful basketball coach, broadcaster, and inspirational figure. Jimmy V was the coach of the NC State Wolfpack for 10 years between 1980 and 1990. In 1983, Jimmy led the Wolfpack to an NCAA Championship as a heavy underdog and won the game on a last-second buzzer beater.

“First of all, Jimmy would have loved you. Jimmy would have loved you because you’re spontaneous, you’re full of crap, you’ve got good stuff, and you’ll do whatever you need to make it work,” Coach K said to Curley.

Valvano delivered one of the most famous speeches in sports history at the 1993 ESPY awards. During the speech, Jimmy announced the creation of The V Foundation for Cancer Research and delivered the timeless quote: “Don’t give up, don’t ever give up.”

“The Jimmy V Foundation wants to make sure that people continue to know that speech. On his deathbed, [Coach K] was there with him, even though you went head to head numerous times against him in your college career, and he told you, ‘Coach K, I’m going to die, but I can’t just die. I have to do something,'” Curley said. “So [Coach K], Bob Lloyd, and others took his final words and turned it into probably the greatest organization that’s going to find a cure for cancer. It goes on every year, the fight never ends.”

Decades after Jimmy’s 1993 speech at the ESPYs, Coach K and The V Foundation group continue to make Jimmy’s words resonate with listeners, regardless of the battles they may be facing.

“Jimmy spoke from the heart, and his words don’t know an age, a time frame, whatever. His words know every time frame, every age, and they resonate with you whether you’re 20 years old when you first heard it, or you’re 70 and have heard it 25 times, it makes sense,” Coach K said. “Jimmy wanted to live beyond his life on earth, and he wanted to be a part of the team that won. He was the ultimate coach, and wanted to be there when the final victory was going to happen,” Coach K said. “The final victory will happen, because we are beating cancer. We haven’t won, we’re winning, but we haven’t won.”

Listen to the full conversation below.

Listen to John Curley weekday afternoons from 3 – 7 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.