As Tacoma business owners struggle with widespread violence and homelessness, add local officials to the list of obstacles. One council member had choice words for a departing florist, vowing to never support the business.— a South Tacoma staple for more than 90 years — reached her breaking point with the city and announced she’s leaving Tacoma for Fircrest.
Wolland responded with a defense of her treatment of the homeless in the area. She mentioned a machete-wielding man among other various crime problems she and other area businesses have tirelessly endured. Wolland said she chose to leave the exchange at that. She said Rumbaugh was never among the 18,000 customers they served over the years at the South Tacoma location.
“The neighborhood is just different,” Wolland said. “You don’t see homeless encampments. You don’t see the derelict RVs. I have yet to see a drug deal happening in front of my store.” “We have been begging for help for two years and our pleas have gone unanswered,” Michael Johnson, sales manager of Poly Bag LLC, told The Jason Rantz Show on KTTH. “Unfortunately, if you complain about the onslaught of drug-fueled crime and violence now plaguing our community, you are simply labeled anti-homeless and your concerns are ignored.”Tacoma is coming off a year with its highest homicide mark ever. Yet, Tacoma Police Chief Avery Moore stated all is well.