Wow, who knew?! Seriously this piece of theater is just that.

"Junkietown"? Whose ass did that get pulled out of?

I love that they flashed the engagement ring ad billboard on the side of the jewelry store as a part of the "look how seedy!" montage...

Is this supposed to be a smear job on "librul Seattle"

Isn't Nat Geo Channel a News Corp holding?

McGinn's doing a great job on crime. Did they not interview Dan and Eli?

Won't you take me to, Junkietown!

@4: Voiceover at the 36:37 mark: "But when it comes to the city's most popular drug, marijuana, WA state has taken a typically liberal approach, and business is booming."

Interesting stuff, but the bullshit effects/musical score and narrative style are deeply fucked up.

Looks like the scary-drug-doc business is booming for whoever is making these ones. This is their third season! I'm going to watch their episode "San Francisco Meth Zombies" now.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/ch…

there's no drug dealing on our streets. this is just anti-McGinn propaganda orchestrated by Ed Murray's campaign.

likely by Tim Ceis. in fact, isn't he one of those thugs in the clip?

What bullshit. And who is this fuck? Who the fuck cares what he says?

@2: i think they pulled it out of my ass. i've been calling 2nd & Pike "Junkietown" for nigh on 2 decades.

now, it's denizens have renamed it "The Blade". i admit, "The Blade" is way better.

They must have been smoking some of the "high quality crack they mentioned when they came up with this episode

Gahhhh they give a LEAD shoutout!!! Good thing they don't elaborate at all on what that actually means.

What's this show's bandana budget?

I watched this episode out of curiosity, and it totally destroyed any faith I may have once had in National Geographic. 1 hour of propoganda that would make the director of "Reefer Madness" blush.

Well that was a fun way to waste 45 minutes of my day. I'm glad I have an office.

All these drugs and nobody ever offers me any. I haz a sad.

@16 There's a drug for that . . . but you can't have any.

@14- National Geographic decided they needed to compete in a "History Channel" kind of world. Which means they make crap.

@4: The National Geographic Channel is, in fact, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fox corporation!

Like so much Sturm und Drang television, this takes a few kernels of truth and blows them to preposterous proportions. It's hard to have an honest discussion about our problems -- yes, we do hand over our public space to consequence-free drug-pushing and fetid junkiedom in a way no Eastern city with an even moderately healthy economy would tolerate -- when those problems are edited into a four-horsemen tableau incommensurate with the actual experience of living here.

There must be a disclaimer in there somewhere!! The acting isn't even believable. The logic is riddled with holes. This makes the sci-fi channel look like academy award material! That guy at the beginning was extremely clean shaven and that silly moustache reminded me of....
did national geographic hire faux documentary makers??

Why isn't this riveting piece being highlighted over at CHS so their commenters can go ape shit about how dangerous Broadway is these days?

Much like that 'Glock 40' @ 3:55, this shit is fake.

Wow, 1) Seattle does have a drug problem (On Friday there was a young man on his knees outside smoking crack 50 ft' down from the stranger's office, and this is not an uncommon sight in Cap hill/Downtown/Belltown). Also it's not uncommon to see people sell drugs in Cap hill/Downtown/Belltown. I think we who live here just get used to it for the most part since its usually non-violent.

BUT having no income tax system makes it hard to pay for the social safety net/policing needed to fight public drug use/selling.

Also I love the when the guy at the start says people where scared of him cause of his tattoos...yeah everyone in Seattle is scared of people with tattoos cause it's so uncommon :P

ha ha! That is no gangster that is fucking Tattoo Todd! LOL! That dude used to sleep on our hotel room floor, He's nothing but a heroin junkie from Broadway. He used to steal bikes to pay for his habit.

WAIT a minute,.
SO all of you nay-sayers are actually going to sit here and say that there is no: Crack, Meth, Heroin, Molly, or any other illegal drug used in down town Seattle? REALLY?
Have you all never walked down pike or pine? From the market to the top of capital hill?
Have none of you ever actually looked in the allies between he building or More to the point smelled the aroma coming out of them, left for us by out friendly vagrants?
To heck with pot I don't smoke but I wont knock those who do. But if you actually think that there are no hard drugs in Seattle, then go hang out in Victor park, or Westlake park, hell just walk around between pike and pine from 5th to 1st. don't listen to your ipod or stare at your phone, LOOK AROUND. this shows a small sample of the drug rot the spreads up most of aurora and down into the industrial district. Look at 4th and king. take a drive south of the stadiums some time. you can buy crack, heroin, meth, and even marijuana still from. YOu can probably get it all from the same dealer outside of the strip clubs. If you think your town doesn't have a drug problem you are either lying to yourself, or you have not looked up from your smart phone in 10 years.