Amazon employees are back in the office five days a week, five years after Covid-19 shook up work as we know it; as the company’s so-called Return-To-Office policy took effect on Thursday, January 2nd. 

Amazon is the largest private employer to roll back its pandemic-era work from home policy.

So, what will this mean for both employees AND local businesses in the hubs where Amazon resides? 

Monica Nicklesburg tackled this question for KUOW as the resident Labor & Economy Reporter, she’s also the co-host of the KUOW podcast BOOMING, and she joined Soundside host Libby Denkmann to break down how those employees are feeling about this shift.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

RELATED LINK: 
Culture-building or cost-cutting? Amazon's return-to-office order raises questions, fears 

Amazon employees are back in the office five days a week, five years after Covid-19 shook up work as we know it; as the company&rsquo;s so-called Return-To-Office policy took effect on Thursday, January 2nd.&nbsp;
Amazon is the largest private employer to roll back its pandemic-era work from home policy.
So, what will this mean for both employees AND local businesses in the hubs where Amazon resides?&nbsp;
Monica Nicklesburg tackled this question for KUOW as the resident Labor &amp; Economy Reporter, she&rsquo;s also the co-host of the KUOW podcast BOOMING, and she joined Soundside host Libby Denkmann to break down how those employees are feeling about this shift.
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to <a href="http://kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes">kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes</a>
Soundside&nbsp;is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.
RELATED LINK:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.kuow.org/stories/culture-building-or-cost-cutting-amazon-s-return-to-office-order-raises-questions-fears">Culture-building or cost-cutting? Amazon's return-to-office order raises questions, fears</a>&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Soundside

A look into Amazon's "Return to Office" mandate

As the Trump administration prepares to take office, a fight is brewing over the future of homelessness in America.

For about a decade now, the federal government has pushed a strategy called Housing First.

It's designed to get people off the streets and into permanent homes... even when they have serious problems with mental illness or substance use. Seattle was one of the earliest adopters of this approach, back in the nineties.

But, over the past few years, a growing chorus of critics — mostly on the political right — has questioned Housing First.

They want to go back to a time when efforts to fight homelessness focused more on getting people into treatment and having them "earn" access to subsidized housing by changing their behaviors.

Now some of those critics are about to come to power in the White House, like Vice President elect JD Vance.

You've probably heard of Project 2025. It's the conservative Heritage Foundation's plan for Trump's second term. It calls for an end to Housing First — a move that would upend the nation's homelessness strategy.

KUOW's Will James has covered homelessness for years. He wanted to know: What is at the heart of this backlash against Housing First?

And, with homelessness reaching record levels, do the critics have a point? Is it time to change course?

If so, where do we go from here?

Will spent months digging into these questions and brings us this original, freshly-reported documentary, which we're sharing with you for the first time today.

The story starts right here in Seattle... because this city is intertwined with the history of Housing First and now, the movement against it.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

Guests:
Will James, KUOW Audio Documentary Producer


Related Links:

KUOW - Lost Patients

As the Trump administration prepares to take office, a fight is brewing over the future of homelessness in America.
For about a decade now, the federal government has pushed a strategy called Housing First.
It's designed to get people off the streets and into permanent homes... even when they have serious problems with mental illness or substance use. Seattle was one of the earliest adopters of this approach, back in the nineties.
But, over the past few years, a growing chorus of critics &mdash; mostly on the political right &mdash; has questioned Housing First.
They want to go back to a time when efforts to fight homelessness focused more on getting people into treatment and having them "earn" access to subsidized housing by changing their behaviors.
Now some of those critics are about to come to power in the White House, like Vice President elect JD Vance.
You've probably heard of Project 2025. It's the conservative Heritage Foundation's plan for Trump's second term. It calls for an end to Housing First &mdash; a move that would upend the nation's homelessness strategy.
KUOW's Will James has covered homelessness for years. He wanted to know: What is at the heart of this backlash against Housing First?
And, with homelessness reaching record levels, do the critics have a point? Is it time to change course?
If so, where do we go from here?
Will spent months digging into these questions and brings us this original, freshly-reported documentary, which we're sharing with you for the first time today.
The story starts right here in Seattle... because this city is intertwined with the history of Housing First and now, the movement against it.
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to <a href="http://kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes">kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes</a>
Soundside&nbsp;is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.
Guests: Will James, KUOW Audio Documentary Producer
 Related Links:
<a href="https://www.kuow.org/podcasts/lost-patients">KUOW - Lost Patients</a>

The Housing First Approach: A Documentary

In an effort to curb gun crime, Tacoma announced last year that it was turning to a tool called ShotSpotter.

ShotSpotter is a form of Gun Detection Technology (GDT), which uses a series of acoustic microphone sensors to track loud bangs, booms, and pops in a designated area. Once those "dynamic events" are triggered, a human classifier verifies the sound was a gunshot and alerts local police. The entire process happens within 60 seconds or less. 

The idea is that it’s a faster and more accurate way to alert police to gunshots, compared with relying on 911 calls. That, then, allows police to get to a more targeted crime scene sooner, and have more evidence to ideally solve the crime.

SoundThinking, the company that runs ShotSpotter, says the technology has been used in more than 180 cities globally.

However, the technology has been controversial in several large cities. Houston’s mayor called ShotSpotter a “gimmick” when he announced plans to scrap the city’s contract. After years of debate over its effectiveness, Chicago ended its use of Shotspotter in September. 

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell advocated for years for using an acoustic gunshot detection technology in Seattle before backing off his plan to fund a pilot program last year. 

Tacoma is moving forward with ShotSpotter, thanks to an $800,000 grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance. That grant will fund three different kinds of technology aimed at improving the city’s ability to investigate gun crimes. The police department is on the verge of piloting ShotSpotter in a two square mile area around Hosmer Street, in South Tacoma.

Tacoma Police told us the city's ShotSpotter rollout is now slated for Spring 2025. 

But some in the city are concerned about the cost and accuracy of ShotSpotter, and say it might lead to greater police presence and surveillance in communities that have long suffered from over policing. 

To learn more, Soundside spoke with a group of community advocates who've spoken against the technology at ShotSpotter information sessions in Tacoma; Alfred Lewers Jr., the Senior Director of Trauma Response and Community Engagement at SoundThinking; and Eric Piza, a professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Northeastern University in Boston who's studied the use of ShotSpotter in major cities like Chicago and Kansas City. 

Guests:
Latasha Palmer, community advocate and board secretary of the Hilltop Action Coalition.
Bunchy Carter, minister of defense for the Black Panther Party in Tacoma.
Oneida Arnold, long term member of The Conversation 253, a Tacoma and South Sound community group.
Alfred Lewers Jr., senior director of trauma response and community engagement at SoundThinking, the company that oversees ShotSpotter. 
Eric Piza, professor of criminology and criminal justice at Northeastern University in Boston.

Related links: 
Tacoma residents voice concerns about gunshot detection pilot program during public forum | king5.com
ShotSpotter FAQs - City of Tacoma
I studied ShotSpotter in Chicago and Kansas City – here’s what people in Detroit and the more than 167 other cities and towns using this technology should know
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell shelves plans for ShotSpotter technology | The Seattle Times

 

In an effort to curb gun crime, Tacoma announced last year that it was turning to a tool called ShotSpotter.
ShotSpotter is a form of Gun Detection Technology (GDT), which uses a series of acoustic microphone sensors to track loud bangs, booms, and pops in a designated area. Once those "dynamic events" are triggered, a human classifier verifies the sound was a gunshot and alerts local police. The entire process happens within 60 seconds or less.&nbsp;
The idea is that it&rsquo;s a faster and more accurate way to alert police to gunshots, compared with relying on 911 calls. That, then, allows police to get to a more targeted crime scene sooner, and have more evidence to ideally solve the crime.
SoundThinking, the company that runs ShotSpotter, says the technology has been used in more than 180 cities globally.
However, the technology has been controversial in several large cities. Houston&rsquo;s mayor called ShotSpotter a <a href="https://abc13.com/post/shotspotter-program-mayor-john-whitmire-support-gunshot-detection/14891606/">&ldquo;gimmick&rdquo;</a> when he announced plans to scrap the city&rsquo;s contract. After years of debate over its effectiveness, Chicago <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/shotspotter-tecnology-goes-dark-sunday-night-chicago/">ended its use of Shotspotter</a> in September. Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell advocated for years for using an acoustic gunshot detection technology in Seattle before&nbsp;<a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/seattle-mayor-bruce-harrell-shelves-plans-for-shotspotter-technology/">backing off</a> his plan to fund a pilot program last year.&nbsp;
Tacoma is moving forward with ShotSpotter, thanks to an $800,000 grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance. That grant will fund three different kinds of technology aimed at improving the city&rsquo;s ability to investigate gun crimes. The police department is on the verge of piloting ShotSpotter in a two square mile area around Hosmer Street, in South Tacoma.
Tacoma Police told us the city's ShotSpotter rollout is now slated for Spring 2025.&nbsp;
But some in the city are concerned about the cost and accuracy of ShotSpotter, and say it might lead to greater police presence and surveillance in communities that have long suffered from over policing.&nbsp;
To learn more, Soundside spoke with a group of community advocates who've spoken against the technology at ShotSpotter information sessions in Tacoma; Alfred Lewers Jr., the Senior Director of Trauma Response and Community Engagement at SoundThinking; and Eric Piza, a professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Northeastern University in Boston who's studied the use of ShotSpotter in major cities like Chicago and Kansas City.&nbsp;
Guests:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">Latasha Palmer, community advocate and board secretary of the Hilltop Action Coalition.</li>
<li dir="ltr">Bunchy Carter, minister of defense for the Black Panther Party in Tacoma.</li>
<li dir="ltr">Oneida Arnold, long term member of The Conversation 253, a Tacoma and South Sound community group.</li>
<li dir="ltr">Alfred Lewers Jr., senior director of trauma response and community engagement at SoundThinking, the company that oversees ShotSpotter.&nbsp;</li>
<li dir="ltr">Eric Piza, professor of criminology and criminal justice at Northeastern University in Boston.</li>
</ul>
Related links:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/tacoma/tacoma-residents-concerns-shotspotter-pilot-program/281-b4ebb3e6-6a95-4533-b456-3afb36ba6674">Tacoma residents voice concerns about gunshot detection pilot program during public forum | king5.com</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.cityoftacoma.org/cms/one.aspx?portalId=169&amp;pageId=263206">ShotSpotter FAQs - City of Tacoma</a></li>
<li><a href="https://theconversation.com/i-studied-shotspotter-in-chicago-and-kansas-city-heres-what-people-in-detroit-and-the-more-than-167-other-cities-and-towns-using-this-technology-should-know-230265">I studied ShotSpotter in Chicago and Kansas City &ndash; here&rsquo;s what people in Detroit and the more than 167 other cities and towns using this technology should know</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/seattle-mayor-bruce-harrell-shelves-plans-for-shotspotter-technology/">Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell shelves plans for ShotSpotter technology | The Seattle Times</a></li>
</ul>
&nbsp;

As ShotSpotter rolls out in Tacoma, feelings over gunshot detection technology remain mixed

It’s been five years since Covid 19 began spreading around the world from its origin in Wuhan, China. In that emergent time of the pandemic, there was widespread concern about clusters of the virus, in Italy, then Iran, then an outbreak at a nursing home in the Pacific Northwest. By March of 2020, an unprecedented international phenomenon took place: countries began closing their borders.

When the World Closed its Doors by Laurie Trautman and Edward Alden looks at how this international effort disrupted the lives of people who had grown reliant on movement between countries; from migrant workers to cross-border families.

Guest:

Laurie Trautman, Director of the Border Policy Research Institute at Western Washington University

 

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. 

It&rsquo;s been five years since Covid 19 began spreading around the world from its origin in Wuhan, China. In that emergent time of the pandemic, there was widespread concern about clusters of the virus, in Italy, then Iran, then an outbreak at a nursing home in the Pacific Northwest. By March of 2020, an unprecedented international phenomenon took place: countries began closing their borders.
<a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/when-the-world-closed-its-doors-9780197697818?cc=us&amp;lang=en&amp;">When the World Closed its Doors</a> by Laurie Trautman and Edward Alden looks at how this international effort disrupted the lives of people who had grown reliant on movement between countries; from migrant workers to cross-border families.
Guest:
Laurie Trautman, Director of the Border Policy Research Institute at Western Washington University
&nbsp;
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to <a href="http://kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes">kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes</a>
Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.&nbsp;

A look into Amazon's "Return to Office" mandate

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