Seattle's temporary efforts to clean up its downtown for the World Cup have drawn criticism from some residents who believe the improvements are superficial and will not last. Governor Bob Ferguson of Washington state recently praised the city's downtown, quoting a visitor who described it as "clean," "walkable," and "incredible."

However, many Seattle locals reacted with skepticism, pointing to the city's long-standing struggles with homelessness, open drug use, and encampments. They fear that the current state of cleanliness is a temporary facade, a repeat of a similar cleanup effort during MLB All-Star Week in 2023, after which conditions reportedly reverted.

Seattle, with a population of about 823,400, has the third-largest homeless population among U.S. cities, behind New York City and Los Angeles. According to the King County Regional Homelessness Authority, 64 percent of these individuals are unsheltered, living in tents, vehicles, or on the streets. These encampments have been visible in various neighborhoods, including near the Space Needle.

The city reportedly spent nearly $32 million on cleanup efforts in tourist-heavy areas and relocating homeless individuals ahead of the World Cup, which features Seattle as one of 11 host cities. Seattle has the third-highest homeless population among US cities, behind just NYC and LA, but the percentage share of homeless in the city is higher than in those larger cities. A homeless encampment in Seattle is pictured

Critics on social media expressed frustration, with one user writing on X (formerly Twitter), "You cleaned up and put on window dressing for the Cup visitors- now it’s over and we are going back to your chaos, filth and crime." Another commented, "We spent a s*** ton of money cleaning up and hiding away what our streets normally look like prior to the WC."

Concerns were also raised about the policies of Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and City Attorney Erika Evans. Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson at her inauguration on January 2 Seattle City Attorney Erika J. Evans is pictured in a campaign publicity photo Some critics allege that these leaders have policies that hinder the prosecution of public drug use cases, citing a memo from Evans that requires individuals arrested for public drug use to be referred to a diversion program. This approach has drawn comparisons to 'harm reduction' policies implemented in cities like San Francisco and Portland in the early 2020s, which critics say backfired. Seattle declared a Civil Emergency for homelessness in 2015.

The cleanup initiative, costing nearly $32 million, is viewed by some residents as a short-term fix for a long-standing problem. Open air drug use in Seattle is an ongoing issue that seems to happen Drug paraphernalia is seen on the sidewalk of an encampment in Seattle. Scenes such as this are typically common in the city