Andrea Suarez, founder of We Heart Seattle, says her nonprofit is under investigation by the Washington Department of Labor & Industries for how it handles discarded drug paraphernalia that volunteers collect from city parks, playgrounds and public spaces. The seven-year-old organization cleans up needles, smoking supplies and other items distributed through King County harm reduction programs. Suarez argues the state probe exposes what she calls a double standard: regulators scrutinizing her group's handling of materials that county health programs distribute without similar requirements.
We Heart Seattle was founded in 2020 as a solo operation and has grown into an organization that logs more than 50,000 hours of volunteer service. The group rallies volunteers to pick up discarded needles, glass pipes, foil and other drug-use items from parks, playgrounds and public spaces throughout Seattle. Suarez told Fox News Digital she obtained what she called a 'party kit' from King County's needle exchange program, which included cookers, tourniquets and glass pipes distributed through county health services.
What the Left Is Saying
Progressive advocates and public health officials generally support harm reduction programs as evidence-based approaches to reducing overdose deaths and connecting people with services. Organizations such as the National Harm Reduction Coalition argue that distributing clean needles and supplies prevents the spread of diseases like HIV and hepatitis C while creating pathways to treatment. From this perspective, worker safety regulations exist to protect all individuals handling potentially dangerous materials, including volunteers in cleanup organizations.
Washington state labor regulators have emphasized that workplace safety requirements apply regardless of the charitable nature of an organization. A spokesperson for the Department of Labor & Industries noted that inspectors may issue violations if organizations fail to meet safety requirements and that penalties depend on specific violations found during investigations that can take up to six months to complete.
What the Right Is Saying
Conservative critics argue that harm reduction policies enable continued drug use in public spaces without sufficient emphasis on treatment and recovery. From this perspective, taxpayer-funded programs that distribute paraphernalia contribute to conditions cleanup volunteers like those with We Heart Seattle are working to address.
Suarez argued publicly: 'You have to look at the optics of a state, a county, a city level that allows people to openly use lethal and illegal narcotics like methamphetamines and fentanyl, and they give you the paraphernalia to use those drugs on our taxpayer dime, to use in public spaces with no consequences...and then I'm over here trying to manage the problem, clean up our dog parks, clean up our children's merry-go-rounds, ensuring our playgrounds don't have needles and foil sticking up through the grass, and I'm the one under investigation.' She called the situation 'egregious' and questioned why harm reduction sites do not face similar scrutiny for distributing materials with minimal instructions on treatment resources.
What the Numbers Show
We Heart Seattle has accumulated more than 50,000 hours of volunteer service since its founding in 2020. The organization operates primarily through weekend cleanups and daily volunteer efforts across Seattle parks and public spaces. The state investigation stems from a complaint filed by someone outside the organization to the Washington Department of Labor & Industries, according to documents viewed by Fox News Digital. Inspections under the department's jurisdiction can take up to six months to complete, with results made available to the public upon conclusion.
King County harm reduction programs distribute supplies including needles, smoking equipment and other items intended to reduce health risks associated with drug use. The county's health department provides these materials as part of a public health strategy that officials say aims to prevent disease transmission and create opportunities for treatment engagement.
The Bottom Line
The investigation into We Heart Seattle highlights ongoing tensions between harm reduction public health strategies and community concerns about visible drug use in public spaces. State labor regulators maintain that workplace safety requirements apply equally to all organizations handling potentially hazardous materials, regardless of their mission. The case is pending completion of the Department of Labor & Industries inspection process, which can extend up to six months. What happens next will likely depend on whether inspectors find violations and what specific safety protocols they determine are necessary for organizations engaged in cleanup work involving discarded drug paraphernalia.