Two Seattle-based advocacy organisations have launched a public awareness campaign directed at Washington Governor Bob Ferguson, demanding stronger state-level action on fentanyl after 242 confirmed overdose deaths in King County so far this year and a recent fatal relapse that campaign organisers say became the breaking point.
We Heart Seattle and Battlefield Addiction announced the joint campaign, named “Hey Bob,” following the death of Nehemiah, known to friends as Nemo, who died from a fentanyl overdose on 28 May after maintaining a year of sobriety. Arthur Dahlen, founder and executive director of Battlefield Addiction, said Nemo’s death crystallised months of frustration into action. “He’s just been the last straw that’s prompted us to say enough is enough,” Dahlen said.
The campaign is calling on Governor Ferguson to establish new legal tools including drug-free zones to curb street-level fentanyl use, arguing that municipal efforts alone cannot address a crisis of this scale without structural changes from Olympia. Andrea Suarez, founder of We Heart Seattle, described the ongoing crisis in stark terms. “It’s like a smokeless war that’s happening, and we’re afraid to say it,” Suarez said. “We need intervention at the state level and Olympia to create some laws, drug free zones.”
Dahlen added that he has not heard the governor directly name fentanyl as a crisis requiring urgent executive attention. “I haven’t heard Governor Bob Ferguson, I have not heard him say fentanyl. Maybe I’ve missed it, but I haven’t heard him say that there’s a problem.”
Ferguson pushed back firmly on that characterisation, pointing to his record as state attorney general. “That’s laughable,” Ferguson said. “I was Attorney General for 12 years. I literally led the country in lawsuits, talking about fentanyl.” During his tenure, Ferguson said he secured more than $1 billion in legal settlements directed specifically toward state and local programmes to combat the fentanyl epidemic.
State and federal health data shows confirmed fentanyl deaths in Washington rose sharply in the late 2010s and peaked in 2023. Preliminary data for 2025 suggests overall yearly overdose totals are beginning to decline, a trend Ferguson said he welcomes but cautioned against overstating. “We’re not going to solve that in one day, or one week, or one month, but I’m glad to see that trend,” the governor said.
Advocates say declining totals offer no comfort to families still losing people to the drug. The Hey Bob campaign is continuing to push for a formal meeting with the governor to discuss regional recovery strategies. Families affected by substance use disorders are being encouraged to share their experiences online using the hashtag EnoughIsEnough.
