Homeless Camp Out At City Hall, Protest 'Tent Camp Sweeps'

Homeless Camp Out At City Hall, Protest 'Tent Camp Sweeps'

seattlepi.nwsource.com

In April, Seattle officials added capacity for 20 homeless shelter beds and promised to give three days' notice to homeless people forced from unauthorized tent camps in controversial sweeps.

Calvin Turner, 50, said he didn't get a warning before his camp under a Beacon Hill bridge was swept earlier this year. When it was gone -- taking family pictures and the few other possessions he carried with him -- Turner had a question for Mayor Greg Nickels: Where do you want us to sleep, your front yard?

In a symbolic way, that's where Turner and about 200 others camped out Sunday night -- the concrete exterior of City Hall -- protesting Nickels' policy of sweeping homeless encampments. Monday morning, an interfaith memorial service is scheduled for those who died while trying to survive outside.

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Boy, let me tell you something--They better be VERY CAREFUL with this type of stuff, as this is going to be something that is literally going to rise one-hundred fold in the coming months and years. There will be over a million more homeless people coming this year due to the housing crisis-And these are not "bums" or "derelicts", but average Joe's who LOST THEIR HOMES, due to both the predatory lending schemes, and the cost of everything outpacing their incomes exponentially during this nightmare economy.

There is going to be a HUGE rise in the homeless population, so they better quit with the Gestapo tactics of raiding these "tent-cities" of people that are homeless!

Seattle officials faced criticism last year after publicity spread about the city's unannounced camp sweeps. The city has been dismantling camps for more than 15 years because of public safety and health problems. Protocols for dismantling the camps were released in April, but homeless advocates said that, even with the provisions, the sweeps only push homeless people into other city areas.

The protocols include giving camp residents at least 72 hours' notice of sweeps, storing some seized property for 60 days and providing "outreach" to camp dwellers.

seattlepi.nwsource.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Thank you for posting this. My bus goes by City hall every morning and I noticed the dozen or so tents set up in a lot next to the building today and was wondering what the deal was. I can understand why the city has cracked down on them, because some of the areas they previously overtook were in areas where they posed a threat to public safety as well as their own safety. I think it's become more of an issue this year, too, because we've had a particularly wet, cold spring and really haven't seen any signs of summer at all, so they've had a greater need for shelter than they normally would this time of year.

Read this: community.seattletimes.nwsource.com...

"He's got top-notch lawyers scratching their heads and searching their legal briefs over the issue of urinating," Cole says. "We need to build public bathrooms instead."

They built them: seattlepi.nwsource.com...

...and now they're being removed because they became a haven for illegal activity: seattletimes.nwsource.com...

The automated restrooms opened in 2004, in response to complaints that homeless people were relieving themselves in alleys because of the lack of public facilities. At the time, the city provided portable toilets for the public to use.

That is just one small issue from a long list of issues that have made the city and her residents take a "get them the hell outta here" attitude towards bums.

Also of note, this isn't a first for Seattle. Just 3 months ago: seattletimes.nwsource.com... sscamp14m.html

"I'm witness to the strong-arm robbery tactic of people's possessions," John Spelzini said as he set up a small green tent. While he is staying in transitional housing, he said, he has a friend, "an urban camper," who has lost his gear in several police sweeps. He called it inhumane.

"I understand some sweeps are necessary, but give 72-hour notice and store our stuff."

the city changed their policy now to incorporate that 72 hour notice and they impound possessions as they were asked to do by the transients... yet they continue to protest. At some point it has to be asked when is enough enough? Is it really the taxpayers' duty (particularly in a state with no incopme tax where everything is funded through an already excessive and strapped sales & property tax system) to house these people?