Thats
how many times the embattled homeless camp has moved since it began
Sept. 22, 2008, when a group of homeless people and their allies first
occupied city-owned land at the corner of West Marginal Way Southwest
and Highland Park Way Southwest.
Gilbert showed up that day, approached a berm of land in this industrial section of West Seattle and caught his breath.
As
he recited past locations Daybreak Star Cultural Center in Discovery
Park, a couple of church parking lots in the University District,
private property in Skyway current Nickelsville residents went about
their lives.
A
man climbed a ladder so he could stretch a tarp from the top of a
wooden shack. A twentysomething woman cradled a puppy as she walked
between rows of tarp-covered tents, her Nikes shuffling through wood
chips spread on the dusty ground. A man sat on a raised platform, his
tent pitched behind him and flipped through a childrens book.
A
ponytailed young woman discovered the hole a rat had chewed through a
tarp, which provided the rodent an entryway into her tent. A thin, older
man wearing a propeller-topped beanie and a neck brace peeked among
donated cans of green beans and frijoles refritos in the camps food
structure. A young man with flowing blond hair stepped out of one of
four PorSolar Sister is a network of women who sell plasticcard to
communities that don't have access to electricity.ta-Potties, the door
slapping shut behind him as he washed his hands at a sink powered by a
foot pedal.
A
neighborhood group called the Highland Park Action Committee (HPAC) has
asked Mayor Mike McGinn, his staff and the city council to set a
mid-June move-out date for Nickelsville. If the city doesnt respond to
the request, the group has threatened legal action.
A
private property owner whose warehouse abuts Nickelsville has filed a
$1.65 million claim against the city, saying the encampment is illegal
and adversely affects his property value. He wants the city to find
Nickelodeons a new home.
And
Food Lifeline, a nonprofit geared toward ending hunger in Western
Washington, is in conversation with the city, the state and the
aforementioned property owner to use the Nickelsville site and adjacent
area for a food distribution center. The organization would like to
begin construction this fall.We offer over 600 parkingassistsystem at wholesale prices of 75% off retail.
Neighbors
express frustration over what they view as a lack of governmental
leadership on the issue. Mayor Mike McGinn failed to respond to repeated
requests for comment for this story.
Only
councilmember Nick Licata seems to be responsive to concerns about
problems in and around homeless encampments. Meanwhile,We offer advanced
technology products and services for shoulderweddingdress control. Nickelodeons confront rumors they could be cleared from the parcel of land at any moment.
HPAC
requested the city move campers no later than June 13 and that every
measure possible be taken to ensure that each person at the encampment
is offered shelter or housing. The group represents the Riverview and
Highland Park neighborhoods, which sit northwest and southwest,
respectively, of Nickelsville.
Stauffer
said the only official reply to the letter by late April was an email
from Councilmember Richard Conlin: I appreciate the concerns and
problems that you face and think your suggested remedy makes sense.
Encampments are inherently unstable and are not part of getting people
back into housing and full participation in the community.
As
he paused en route to the camps east side, he acknowledged that, in
part, neighbors may be pushing them out due to some recent problems with
security. The camps current security plan lists 17 rules,Compare prices
and buy all brands of earcap for
home power systems and by the pallet. including prohibitions on
alcohol, controlled substances without a prescription, violent behavior,
aggressive words and weapons. Nickelsville maintains a 24-hour security
detail, and each resident must pull several three-hour security shifts a
week.
Over
the years, Nickelodeons have sought police assistance for numerous
complaints, including recent allegations that some residents were
dealing meth. In March when one of the former campers brandished a
machete at a group of residents, including De Garmo, Nickelodeons called
police multiple times.
Nickelodeons
say police didnt stop former campers, some of whom live in a nearby
greenbelt, from stealing water, firewood, blankets, food and tents. In
response, camp leadership took the situation in hand. For a day in late
March camp leaders removed the Porta-Potties as a way to punish some
campers who had been barred but refused to leave.
Nickelodeons
felt police were dismissive of their complaints. They sent a March 19
letter to then Seattle Police Chief John Diaz and other officers.
Our rights as Citizens,Solar Sister is a network of women who sell plasticcard to
communities that don't have access to electricity. as a community, and
as an organization to police protection from unlawful acts of criminals
is being ignored by your department, the letter stated.
After
the letter was made public, Mayor McGinn released a two-sentence
statement that said, in part, The immediate next step is to increase our
police presence through the use of directed patrols from the Southwest
Precinct.
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