NEW CAMP: RVs leave SODO, move to east West Seattle lot next to ex-‘Nickelsville’

| Highland Park | West Seattle news

FIRST REPORT, 5:53 PM THURSDAY: Just yards from where the city almost set up an “RV safe lot” last year before scrapping the idea, an unofficial RV camp is taking shape right now. We just visited the site on the east end of the land twice inhabited by the tent camp that called itself “Nickelsville,” after finding out about the RVs’ move via e-mail sent to us and other media outlets. That e-mail said that the RVs headed this way after “Seattle Police provided a 3-day notice to random RVs [in industrial areas of SODO] that their RVs and vehicles – and personal belongings inside them – would be towed and impounded today, 5/11/17.”

The site is state-owned; we counted about 10 RVs during our short visit to find out what was happening. A camper named Rebecca told us more are expected, and that police and state troopers were at the site earlier. The vehicles are parked just inside a gate off 2nd Avenue SW, between Highland Park Way SW and W. Marginal Way SW (south of the marker on this map).

The city’s proposed “safe lot” – a plan officially scrapped in March 2016 – would have been to the west along West Marginal, on a paved lot adjacent to the city-owned encampment site that was cleared three years ago. The announcement of the new unofficial camp notes, “The City of Seattle’s 2016 plan to assist homeless people living in RVs has largely been abandoned. This is an independent effort to find a safe site.” We won’t be able to find out anything from SPD or WSP until tomorrow.

ADDED 9:18 AM FRIDAY: We just heard back from Julie Moore, spokesperson for the city’s homelessness-related efforts. She tells WSB: “The City did not direct people to this site.” They first heard yesterday that “an unauthorized encampment had set up at that property.” She also says that regarding RV campers allegedly being chased there from SODO, “There was no encampment cleanup effort going on in SoDo this week. Any notices about RVs needing to move would have come from SPD parking enforcement.” Meantime, the Navigation Team is “visiting the site to assess the situation this morning.” It’s “not appropriate for camping,” she added, because “it will soon be used for staging for critical I-5 construction work this summer.”

Pat May 11, 2017 (6:32 pm)

I was very surprised when I arrived at the YMCA this morning to find a large RV illegally parked, parallel to the curb and blocking numerous of the “back-in, angle-only parking” spaces on 37th Ave. SW, on the west side of the YMCA building. It was still there (with curtains drawn shut) when I left the Y after my class, around 9 a.m. A refugee from SODO creating a new “campground”?!?

Dave II May 11, 2017 (7:40 pm)

I’d call parking enforcement/ non emergency. 1 parking spot, 1 vehicle.
Thiago Cross May 28, 2017 (9:04 pm)

To Julie Moore! Although the actual sweeps did not happen, we were swept in a different fashion using SPD with accompanying parking enforcement! Here is a video! https://www.facebook.com/thiagocross/videos/1367009540045743/

M May 11, 2017 (7:14 pm)

There are also 2 RVs parked by the West Seattle Health club.

CrewJones May 11, 2017 (7:58 pm)

If the city is going to fund this then they better keep tabs on them. What happens a lot is that they come up the hill to highland park and the white center areas to do their dirt and car prowling and ect…… myself and a bunch of neighbors have been victims of these road warriors from theft to vandalism.

WSB May 11, 2017 (8:17 pm)

I didn’t say the city has anything to do with *this*. Only that it happens to be close to where the “safe lot” idea was proposed, and didn’t go through. This isn’t even city land. But we’ll be checking with the state and city tomorrow morning. The city does own some other land adjacent to it, which at one point was under consideration as a sanctioned encampment, but that idea didn’t go anywhere, and in this area, the city wound up sanctioning Camp 2nd Chance on Myers Way instead.

North of Admiral May 11, 2017 (8:11 pm)

There were 10 RVs parked along Harbor Ave when I counted last night.

WSB May 11, 2017 (8:15 pm)

We’ve been counting almost daily for several weeks and it’s fluctuated from 6 to 9. Haven’t traveled Harbor/Alki today, too busy.
- North of Admiral May 11, 2017 (9:20 pm)
  
  That’s right, there were 9 RVs and one camper van.
  - WSB May 12, 2017 (7:47 pm)
    
    Down to 7.

Madenning May 11, 2017 (9:03 pm)

Tow em all. Clean up Seattle.

TheWiserOne May 11, 2017 (11:22 pm)

Safe lots and safe spots keep RV’s out of neighborhoods general parking. As long as the vehicles are parked legally, no illegal behaviors, violations of laws, and are moved every 72 hours, and I’d add not blocking views, on streets then we should support the safe lots. Easier to police in one or two places then all over the city. However what about when the folks who have expensive well maintained RV’s parked along the roads, same rules should apply to all people regardless of income, housed or not, address or not.

Mrs B May 11, 2017 (11:27 pm)

Maybe meet them and find out more about them and why they’re there. Jerks that say “Clean them up” are acting like these human beings a trash. What a terrible way to think. You know nothing about them until you ask… Stop being so ugly and maybe do something to improve the situation rather than angrily exacerbate it. Seriously, what is happening to us?

Double Dub Resident May 12, 2017 (5:06 am)

Well Mrs. B, go down and find out then. Or you can ask residents of Magnolia about their experiences when a bunch of RV’s moved in their area and neighbors started finding their stolen belongings in the RV camp.

Or we can go back to Nickelsville which is about the same time panhandling started happening in Westwood Village, neighbors in Highland Park started experiencing more crime in their neighborhood.

My neighborhood in Westwood up until then was pretty quiet. Then neighbors started noticing a spike in car prowls, things missing from their yards and even mail theft. I began to see liquor and beer bottles thrown in my yard, with people (homeless looking) screaming and fighting up and down the street, with people who obviously didn’t live in the neighborhood wandering aimlessly through it.

Many of these people are treating their own lives like trash. While there might be a few who are truly a victim of circumstance, I would say most are where they are due to making one bad decision after another and have alienated both family and friends due to their behaviors and have no interest in bettering their lives.
- WsEd May 12, 2017 (3:38 pm)
  
  I couldn’t have said this better myself. I moved out of Westwood specifically for this reason a couple of years ago. The neighborhood has really started to go into the dumpster.
  
  But don’t worry if you apologize enough for other peoples problems and allow them to steal, deal drugs, deface the area, and generally not become a productive member of society it will be all good and modern Seattle speak where you are called a NIMBY for pointing out the obvious.
  
  And I don’t buy the “I can’t find work” excuse for a minute. I have a close friend who isn’t highly educated and got laid off from a 10 year position. He applied for anything decent not even related to his former job and was employed at close to his old salary within a couple of months. His quote about was “Well is’t not my dream job, but it’s a job”. So I guess he is supposed to feel sorry for the homeless guy that just stole the kids bikes from his backyard while working a less than desirable job to feed his family. What an effing apologist joke Seattle has become.
- gh May 12, 2017 (3:59 pm)
  
  Amen. In Seattle, decent tax-paying property owners are considered the prey by both the squatters and the city…
Thiago Cross May 28, 2017 (8:49 pm)

Having experienced homelessness or the act of being unhoused in 2 different countries, I find that people have a tendency to blame the individual as they do with drug use! I beg that you give us a chance to show you what we are capable of together! Feel free to contact us at (425)835-2055

Alan May 11, 2017 (11:50 pm)

If they are parked just inside the gate, I am wondering if somebody gave them access or if they broke the lock. With the history of the area, I’m assuming the gates would have locks on them.

WSB May 12, 2017 (12:05 am)

I will be interested to see what we can find out from the government reps later today. Heard a scanner exchange this past hour with an officer asking dispatch what if anything they know about what’s going on here, and saying that someone camping there told them they had the city’s blessing. But the spokesperson who sent us & other media the original note this afternoon described it as “an independent effort to find a safe site” …
WsEd May 12, 2017 (3:43 pm)

If they broke the lock and trespassed I think that means they automatically go on the Seattle dole like the Myers Way camp right. Isn’t that the way it works around here you squat on property and then the City says oh that’s great, look at what you have done with the place.

Seattlite May 12, 2017 (4:12 am)

Seattle’s inept leadership from the mayor to the city council has made Seattle a desperately dysfunctional city. What is the answer to Seattle’s feckless elected officials not being able to resolve Seattle’s numerous problems? Is there any brain power between the mayor and city council to resolve the RV and homeless problems?

Double Dub Resident May 12, 2017 (7:35 am)

Well the city council had an idea but for some crazy reason people didn’t like it. Opening public parks and some sidewalks for the homeless so they can “camp” there.

I was downtown the other day and 2 people were literally laying on the sidewalk with a makeshift bed, eating and blocking the entire sidewalk, while at the same time smoking something in a pipe. It’s just absolutely ridiculous.

aa May 12, 2017 (6:31 am)

My concern goes back to garbage and sanitation. It was just a few weeks ago that we all saw the incredible disaster under the bridge. The amount of garbage piled up outside the trailers was awful and not just for me as a passerby, no one should live in that filth. Yes tent dwellers too. What is different in this location that will keep it from happening again? And lets not forget the two trailer fires.

Junction Lady May 12, 2017 (8:10 am)

The laws that are already in place need to be enforced-last year, the year before, and NOW!

EM Basst May 26, 2017 (7:21 am)

<<The laws that are already in place need to be enforced-last year, the year before, and NOW!>>

Absolutely!

Sarge May 12, 2017 (8:33 am)

Dozens of people are still living under the West Seattle Bridge. Nothing has changed. it just shifted further east Under the Bridge. They’re still burning trash in barrels, still throwing glass bottle on Spokane St street for people to run over, still accumulating a growing mountain of stolen bicycles, still spinning and doing the meth dance inches from the curb as semi trucks from the Port of Seattle whizz by at 40 MPH. Seattle government has done absolutely nothing to curb the heroin and meth epidemic plaguing the city streets.

Drug dealers pull up to the encampment at 1st Ave S and Spokane St constantly and make open air drug deals in front of everyone. They don’t care because they know SPD won’t enforce the laws and DA won’t prosecute them even if they do get caught. Obviously our DA is far too busy basking on the glory of suing our president to care about what happens on Seattle city streets.

flimflam May 12, 2017 (9:23 am)

so if the city doesn’t own the land, how can this “camp” have the city’s blessing? what about septic tank dumping?

WSB May 12, 2017 (9:25 am)

It doesn’t. I have just updated the story with a response received relatively quickly.

wetone May 12, 2017 (9:39 am)

The only thing changing is city pushing homeless and RVer’s away from downtown area as tourism time has come. It’s like clockwork over the last 4-5 years. When the first cruise ships show up city moves homeless, RVer’s away. If city is going to allow RVer’s, they need to put parking areas with porty potty’s in place. If they don’t want to follow rules impound, ticket or do what it takes to get this crap gone. Tired of my hard earned tax dollars being spent on cleaning up after people that care less about laws and impacts they do to community’s. Tents and garbage still along Duwamish river. Human waste and garbage dumped in area’s once clean has got to stop, along with open drug dealing. Seattle sure has change over the last 5 yrs……

Born on Alki 59 May 13, 2017 (8:06 am)

Spot on.

Marty May 12, 2017 (1:07 pm)

Something to think about: Where does the sewage go from the 10 motor homes parked on Harbor Ave? I’m willing to bet you wouldn’t like the answer.

South Park Sassy May 12, 2017 (2:36 pm)

As a Southpark Residence, that makes 3 homeless encampments within 2 mile radius from my house; Myers Way, Georgetown and now this. After 6 car prowls and 1 attempted car theft a couple weeks ago that required 7 officers, 1 fire truck and a K-9 unit quelch I finally had junkie-proof (well junkie-resistant) razor wire fencing installed.

I can’t believe I have to live behind razor wire to make it through a Seattle summer. It frustrates me that West Seattle is considered a good place to stockpile thieves and addicts.

PW May 12, 2017 (2:48 pm)

The impact to our neighborhoods where we pay all the taxes is enormous. These RV for the most part get a waiver on any rules we the tax payers have to abide by.

They dump the trash, sewer, drug needles etc in the street. Also look to your right going southbound on 509 it is full of tents. Our neighborhoods are ruined. Ask Ballard or Magnolia. ?

Lisa H will do nothing and the mayor is worthless.

Aussieshed May 12, 2017 (3:11 pm)

No clean up in SoDo? I could have sworn I saw a group of workers cleaning up trash around where the RV site was under the Viaduct/WSB interchange either Wednesday or Thursday morning.

WSB May 12, 2017 (3:38 pm)

There are trash cleanups. But in terms of “sweeps,” the city says it’s not doing in that area what it did from Spokane/E. Marginal southward shortly after the bike-path attack. I have another update from the city that we’ll be publishing with an update on what we find when we revisit this new camp shortly … TR

BG May 12, 2017 (3:24 pm)

I am so tired of this crap…

South Park Sassy May 12, 2017 (4:14 pm)

I second that emotion.

Mark May 13, 2017 (6:04 pm)

I make a motion to the City to treat all residents the same, you break a law you pay the fine! If one person gets a pass why should others be fined for illegally parking, driving stupidly et al

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