Another homeless encampment cleared in West Seattle

newhomelessencampment.jpg

A month and a half after his first report here of a homeless encampment at Camp Long (cleared by the city days later), WSB contributing photojournalist Matt Durham sent the above group of photos and this new report:

West Seattle can’t wish away the plight of those affected by homelessness and mental illness by looking the other way. Public parks are becoming uninhabitable as safe play areas for our youth, and natural habitat is being destroyed.

(L-R) 1. Signage warning squatters to vacate at a small encampment at Lincoln Park Annex remains after much of the belongings were removed.

2. Prior to the posting a considerable amount of debris and property became part of the park’s view looking at the Olympics.

3. After the encampment removal porn mags and refuse remains at the encampment.

4. The Alaska Junction is not immune from homelessness and mental illness. This shows a pedestrian recently passing by a person sleeping in Jefferson Square’s landscaping.

Lincoln Park Annex is now formally known as Solstice Park; it includes the upslope east of the tennis courts that are along Fauntleroy northeast of the rest of Lincoln Park. Side note; the city hasn’t called attention to this West Seattle cleanup (nor the one last month, though we were provided information when we pursued it) the same way as, for example, a recent Queen Anne cleanup (which even got this official news release on the city website).

12 Replies to "Another homeless encampment cleared in West Seattle"

  • Hannah Green June 17, 2008 (11:24 am)

    So where is it that these homeless go?? These mentally ill, whom are in need of help! Oh because we “Can’t just turn our heads” but we can make sure there not in our sight! They are people you know. Maybe you’ve forgotten we are all living beings on this earth, we must look out for one another. So if its a home someone needs, maybe its time for our self indulgence spending can go into renovating another half-way house, using educated individual’s to help getting these people back on track with there lives, rehabilatation, work ethic, nothing but a step towards making progress in there empty lives. How about giving people hope, in which they can believe people care, therefore sublimanily they give back in ways of helping themselves as a thank you. How about that. Can’t we give a hand to those in need, instead of encamp them to where they can never get out the slum their in?

  • momtoone June 17, 2008 (11:48 am)

    Great..nothing constructive to do, hanging out in parks and reading porn mags – makes you think twice before walking through parks…I’ll stick to the streets for my constitutional!

  • Anne June 17, 2008 (1:32 pm)

    Oh Please-There are resources available–if somone wants help.Ms Green-why don’t YOU go into these encampments & give them a hand-steer them in the right direction-so they can”sublimanily give back in ways of helping themselves as a thank you”????

  • tpn June 17, 2008 (1:43 pm)

    The fact that there are few resources available and that homeless folks are merely being driven from one part of the city to another is well documented. That fact that these sweeps were initially conducted in secret until a public records request from the Real Change paper speaks volumes about the people behind these policies. We should either be ashamed that a city with an image of tolerance promotes and enables this kind of thing, or we need to accept that fact the Seattle’s new motto should be “dog eat dog–only the strong survive”.

    Seriously–a homeless guy in a tent looking at porn? Are we that blind to the things that need fixing that this is all we have to worry about?

  • momtoone June 17, 2008 (2:34 pm)

    A girl was attacked in the Camp Long area not too long ago – so yes, someone sitting in the woods “reading” porn, homeless or not, would make any woman think twice about strolling thru the woods.

  • TeresaP June 17, 2008 (2:48 pm)

    I agree that some of these people are mentally ill, but most are drug addicts and/or alcoholics. Some may appear to be mentally ill, but it is usually the result of above abuses that makes them appear so. Try hanging out at 3rd and Pine and watch someone who needs a fix, they are out of their minds. S

    The sad part is the ones who are mentally ill are not legally ill enough to be placed in a home or hospital by family member, it is extremely hard to convince a judge that someone is not able to take care of themselves. Even if they are homeless! Family members and friends can spend years and thousands of dollars to help these type of people, but after awhile they must decide to let them go. I can’t begin to imagine how hard that would be but tough love is just that.

    I do not know if it is our city governments place to give them a place to live, but you have to wonder, if they would not accept help from their friends and families, why would they accept help from perfect strangers.

    The homeless were not always alone. They started out people like you and I, but they sadly ended in a different place.

  • marty June 17, 2008 (4:22 pm)

    Hannah Green: Please display your address so I can send these “poor souls” your way next time instead of calling the cops! P.S. Your comments made me gag…

  • thee June 17, 2008 (5:27 pm)

    thee short list of things city parks are not, compiled in but a few moments tyme:
    camping areas
    porn “reading” rooms
    bars
    landfills
    toilets
    safehouses
    places to stash stolen bikes
    shooting galleries

  • TheHouse June 17, 2008 (8:25 pm)

    Please refrain from taking my picture while I sleep near Jefferson Square. It’s the only place my boss can’t find me.

  • Rich June 17, 2008 (11:35 pm)

    will work for porn.

  • CMP June 18, 2008 (7:05 am)

    House, your comments crack me up sometimes! I think the campers must have moved east b/c I saw some this morning under the lower bridge (east side by Harbor Island) as I was riding my bike to work. That seems to be a favorite spot for camping and RV parking.

    I agree with the comments above except for the first one. There are services available to assist homeless people, some of them just might not be capable of seeking them out or they just don’t want to. It’s nice to see what money they do earn is spent on cigarettes, booze and porn mags. If I were a landlord, I’d never rent to these people since they don’t seem to keep a clean “home”.

  • Joe' September 19, 2008 (10:16 pm)

    As a ‘sometimes’ homeless man who enjoys camping and drinking in Lincoln Park in the warmer months I would like to say thank you to the kind people in the area.

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