18 Replies to ""Nickelsville" clears out of West Seattle as promised, moves north"

• Michael October 2, 2008 (12:23 am)

  The most incredible part of this latest move is that it takes a bunch of people with no transportation or money and moves them to an out-of-the-way place with no services, all in the name of “sticking it to the Man.”

  But at least they’ll get news coverage.

  That’s showin’ ’em, homeless “advocates”!

• d October 2, 2008 (5:48 am)

  I see this latest move as another symbolic one and perhaps even one supportive of the City Council’s vote last week to secure 85 units for the homeless in Fort Lawton, the former military base.

  But aside from that fact of responsive city legislation, if you don’t know or recall the history of the Daybreak Cultural Center in Discovery Park, I think it’s interesting and maybe instructive enough to mention here. In the late 70’s, a Mr. Bernie Whitebear led a small group of Indians and their supporters in a very similar occupation/campout-style civil disobedience action in Discovery Park’s Fort Lawton. The group’s goal was to secure some of the city land for the city’s urban dwelling Indians. Their civil disobedience occupation ultimately initiated a successful negotiation and securing of the desired land. The group was given 20 acres within Discovery Park. The resulting Daybreak Star Cultural Center has become a primary conference and educational center for the United Indians of this region.

  Just thought I would point the historical parallel out.

• d October 2, 2008 (6:04 am)

  ps – And, when I refer to the historical parallel, just to clarify, I’m referring to the civil obedience occupation which Nickelsville just completed. The Seattle PI reports they now have permission to be on the property in Discovery Park.

• mimi October 2, 2008 (6:22 am)

  And news coverage is exactly what the media hungry “activists” of SHARE/WHEEL (the organizers of Nickelsville) wanted. They timed there 10p.m. move to coincide with the late evening news, knowing that they would have camera crews followinng them to their new location.
  All is not as it seems and these people are people that refuse to go to the shelters being offered because they don’t want to follow the rules.
  They’ll take tax payer money and the donations, but NO RULES.

• Kayleigh October 2, 2008 (7:43 am)

  Mimi, we get that you don’t like these people. I mean, you’ve made that very clear.

  The shelters are full, Mimi. And most shelters offer a place to go for the night but do not offer space during the day.

  So really, your suggestions for solutions might be more useful than constant carping.

• Different Morning October 2, 2008 (7:49 am)

  I have to admit I enjoyed seeing the fire in the mornings on my way to work, today was different.

  As I get to the bottom of Boeing hill I look to my right and nothing, no fire, no pink tents.

  I was kind of bummed.

  When they first stated their place in the original location, I was a bit hesitant. But after driving by a shirtless wonder holding a guitar and waving at all who passed, and hearing some of what these folks had to say my heart changed.

  I wish them all permanent shelter, soon.

• JimmyG October 2, 2008 (7:56 am)

  Good riddance to the publicity stunt.

  I think most of us saw through it.

• mimi October 2, 2008 (8:18 am)

  There are wonderful organizations doing wonderful work and I encourage those individuals that want to help and those groups that are looking for a model to adopt to look into Congregations for the Homeless. Life coaching is provided, as well as classes that help the homeless transition out of homelessness. Participants are required to attend drug and alcohol programs if needed. Job training is available.
  It is a wonderful program and a wonderful organization.

• Kayleigh October 2, 2008 (8:44 am)

  Um, do those organizations fund, build, and run supportive affordable housing, Mimi?
  .
  They can coach, train, counsel, love, etc till the cows come home, but if there is no affordable housing for them to move into, it’s only one piece of a very complicated puzzle. (I totally respect to the work they do….don’t get me wrong…)

• mimi October 2, 2008 (8:45 am)

  The effectiveness of any program providing temporary housing to the homeless is demonstrated by the number of people that successfully transition to permanent housing. By that measure, Tent City and their operators, SHARE/WHEEL have been a monumental failure. (SHARE/WHEEL is behind Nickelsville) There are other providers of transitional housing for the homeless in Seattle that are much more worthy of our support than SHARE, as they have a proven track record of transitioning the homeless out of homelessness and into temporary housing with supportive services. These worthwhile organizations are overshadowed by the antics of SHARE/WHEEL.
  If you would like to help the homeless, there are wonderful programs with proven track records. United Way currently has a campaign called “Tackle Family Homelessness” where they have partnered with the Seattle Seahawks. Springboard Alliance offers wonderful programs and transitional housing. YWCA has programs for women. Congregations for the Homeless has programs for men. KITH has programs for families. Friends of Youth offers services for homeless youth.
  All of these fantastic programs could use help.

• mimi October 2, 2008 (8:48 am)

  Yes, Kaleigh and thank you for asking. All of the organizations I have mentioned here provide transitional housing. Congregations for the Homeless works with outside agencies and partners to transition men in their program into transitionall housing. All of the other organizations listed offer transitional housing.

• private24 October 2, 2008 (9:00 am)

  mimi:

  I appreciate that other organizations provide aid to the homeless and some transitional housing. What part of THERE IS NOT ENOUGH HOUSING, TRANSITIONAL OR OTHERWISE, TO SHELTER THE HOMELESS, do you refuse to get?

  This is the point SHARE/WHEEL is trying to make. That point needs to be made until there is action to correct the situation.

  I support SHARE/WHEEL, and I do not give a rip if you don’t. Bashing this organization and its tactics does not put Roof One over any homeless person’s head.

  You’re getting very tiresome, very fast.

• Spakole October 2, 2008 (9:20 am)

  It is my understanding that quite a few of the Nickelsville residents were not homeless at all, that very few actual homeless people were willing to join this activist publicity stunt. It seems a great portion of the residents were other activists recruited for the week.

  I guess the activists dont have jobs either.

• TH October 2, 2008 (10:23 am)

  I can understand why Mimi does not support Share/Wheel. They follow no rules, no regulations, and do not track their residents at all.

• Jiggers October 2, 2008 (10:24 am)

  King county homeless services are horrible. Yes–there are rules if you want a mat or bunk to sleep on for the night. But at places lik DESC they want you in by 5:30pm and at the Union Gospel Mission by 7pm. Whos’in bed by that time?. If you leave on your own freewill, you’ve lost your spot nad have to reclaim it early the next day which isn’t gauranteed. You also have to go thru an assesment process as well. Money is available to build better homeless programs in King county, but as you can see, they don’t want to improve and pass new ridiculous laws or rather hekp chronic alcoholics by awarding them with a new building to get drunk in. Also, a lot of homeless are just medically compramised and are not chronic drug abusers but are ‘sterotyped” immediately in those catergory’s. King county has very limited resources for those types(medically compramised) of individuals, but has all the money in the world to help out single women who spit out kids with their abusive boyfriends just to retain more cash thru the welfare system. If you are male, not married, have no kids and is medically compramised, there is almost no help for you at all. I don’t support homelessness, but the way our government treats us and the way the economy is today, people are less than a check away from needing those services. Nickleneck needs to be voted out of office, but for many other reasons as well.

• mimi October 2, 2008 (10:34 am)

  You are correct “TH” and thank you. In addition, for the very few that are really there in need of help, they won’t get it from SHARE/WHEEL and Tent City/Nickelsville, as this group refuses to provide transitional services, which everyone knows is needed to assist the homeless in transitioning out of homelessness.
  SHARE/WHEEL wants the funding and free land with no accountability and when you have homeless people living in Tent Cities operated by SHARE/WHEEL for 7+ yrs, then clearly this is not a “temporary survival mechanism.”
  Support organizations and advocates and funding for programs with a proven track record of helping the homeless.
  SHARE/WHEEL is not now, nor have they ever been one of them.

• Kayleigh October 2, 2008 (1:05 pm)

  Mimi, there are many paths up the mountain. I don’t agree with PETA’s methods, for example, I agree with their messages sometimes.

  Activism is not without value just because you, personally, don’t like it.

• Seigh Di October 3, 2008 (5:44 pm)

  Here are the things that people need to know:

  1. The rumor that these people are not without homes is false. They are real human beings who wish to have a safe place to live and sleep. They have had “hit and miss” experiences at shelters, are often turned away, and when they do get in find the conditions dangerous and scary. I have spoken with some of them and found them to be kind and respectful people.

  2. They do not allow drugs, sex offenders, or other “bad behavior” in Nickelsville. They have security, keep their encampments clean, and just want to be allowed to not live on the streets but rather in a safe community.

  3. Nickels is willing to put seemingly endless time, effort, and money into making Nicklesville disappear, but unwilling to work towards appropriate solutions to these underlying problems. That is where and why the “protest” factor comes in. These people do want help. Mayor Nickels says these people are offered what they need, but he’s measuring that by his own standards of what is “good enough” and these people believe that just because they are without homes they still have value as human beings and deserve to live in the safety of community rather than on the streets of Seattle.

Sorry, comment time is over.