(For more photos from before and during the camp clearance, see this later WSB report)
(Twitpic from @otherthan)
As police move in inside, law enforcement vehicles line W Marginal Way, along with buses. Loud cheers can be heard. We’ve got one person inside, one person outside; you can see other reports via Twitter (this will bring up everything mentioning Nickelsville). Here’s our photo of the start of the vehicle lineup along W. Marginal Way outside the encampment/T-107 Park – besides port police, there are school-type buses, an animal-control vehicle, and a Fife police car that we’ve seen:
3 PM UPDATE: 12 people arrested. Maintenance crews are standing by to move in and start cleaning up. From the south side of the camp, nothing looks different – still a group of tents – just, nobody there. Most of the vehicles have moved off West Marginal Way but there were a few traffic slowdowns so if you have to head north on W. Marginal Way, note that things may be slow going past T-107. As the Port’s spokesperson told us yesterday, the park may be closed for some time for “repairs and maintenance.” The sign on the path at the south side announces the closure:
3:20 PM: Seattle Post-Globe‘s Kery Murakami reports some of the encampment residents are regrouping at a “nearby city park” to decide where to go next. Judging by the TV trucks we’re seeing, that appears to be Herring’s House Park a block north, across from the Duwamish Longhouse.
5:29 PM UPDATE: The port has issued another statement:
Most of the residents at the homeless encampment called Nickelsville chose to leave Port of Seattle property voluntarily today, departing the property peacefully. Twelve homeless advocates refused to leave in an act of civil disobedience to raise awareness of the issue, and were subsequently arrested for trespassing. The arrests were made without incident. The individuals were processed for identification, issued a written trespass warning, and released.
Encampment organizers announced shortly thereafter that St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Seattle would provide a temporary location for the encampment.
The Port of Seattle will store any belongings left behind. Encampment members were given information about how to reclaim their property.
The public park at Terminal 107 will remain closed temporarily while the port’s maintenance staff conducts necessary repairs.
Note the addition to the closure sign on the north end of the park entrance:
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