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UPDATE: City clears, cleans SW Andover encampment site

June 16, 2022 10:11 am
|      191 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | West Seattle news

10:11 AM: As announced, the city is clearing the mostly-RVs encampment on SW Andover and 28th SW right now, for the first time in the six-plus years that people have been living in a line of vehicles there. Some of the RVs were already gone before tow trucks and other city crews started showing up:

SW Andover is closed west of 26th, and 28th is closed north of Yancy.

Police are there as well as cleanup crews.

So far our crew has seen two passenger cars towed, and noted that the agencies responding include the Seattle Animal Shelter, as there are pets there too. (added) This sign is up, listing the vehicles towed so far:

(added) Trucks were towed too:

12:10 PM: One RV trailer remains. Heavy equipment is scooping up piles of debris.

That’s on Andover. 28th (below) is also clear of vehicles – to Yancy; several are in view south of Yancy, by Dragonfly Park.

Police, SDOT, SPU, and cleanup-contractor crews are all still there. We’ll be going back later for another update.

5:06 PM: Back at the scene. Roads have reopened. City crews are all gone. So are all the vehicles and all the junk.

Also gone: All but one RV to the south on 28th by Dragonfly Park.

5:49 PM: Just received from the city:

Prior to the start of today’s RV Remediation and encampment removal on SW Andover Street between 26th Ave SW and 28th Ave SW, six RVs, three trailers, one box truck, three vehicles, two tents and 13 people were on site.

Four RVs and two trailers with a total of 9 people self-relocated from the area. The owners of the remaining two RVs and a box truck accepted referrals to hotels through King County’s Health Through Housing program and their inoperable RVs and truck were towed.

The occupant of the third trailer received a referral to a tiny house yesterday (6/15) and abandoned the trailer. That individual also relocated one of the vehicles from the site.

Two vehicles were abandoned and towed by the City.

One person residing in a tent was referred to 24/7 enhanced shelter.

In total, there were 12 referrals into enhanced shelter or tiny house village options from this location since outreach began on May 19.

During today’s RV Remediation, crews removed and disposed of an estimated 50,000 pounds of trash and debris.

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191 Replies to "UPDATE: City clears, cleans SW Andover encampment site"

  • Jeepney June 16, 2022 (10:22 am)

    Those poor pets, hopefully they can find them good homes.

    • WS Res June 16, 2022 (11:03 am)

      Seriously? what is wrong with you that your first thought is for the pets, not the people?  And not for the pets being SEPARATED from their people?  The fact that the city doesn’t offer options for animals and people to stay together is just one of the many, many cruelties of the system that dehumanizes and traumatizes unhoused people (AND their pets) further.

      • John Owen June 16, 2022 (1:37 pm)

        So happy to see action. 

      • Jax June 16, 2022 (5:21 pm)

        The pets don’t threaten, shoot, or take baseball bats to innocent citizens or steal from stores and personal properties.  Just sayin’

        • Cozy June 16, 2022 (9:04 pm)

          Neither do the majority of the poor and homeless or those suffering with mental illness. 

      • Scrappy June 16, 2022 (6:46 pm)

        For the record…The pets were not separated from their owners. Pet carriers were provided and they will remain together.

    • Kelly H June 16, 2022 (12:45 pm)

      Hopefully they won’t be separated from their people (unless there is clear evidence of neglect).  

    • James June 16, 2022 (12:56 pm)

      And what about, the you know, PEOPLE?? People care more about dogs than human beings that are poor and struggling? Wow. Shocked that some of you are my neighbors. Concerning.

      • neighbor June 16, 2022 (1:21 pm)

        I know this is a very emotionally charged topic for all of us, but let’s not assume the worst about each other.  I don’t know Jeepney, but I didn’t take their comment as a lack of empathy for humans so much as an “OMG, there’s a whole other kind of heartbreak I hadn’t even thought about.”  We’ve all been watching the human tragedy for some time now, and the non-human aspects wouldn’t have been top of mind. Let’s give each other some grace here.

        • Oliver June 16, 2022 (2:53 pm)

          Amen

    • Midi June 16, 2022 (1:17 pm)

      I agree Jeepney. Feeling concern for the animals, who are vulnerable and at the mercy of others, does not mean that there’s not compassion for the people impacted as well so please ignore those who are harassing you for expressing this sentiment. I also feel bad for the pets.

    • Bronson June 16, 2022 (1:25 pm)

      Agreed Jeepney. The bleeding hearts are out worried about people who have the ability to fend for themselves (with the exception of children) while condemning your statement as some allusion to only caring about the pets. Making a statement concerning a single topic does not mean one does not care about the other. Get a grip people!

      • Ferns June 17, 2022 (8:36 am)

        Well said! I find it’s trolls and propaganda disseminators such as the dictators of China and Russia for example who speak in a manner that blatantly attacks and deflects truth. They and those hostile to democracy, peace, individual freedoms post these provocative, snarky and critical comments for the purpose of stoking division. To weaken us as a community. 

    • anonyme June 16, 2022 (3:51 pm)

      Agree with you, Jeepney – and as a standalone statement.  It’s perfectly acceptable to care about the pets without any other justification.

  • Pigeon Point RN June 16, 2022 (10:24 am)

    at least 3 of the vehicles were driving into the parking lot shared by the industrial park/daycare/Nucor this morning around 7:00.  This lot is probably less than 100 yards away from the encampment.  I have kids among the 150+ in that daycare and was concerned about things moving literally to their doorstep.  I am told that SPD is maintaining a presence there as well.

  • Mel June 16, 2022 (10:25 am)

    Woohoo! As a parent who’s child attends school right there, I am thrilled. This is not a post lacking compassion for these people, they should and have been offered services. It’s about the fact that my 5 year old can’t go on walks with his class without worrying about needles, rats, shootings, and more. 

    • WS Res June 16, 2022 (11:06 am)

      If you really want to understand what it means when the city says they “offered services,” read part 2 here about how “helpful” the services were to people in the previous sweep.  They offer “services” that are bound to fail because they don’t meet people’s needs and actually exacerbate their problems in many cases.  

  • Pete June 16, 2022 (10:26 am)

    If anyone spots my body glove stand up paddle board please grab it. I’ll buy you many pints of beer :) Is there any effort to recover and of the stuff these folks (ahem) acquired?I really hope they accept the help offered and don’t move down the road. 

    • jb June 16, 2022 (10:44 am)

      And again, how much is it costing to clean up THEIR garbage?

      • Kelly H June 16, 2022 (12:47 pm)

        Are you saying they should be left there because we shouldn’t pay for the cleanup?  

      • CAM June 16, 2022 (1:46 pm)

        Different question, jb. How much would it have cost to provide them with garbage receptacles and regular pickup service while they were living there and which I believe they requested?

        • WS Res June 16, 2022 (3:00 pm)

          Cam – you may know this already but at the Oakland/Berkeley border there was an encampment that was in every way exemplary (except for the fact that it existed) – camp “elders” insisted on no drugs/alcohol, and area neighbors banded together to provide a port-a-potty with handwashing stations and a dumpster with regular trash service. The place was clean, offered solar panel generators to charge phones and wheelchairs and other needed gear, offered a community give/take pantry with food and essential gear, had zero issues with violence, fires, etc.  But they were eventually swept because the city/county wouldn’t tolerate them being out in public showing that they could be good neighbors even if they lacked the dignity of housing.  I agree, providing toilets and trash service should be a part of city response but then it goes against the policy of cultivating maximum misery and discomfort both for unhoused people and their housed neighbors in order to foster mutual enmity.

          • Andy J June 16, 2022 (5:49 pm)

            Any thoughts on tiny home villages? I lived opposite one if those for many years that was started an empty lot and it was really impressive. Now I live by Andover and the difference between the two has been night and day. As others have said, perhaps if it was properly managed it wouldn’t have become so unsafe that it needed disbursing. The tiny home village had full time security, privacy fencing, toilet block, kitchens, and it was very well managed and maintained. It definitely wasn’t drug free but as a housing first strategy it seemed pretty well done to me. Is that a model that can be scaled? Anyone know the costs – I suspect it’s high. I was happy that some of the encampment went into tiny home housing but was disappointed to to hear there’s only one of those in the whole of west Seattle. 

          • CheeseWS777 June 17, 2022 (1:06 am)

            I know of several who were refered to tiny homes and sayd that they would accept, babys mom included…. But yet i dont know any of them that have been able to get into one as of yet. But. People here want to shame them anyways for still being in the homes they have now. They say it is disgusting and is cruel to let them live in rv… But my babysmom rv is super clean inside and she gets mad at me for leaving dirty dishes in sink, the only part that is “deralict” is a window that one of these housed people shot out with a gun as they drove by because they hate so hard.she mainly keeps to herself minding her own yet on here most of you say she desrves to have her place burned down and she is a neg impact on comunitie

  • Blbl June 16, 2022 (10:31 am)

    👏👏👏

  • It's Just Not Right June 16, 2022 (10:31 am)

    Allowing people to wallow in their own filth for six years is the opposite of compassion.  Seattle liberals really need to examine their policies and priorities before we go the way of Portland or worse.

    • WS Res June 16, 2022 (11:07 am)

      This talking point may make you feel better, but all it demonstrates is that you are are really devoted to not listening to what advocates and people with lived experience actually say would help get people off the streets.

      • Regular guy June 16, 2022 (11:46 am)

        And what is it that they’re saying? 

        • WS Res June 16, 2022 (1:29 pm)

          Folks say they need housing, not shelter. A place they can go and close a door, with family members (partners, children, pets) as they desire. A place they feel safe from theft or assault. A place they can work through whatever harm reduction, recovery, etc. they are able to accomplish – or NOT – anyone who has been through recovery knows that relapses are very common, and if you lose your housing due to a relapse that is the OPPOSITE of what will help you get back to sobriety again.  A place people can get up in the middle of the night and walk if they get flashbacks/night terrors, not be locked out if they go outside. A place they can have their symptoms – muttering, rocking, crying, talking, moving around, etc. – without getting thrown out. A place they can safely come back to every day and every night, not a place they’re kicked out of at 7am and have to hope they “win the lottery” on a daily basis just to stay off the streets, so they can start to focus on something besides daily survival. A place they can have more possessions than just what fits in a knapsack under their heads at night.  Housing first, not hoops. That is what people say when you listen to them.

          • Bill June 16, 2022 (2:53 pm)

            So as I understand your points you would take some portion of my retirement account (s) to provide some form of permanent shelter where they can periodically abuse substances, continue lifestyle choices and not be required to participate in the support and cost of the endeavor.  The problem with this is that individual responsibility and culpability is never addressed.  Spare me the hand wringing until you show me something a bit more substantive if you want to use my money.

          • HappyCamper June 16, 2022 (9:23 pm)

            I’m with you Bill. This is obviously a complex issue. And being complex we can have an opinion on each part of it and form an overall opinion.I feel for people in bad shape with addiction, homelessness, etc. and truly have empathy for them but I also think piling garbage all over our streets, deficating all over, stealing, etc are not acceptable behavior. The condition is not a blanket excuse for the behavior. I don’t understand why when someone is homeless that is somehow an excuse for so many bad things and we’re supposed to accept them or we’re heartless bad people. We can actually have empathy and a limitation to our tolerance of bad/illegal behavior in our neighborhood.

          • WS Guy June 16, 2022 (6:14 pm)

            I have that and it costs me $1,800 per month, which I work to earn.

          • Lauren June 16, 2022 (9:27 pm)

            Thank you, WS Res, well said.

          • Cozy June 16, 2022 (9:32 pm)

            Well said, @ WS res.

            ‘Housing first, not hoops. That is what people say when you listen to them.’

            This, and to echo and add to it, a place that feels safe, that is their own, with a lock and key, access to amenities like bathroom/kitchen/laundry, and some space and time to just adjust and focus on regulating their nervous system and bringing their stress symptoms down, before many expectations are forced on them.

            Housing for the sake of housing. As a basic need, a foundation, to help the person, to help them feel cared for and valued as a fellow human, not to force things upon them and expect things beyond the individuals capacities at the time, and not to treat them like the conditions of being poor and homeless is criminal (criminal acts are criminal yes, but not being poor and sleeping outside).

            This is essentially the kind of thing I’ve heard, and understand, too.

          • Rocket June 17, 2022 (10:14 am)

            It sounds like you described tiny homes wes res.Its funny how boomers demand something be done by someone but also demand it be done at no cost.  No wonder why they led us to the current global state of affairs.

          • C_Kathes June 17, 2022 (1:06 pm)

            No one is asking for your retirement money, Bill. The amount of untaxed wealth in this state defies human comprehension.

            We can absolutely afford to at least give everyone a single-occupancy room.

      • KM June 16, 2022 (12:08 pm)

        Hear, hear.

      • Pedro June 16, 2022 (12:18 pm)

        Actually they are spot on. Many with lived experience say that the only thing that will move them towards a more productive life is to not give them the option to just keep doing what they are doing.If you know any addicts you would know that sentiment is spot on. 

      • It's Just Not Right June 16, 2022 (1:08 pm)

        “Listening to what advocates and people with lived experience actually say” is exactly why we are having these massive problems today.  You can keep imagining that doing more and more of the same thing will somehow magically start working after failing consistently for years, but people who are able to use their own eyes and minds and common sense know better.

        • WS Res June 16, 2022 (2:56 pm)

          Our current most common strategies are in no way based on what people say they need. “Housing first” is an extreme minority of what’s available, and has a far higher success rate in terms of people remaining housed and not returning to the streets. But what we provide is a lot of congregate shelter which has an abysmal rate of exiting homelessness.  Imagine people saying “We want homes with doors, roofs, walls, and windows” and yet 99,9% of what is offered to them is four upright posts on a concrete slab. That is NOT “listening to what people say they need.” If it helps you to cling to the fantasy that unhoused people are being offered what they ask for, then there is no help for you and you are helping to guarantee that nothing will change.

          • Chad June 16, 2022 (6:01 pm)

            Everyone, including the city council and mayor, understand housing first policies are the way forward.  That’s why we have mini house villages going up.  However, you can only build so much housing so fast.  And what is available now, is what is available. The folks at the Andover encampment were offered mini houses.  Unfortunately, the Andover encampment was made up of mostly drug addicts and criminals, so they either weren’t suited for housing or decided to take all of their stolen goods and tow them up towards S Seattle College, before the police could get a look. Everyone there was offered housing.  This sweep was 100 percent about public safety and public health.  If you don’t believe that, go there and smell what the courageous city workers were cleaning up.  The piles of human feces, dead rats and filth were out of control.  There is no way to see or smell it, and think, “sure, it is compassionate to allow this” 

          • WS Resident Thinker June 16, 2022 (9:01 pm)

            Chad is right. I was there all day and the unbelievably disgusting smell permeated the area around Nucor – dozens and dozens of acres. I’ve never smelled that smell or seen rats that large, and I grew up having to pump our septic tank several times. The smell made me sick. The cops should have trailed the self-relocators and set up surveillance at their destinations. How many people will never get their property back now?

          • Cozy June 17, 2022 (6:58 am)

            That is awful, and these conditions shouldn’t have been allowed and tolerated for so long. More could have been done and sooner to address the needs and issues of these folks there (including honey buckets, trash, and crime related solutions), and to help connect them with resources and better housing. Shelters are not necessarily better options for some, and not always available or accessible, and are short term options.

        • WS Res June 16, 2022 (9:50 pm)

          Chad – where are you getting the information that “everyone at Andover was offered housing”?  

          • Rocket June 17, 2022 (10:19 am)

            The press release said everyone who didn’t scatter took a not congregate housing option.  I am with your general philosophical perspectives on assisting the houseless but your philosophy only approach is not practical or actionable at this point.lone can support effective long term solutions and also agree that a sweep of Choleraland every 6 years is not exactly fascist. .

    • My two cents June 16, 2022 (11:08 am)

      Sad to say that the leadership – primarily the Council enabled this situation. Hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars spent over the past six years to what end? This community does have empathy and concern for the community as a whole – but there is the implicit social contract that citizens have with each other and the government … what has been done so far has failed, different directions need to be taken to avoid being (in your words), the next Portland. 

    • Kadoo June 16, 2022 (5:18 pm)

      Amen! 

  • Jay June 16, 2022 (10:37 am)

    Whoa, this is awesome! Can’t believe it’s actually happening. Between the chop shop and all of the RVs down the line that participate in the bike theft operation, it’s good to see this finally taken care of. People point out that the recent shootings didn’t involve residents, but the thing is that this camp was a base of operations for a bunch of criminals who move throughout Seattle. I’ve seen the same guy steal a bike at Alki, riding that bike through Admiral to prowl houses and back yards, the bike recovered from the Andover RV camp, and the next week I saw the same guy at the Alaskan/Atlantic tent camp chop shop. It’s organized crime and we shouldn’t allow them to operate long-term bases or workplaces for this stuff.

  • wsclubmember June 16, 2022 (10:37 am)

    Hallelujah! Nice to see Seattle putting in a minimal effort.

  • DownthestreetfromthisBS June 16, 2022 (10:40 am)

    Living just a few blocks away from this, it’s about time.  Hard to be empathetic when there is feces and drug paraphernalia scattered everywhere around it and the incessant crime goes on unabated.  I’m surprised that the residents didn’t do “something” about it sooner honestly

    • Jesse burelison June 16, 2022 (3:10 pm)

      As an rv dweller myself I’m tired of being labeled an addict or a criminal. Im a two time decorated combat veteran just trying to live. I take care of my own garbage and also get my waste tanks pumped regularly. They only ever do stories on the nasty scumbags , never on decent folks just trying to live. 

      • neighbor June 16, 2022 (4:21 pm)

        I’m sorry you’ve been labeled an addict or a criminal. I don’t know if you were a part of this encampment or not, but if you were then you may have been labeled such by association, as some of the folks in this encampment definitely were. But if you take care of your garbage and your vehicle then I doubt most of us would have any issue with you in our neighborhood.

      • Lauren June 16, 2022 (9:29 pm)

        Jesse, I’m so sorry you have to deal with these hateful opinions. Everyone deserves a peaceful home.

  • Pigeon Point RN June 16, 2022 (10:48 am)

    Posted at the end of another thread, but still relevant here.

    Reasons people refuse to go into shelters (by an RN working at Harborview with discharge coordinating for difficult patients)

    Shelters have huge bedbug issues, as well as ongoing lice, fleas, etc issues.

    Shelters have issues with physical and sexual asssaults

    There are extremely limited shelter spots where a heterosexual couple can remain together

    There are extremely limited shelter spots where a pet come with a person

    Shelters have a limited amount of storage space allotted per person– Usually a small locker.

    Shelters will not allow teenage boys (~14 years and older) to stay in family shelters with women and children

    In an RV/vehicle, you can close a door and have some semblance of feeling safe (more than being in an open room with dozens of other people)

    In an RV/vehicle, there is more room for your personal belongings; maybe all the things you have in your life

    In an RV/vehicle you can be with people you choose

    Many homeless people stay in ‘the jungle’ area off I5 in a community of tents; They feel safer in a group of their friends, where they are not fending for themselves.

    I do not have all the answers for what to do, but I do know that these people are not being offered all the help that many people on here seem to think they are refusing. Most will get nothing more than an offer of a cot in a shelter like the one at the Armory in Seattle Center, or a mat on the floor. These shelter spots are not guaranteed and you need to be up and out first thing in the morning, then return each evening to get in line for a shelter spot again.

    I work with homeless people on a daily basis; my kids go to the daycare literally 100 yards from the encampment; I have lived in Pigeon Point for 16 years. I have a vested interest in what is going on with this encampment and I have compassion for the people who are living there.

    There is at least one family there with small child(ren). Unless they get one of the extremely limited hotel vouchers for a short stay, their best offer will be for the mother and kids to stay in a women’s shelter and the father to stay somewhere else. Or, they get their RV driveable and go somewhere else for a bit, where they can be together.

    • WS Res June 16, 2022 (11:10 am)

      Keep making these points, RN.  People will keep willfully ignoring them, but they do make some differences with others – I needed to understand these things to shift my own views on unhoused people myself.  Some folks believe you only get more conservative as you get older, but at almost-50, my views are far more progressive than they ever were when I was a “liberal” 20-something who didn’t really understand much beyond my own experience.

    • WSCLUBMEMBER June 16, 2022 (11:11 am)

      I have no doubt staying in the RV is a rational decision for those that dwell there, but the cost it imposes on everyone else is not justified by the interests of the RV dwellers.  Targeted services for the truly vulnerable are probably in order, but I would not expect shelters to be great alternatives and we frankly need to make it more difficult for people to leave in these conditions.  If housing were free and great, basic economics predicts they would create more demand/homelessness and I doubt you could economically solve the problem.  For example, LA’s $1.2 BILLION program is failing.  I am not down for spending my tax dollars like that.  

    • My two cents June 16, 2022 (11:29 am)

      While you have provided what seems to be a comprehensive list, I don’t have a sense as to how much of the homeless population falls into these categories. Is it 80% or is it 20%? More insight into the factors could help in some regards, but current observations show a response over the years that has failed and new directions need to be taken or we can continue to flush dollars down the drain.  

      • CAM June 16, 2022 (1:57 pm)

        Two cents- there are numbers available to you to answer your question and they are available if you look for them. There is a federally mandated count of the unhoused population in the city and county every year (not during COVID) that would provide data on how and where people are living and with whom. The vast majority of unhoused people are invisible to the rest of us. They are sleeping in vehicles, hopping from couch to couch or hotel to hotel until they run out of money for the month. The perception that people have of what homelessness looks like is based solely on anecdotal data and scary stories that make the news. Those are not the rule. 

        • My two cents June 16, 2022 (2:35 pm)

          Show me where – looking for a more detailed breakdown than what has been reported for the local area – not a national survey. I think it is pretty well acknowledged that Seattle has a higher than average homeless situation compared to the rest of the nation on whole. Related factor cost of living in this area compared to the rest of the nation.  For example –  Of 100 homeless here – how many are couples, how many have children, and such – approximate percentages.  If we had better insight into that we might be able to drive more meaningful change with a smaller number of people.  

    • Regular Guy June 16, 2022 (11:30 am)

      The law is meaningless if not enforced. Sorry there are problems, however most citizens understand that they are to follow laws and behave within certain parameters.

      • WS Dirtbag June 17, 2022 (9:19 pm)

        “I follow all the rules, why can’t everyone else?” Do you think your own personal circumstances are due entirely to your own hard work and careful planning? Or do you think luck had any part in it? And do you think everyone living in an RV is just a layabout that’s just looking to thumb their nose at good, law abiding citizens like you? I don’t know what the sustainable answer is to encampments, this one clearly had tons of problems, but it’s a lot more complicated than just finger wagging at people to follow the law.

    • K M June 16, 2022 (11:41 am)

      Thank you for posting this, Pigeon Point RN – I appreciate that you took the time to explain this. I hope the other posters who are compelled to come to post here will read what you’ve explained about what the reality is for these folks. 

    • Andy J June 16, 2022 (11:41 am)

      I agree. As a neighbor too I feel very conflicted today. On the one hand it is clearly unsafe and was getting more and more dangerous and out of control. On the other hand I don’t see any real fix by just moving people on and for sure what is on offer from the city/state in terms of support is totally inadequate. It must be horrible today for those people who have to pack up and go to try and find somewhere else to make a shelter. The country needs to do better than this. 

    • Paul June 16, 2022 (1:14 pm)

      My experience with the majority of the RV living people is that they are not stable, I.E. drug addiction combined with mental health issues.  I have some compassion left for people who are homeless, but its running thin.  I get rules in shelters, I support that, as there needs to be some stability. I know as a business owner, any type of camp that pops up will basically stop any customers from coming into a store/office, etc.  Plus the theft that usually happens.

    • johnny June 16, 2022 (1:21 pm)

      I respectfully disagree with you, pigeon point rn.  I have also spent much of my career working in community mental health, including several years at a Seattle crisis shelter.  I believe you are missing the following two major reasons why many individuals refuse shelter referral:1) no methamphetamine use allowed in shelters2) shelters have rules which must be adhered toI believe that there is also much relevance to what many on this blog have mentioned with regard to criminal enterprise (sex, meth, opiates) – these enterprises are not operated from shelter environments.  Can’t really peddle meth, stolen property etc… from a shelter…

      • WS Res June 16, 2022 (4:13 pm)

        People need stable housing in order to do the work of getting clean. Why is that so hard to understand?

        • Resident June 16, 2022 (6:04 pm)

          Many in this RV camp had years. How long were you thinking? Stop with the excuses. While not all that are homeless are addicts, etc it is data driven that the majority of perpetually homeless are. We can’t allow people to take advantage of our good nature and intentions indefinitely. We need to do better for some people but most have worn out their welcome.

        • Oh Seattle June 16, 2022 (7:24 pm)

          As a former drug addict (clean for over 30 years now), I can tell you that some people do not want to get clean, even if that means being homeless in order to maintain their addiction. I lived in New York City in the mid-80s when the mental institutions were basically emptied into the city. Seattle now is much worse because there is a core group of homeless who are hard core drug addicts who do not want to stop using. It’s a lifestyle for some people – the stealing, scoring, getting high. If you gave them free housing, sure they’d take it, I mean the vast majority of people like having a place to live. But if that comes with any restrictions on behavior, they will leave and be back on the street.

          For the people who do want to get clean, or who are mentally ill or just economically unable to survive in an expensive city, there does need to be more flexible living situations available. But then we’d have to dismantle the very Seattle style hodgepodge of mostly ineffective but well-meaning non-profits where everyone gets a piece of the pie and whatever is left over goes to the people who are supposed to be being helped.

          • Lauren June 16, 2022 (9:32 pm)

            Honestly, I don’t think someone should have to be drug free to “deserve” housing ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

          • WS Res June 16, 2022 (9:40 pm)

            If you gave them free housing, sure they’d take it, I mean the vast majority of people like having a place to live. But if that comes with any restrictions on behavior, they will leave and be back on the street. – So if you don’t want people on the street, then….   You even acknowledge that people need housing in order to do the work of getting clean.  So housing first = 1) more people getting clean, 2) people off the streets.  So where’s the problem?  Also, no one is getting rich off working in non-profits. Trust me. I’m almost 50 and have a PhD, and have worked 90% of my working life thus far in non-profits. I have never made anywhere near the median income in the cities where I’ve lived, and the folks with BAs and MSWs doing the majority of street-level work in human services are making far less than that, which is one reason for high turnover and high burnout.

          • 22blades June 17, 2022 (3:11 am)

            I can attest to your description of NYC. I felt safer walking the streets of NYC in the 80’s than Seattle today. 50,000 lbs of refuse from one location. 25 Tons. 50 pickup trucks. That’s almost half a ferry load. How do I even wrap my head around that?

        • Chris June 17, 2022 (9:43 am)

          WS RES, I have read many of your posts, but not all.  If  I am correct, your main claim is to have permanent and stable housing for the homeless.  How do you propose that the government pay for this?  Just curious about your thoughts on how the state would pay for a program like this?  Would you be willing to pay more taxes?  

          • WS Res June 17, 2022 (4:26 pm)

            I would. We should have an income tax, for one thing. But a tax on extreme wealth (the type of which NONE of us sitting here commenting on a blog will ever see in our lifetime or even 10 lifetimes if we had them) at the federal and state level could provide more than enough for a universal basic income, basic housing, Medicare for all – essentially what most European nations get for their tax money. Affirmative rights, not just negative rights. But also, we could house people for LESS than we spend sending them to jail over and over. That fact rarely seems to enter these discussions.

    • Jay June 16, 2022 (2:12 pm)

      This camp was being used as a base for organized crime. There are huge bike chop shops. Violence. Shootings. Burglaries. We need a housing first approach and we need to take care of the unhoused, but the wild west scenario of allowing dangerous organized crime to operate in daylight is not aligned with that solution.

      • James June 16, 2022 (2:30 pm)

        There’s zero proof of that. You’re just fearmongering the homeless. Stop it. 

        • WS Resident Thinker June 16, 2022 (9:05 pm)

          James – baloney. There’s plenty of anecdotal evidence in dozens of comments on tens of posts about this site. Just because the cops never busted anybody due to staffing and prioritization doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.

        • 22blades June 17, 2022 (3:23 am)

          I saw a 50’ trailer parked on West Marginal Way where people were bringing truckloads of old bikes to absolutely packing it full. I don’t even know how to go about getting a 50’ trailer, arranging drop off, arranging pick up, arranging either metal scrapping or resale of the bikes and then arranging return of the trailer. This is not some guy with a sign on a corner. This takes some serious organized logistics. Is this where all the supply chain expertise has gone to?

      • Lauren June 16, 2022 (9:31 pm)

        WSB, please review this comment. It’s 100% not factual. 

        • Regular Guy June 16, 2022 (10:47 pm)

          Why don’t you prove it wrong, if you’re so sure it’s inaccurate?

        • Mike June 16, 2022 (11:12 pm)

          It’s literally 100% factual and WSB has done articles on everything mentioned in the post.  Stop your virtue signaling, you only hurt those you claim to support.

  • TrixieStix June 16, 2022 (10:55 am)

    Yes – a few also have managed to move over to the growing line of RV’s on Harbor. 

    • skeeter June 16, 2022 (11:54 am)

      Is Harbor Ave zoned commercial?  If yes then I think the RVs can stay for months/years until there is community pressure for action.  If not zoned commercial I think they can be towed immediately because they are too wide.

      • flimflam June 16, 2022 (1:23 pm)

        The 72 hour rule would still be in effect I think.

    • vee June 16, 2022 (2:59 pm)

      Yes  Just walked on harbor – rerally bad – in some of the RVS, trash all over the place  and growing number of them in  bad shape 

  • Boinsted June 16, 2022 (11:02 am)

    2 RVs and a trailer where pulled down 26th to the Delridge playfields. Chains are still attached to them. Not sure if they will be removed but they currently look vacant. 

  • wsgal June 16, 2022 (11:16 am)

    Been hearing a helicopter for the last half hour or so, any idea if this is what they’re hovering around for?

    • WSB June 16, 2022 (11:51 am)

      Nothing on the radar right now but certainly could have been the shared TV chopper. We’ve only seen 1 station so far (are headed back now for an update).

    • shotinthefoot June 16, 2022 (2:22 pm)

      I’m sure it was the KOMO chopper. They love nothing more than sensationalizing the homeless as their “seattle is dying” boogeyman narrative. 

      • WSB June 16, 2022 (2:27 pm)

        Datapoint: There is one helicopter in the market now, shared by all three stations that used to have their own. But early this morning, the station you mention was the only media there on the ground besides us.i

      • About Time June 16, 2022 (6:19 pm)

        So what do you want komo to do? Just ignore the problem like other news outlets do? Show sympathy to the “down on their luck unhoused people”? The reality is that many of these people are drug addicted criminals and they are causing major problems in this city. Seattle is not just dying it’s on life support and I am glad that there is a news outlet that is willing to show that. Also props to Bruce Harrell for having the guts to do something about this plague on our city. He has an uphill battle since he has to deal with the lunatics on the council but I’m glad he’s putting in the effort to clean up this city. 

  • Olivia June 16, 2022 (11:18 am)

    A helicopter has been circling around the area, hope it’s going to be cleaned as it is planned by the end of the day without anyone get hurt.

  • momosmom June 16, 2022 (11:25 am)

    With all this above said, all that is going to happen is these people are being booted out of this area and the most of them will just move into another neighborhood/business area and the cycle will just start all over again. Contaminated ground and waterways , garbage and theft run amuck, it needs to be fixed not just swept under the rug. This is kind of like your parents saying ” go clean your bedroom” and all you do is shove things under the bed and in the closet, it looks good for the moment but its still a mess!I’m not sure if these buildings are being used or not, they look not to be but there is an old empty school with numerous “out” buildings on So. 116th St between 1st Ave So and 4th Ave So. in the Highline School District, why can’t these be used for the houseless people? Of course with RULES and REGULATIONS???

  • flimflam June 16, 2022 (11:33 am)

    The sweeps set in motion by Harrell are a welcome change. Hopefully if it’s more difficult for these camps to exist people will start accepting services offered or at the very least not feel emboldened to try living this way in Seattle. 

    • WS Guy June 16, 2022 (6:17 pm)

      Elections have benefits.

  • Jack June 16, 2022 (11:38 am)

    I wonder if the city do pest control also? Otherwise, look out neighbors, here comes a horde of hungry rats!

  • Annaeileen June 16, 2022 (11:40 am)

    I lived nearby and was a member of the gym for over 10 years (I recently moved south).  Where do you think they will go?  So far, they are just moving south on 26th, others are seen in the parking lot nearby and on Harbor Ave.  For everyone cheering saying about time, this cleanup solves nothing.  Criminals will continue to steal, drug addicts will continue to use, the houseless will continue to be houseless – more than likely in the same area. 

  • James June 16, 2022 (11:59 am)

    People celebrating the poor being shuffled around. That’s so sad to me.  And now they are just parking their RVs up the street in my neighborhood.

    • Echo June 16, 2022 (1:51 pm)

      James you should be happy they are in your neighborhood now. As the story mentioned, they have been in this neighborhood for six very long years, and frankly, it was time for them to move on – this neighborhood has been subjected long enough. And, all of my neighbors, including myself, are running really low on the compassion we afforded these folks years ago – so your neighborhood will be more welcoming and their existence will be fill with rainbows, unicorns, and home baked cookies every evening – whereas over here, they got dirty looks and the police called on them.

      • James June 16, 2022 (2:32 pm)

        Your poor excuse for sarcasm isn’t going to get to me. And doesn’t change the fact that this is a capitalism/city caused problem. The Mayor created this mess being in the council for 13+ years. Andover IS my neighborhood and I do have homeless outside my house. I don’t get into a tissy about it. I live and let live. 

        • Bronson June 17, 2022 (10:27 am)

          Sure James, “capitalism” caused the majority of these people to become drug-riddled addicts.  “Capitalism” caused mental illness, domestic violence, et al. Does personal responsibility never even come into the conversation? Many are in situations of their own control and making. It’s Seattle’s “live and let live” attitude and approach to permissive drug use that has allowed this to fester. Capitalism, even with its ills, provides the means and opportunity to better yourself and station in life as opposed to depending on the state to do so. That’s the very definition of freedom. Well-regulated capitalism would do so even better (so work is to be done). Housing has become very expensive. I think we can all acknowledge that, and there are forces at play in the market that make it unfair, hence the need for well-regulated capitalism. However, there is no right to live in Seattle, one of the most expensive markets in the US. Many could become sheltered if they would consider living in other communities, such as Monroe for example. Places near are still much cheaper. 

      • Fellow neighbor June 16, 2022 (3:40 pm)

        Completely agree! This neighborhood is done putting up with crime 

  • Rose June 16, 2022 (12:19 pm)

    I run by there regularly. For me I noticed a change after they did the initial cleaning. To be honest it got scarier. And no, they are not afraid of me, I am old and I am not 5″ tall. I hope they can connect to services that will help them. I hope they accept services.And I hope the city workers all stay safe. 

  • plf June 16, 2022 (12:48 pm)

    All in all a very sad situation on so many levels, the homeless, mentally ill and the community no simple solutions no complex solutions if there was someone would have implemted 

  • Brandon June 16, 2022 (12:52 pm)

    I’ve had to drive by this eyesore every day for the past 6 years to get to work at 5 am. This morning there was more activity than the usual bunch doing drugs in the middle of the street blocking traffic. Hopefully it’ll last longer than a couple of weeks.

  • AmandaK June 16, 2022 (12:57 pm)

    In other news….  wages are low and housing prices are at record highs... Hard to solve the problem of homelessness without addressing that.  Who here got outbid by a venture capitalist group offering cash and waving contingencies when trying to buy a house in the area?!  Bet someone you know did too.   Housing is a human right, and homelessness – like racism, is a public health crisis.

    • Um, No! June 16, 2022 (1:17 pm)

      This might sound harsh and I’m sure people will come unglued by this but,  if it’s too expensive to live in Seattle,  don’t live here!    There are towns and communities all over this country that are way more affordable that have plenty of jobs available.  Maybe a person could get a decent job and find an affordable place to live somewhere else?   Choices!  

      • Cozy June 17, 2022 (8:07 am)

        Small towns are unfortunately not necessarily an improvement for homeless folks. Small towns can be less welcoming to those down on their luck, and lack resources and services these individuals need. Homeless individuals in rural areas often end up living in the woods, become more isolated, not a good solution.

        • Um, No! June 17, 2022 (2:05 pm)

          @Cozy  –  Who said they should move to a small town?  There are a lot of large cities with jobs and reasonable housing that are way more affordable than Seattle.   If it’s too expensive for someone to live here,  move. 

    • James June 16, 2022 (1:21 pm)

      Exactly!!! Capitalism is the pure cause but we love our band-aid on a pig “solutions” that just hurt people further. 

      • Bronson June 17, 2022 (10:29 am)

        Nice progressive talking point there. Capitalism has enabled the greatest expansion of wealth the world has ever known. Dirty and spineless politicians who lack the courage to regulate capitalism is the issue. 

        • Pessoa June 17, 2022 (8:39 pm)

          We’ve never had a true capitalist, free market system.  We have a centrally planned debt economy in which the government has it’s finger in every transaction and product, controlling the money supply, manipulating supply and demand, and dictating winners and losers.   I think we have plenty of evidence of that recently. 

    • Jeff June 16, 2022 (1:31 pm)

      You are dead on. Great post. I’m tired of seeing hatred of the homeless here in the comments.

    • Common Sense June 16, 2022 (5:13 pm)

      Move to Yelm, Shelton or many many other places that are significantly cheaper than Seattle….Get a job paying $20/hr + benefits flipping burgers and have some personal accountability.  I am not responsible for housing people who choose a lifestyle.  Keep sweeping every day and don’t let them settle somewhere else.  Keep the pressure on until they leave or take advantage of the huge number of much higher paying jobs now.

      • Lauren June 16, 2022 (9:34 pm)

        This is not common sense. It is willful cruelty. 

      • Bronson June 17, 2022 (10:31 am)

        Agreed Common Sense. Seems common sense to me. You don’t have a right to live in one of the most expensive cities in the US.  Some people need to be forced into making decisions that will improve themselves in the long run. Allowing them to fester in the streets, violating numerous laws, is the willful cruelty. 

    • tim June 16, 2022 (9:37 pm)

      I keep hearing that slogan “housing is a human right”..Well, maybe that’s true if you get a job and pay your rent on time. Otherwise, it’s just  an overused progressive slogan to get votes. I know that my rent would be a 3rd less if these property taxes weren’t so high. So let’s start there. How about lowering the property taxes so I and some other renters can have some relief.  Why is my electric bill $20 when I’ve been away for a month and haven’t used any electricity? Same with gas. Same with water. 

      • wscommuter June 17, 2022 (10:32 am)

        It’s a big conspiracy and they’re all out to get you.  Especially the part about your rent being 1/3 cheaper if your landlord didn’t have to pay property taxes.  As a homeowner who’s property taxes are pennies on the dollar compared to what you claim to pay, I appreciate you paying 33% to subsidize the rest of us.  Keep up the good work.  

      • Auntie June 17, 2022 (10:49 am)

        In Seattle, almost half the property taxes consist of levies (mostly school). These levies were voted on and passed, hence the increase in property taxes. If you don’t want to pay those (either directly or through your rent) then vote no on levies and stop passing them. 

  • Common Sense June 16, 2022 (1:28 pm)

    Keep them all moving all the time, don’t let them settle in elsewhere and get comfortable…hopefully will either get them to move on out of Seattle or take action and be accountable.No compassion for people choosing to live in a dump with tons (literally) of junk, human waste, rodents, drugs, needles and of course stolen goods from the community.

    • About Time June 16, 2022 (6:41 pm)

      Amen! Your name says it all! Keep them moving, offer services and shelter and if they refuse tell them they need to keep moving or their vehicles will be towed. In common areas where RVS congregate put up no overnight parking signs and enforce it strongly. This can be cleaned up it will just take effort by the city. This cannot be tolerated anymore. The last thing you should allow is people who are unstable and drug addicted to congregate and live around a bunch of other people who are unstable and drug addicted. It’s a recipe for disaster and we are seeing that first hand at these encampments. 

  • Jim June 16, 2022 (1:48 pm)

    ” Heavy equipment is scooping up piles of debris.”

    That and the pictures showing mounds of trash/garbage/junk and more is the reason most of us do not want such “camps” anywhere near civilized people.

    You need to be a good neighbor if you want to be accepted.

    Compassion only goes so far if you wallow in filth and fail to use some of your time to keep your living area at least reasonably clean.

    If you just lounge about scratching yourself waiting for social services to bring you your daily latte and favorite snacks then maybe it’s time to get off your rear and do things for yourself.

    (At least one group was featured in the Times who spent time and money bringing coffee drinks and favored snacks to such people.)

    May be better if they handed out brooms and dustpans and trash bags instead.

  • James June 16, 2022 (1:49 pm)

    Seattle, where the liberal and compassionate loved spending a million dollars before giving poor people even $5. Seattle…where we spend so much to NOT house people. Absurd.

  • Trevor June 16, 2022 (2:02 pm)

    I live a little South of the old encampment and right next to the new one at Dragonfly park. If there ever was a tragic game of “kick the can”, this is it.Truly, the only way out of this is to transition away from the idea that capitalism will allow us to solve the root problems that put people in RVs and in crisis.I highly recommend reading “Fully Automated Luxury Communism” (a silly sounding title but not a silly book) and then take action. Otherwise everyone except Bezos and friends will be looking for RVs because we can’t pay the rent.

  • RLV June 16, 2022 (2:07 pm)

    Thank you, Pigeon Point RN.

  • WSRes June 16, 2022 (2:19 pm)

    I like many others commenting am not celebrating the poor being displaced. Fact is this location was a hub of criminal activity and it’s been tolerated too long at the detriment to other citizens and businesses. I’m pleased to see the city is finally responding to the repeated cries for help. The criminal elements need to be dealt with and the truly needy should access the assistance offered or move along. 

  • Brenda D June 16, 2022 (2:25 pm)

    This is awesome! Now enforce the 72 hour on the ones that have moved a few hundred yards away. 

  • StopCuttingDownTrees June 16, 2022 (2:51 pm)

    Outstanding!!!! Great work by those crews. Thank you, Mayor Harrell.

  • Jesse burelison June 16, 2022 (3:18 pm)

    We RV dwellers are not all scumbags , dope heads and criminals. There many of us who are just trying to live. I’m disabled veteran who just plain can’t afford rent in this town. I’m just tired of always seeing the stories about the bad ones. WE ARE NOT ALL BAD!!!

    • Question Authority June 16, 2022 (5:01 pm)

      Have you utilized the VA and it’s services for assistance for your unfortunate position?  They have an obligation to help disabled veterans like yourself find a more appropriate and affordable outcome to your situation.

      • WS Resident Thinker June 16, 2022 (9:07 pm)

        I really hope you get a response to this question. I want to hear it. 

        • Question Authority June 17, 2022 (9:38 am)

          I don’t think that answers coming as out of all the places to park a RV he picked that location to do it.

    • Bronson June 17, 2022 (10:34 am)

      First of all, thank you for your service. I second what others have stated. The VA should be able to assist. If there is one set of people we should be ensuring never become houseless, it is our veterans.My honest to god question to you is, “why do you try to force yourself to stay in Seattle when there are many other more affordable communities just outside of Seattle?”

  • Mj June 16, 2022 (3:54 pm)

    Finally, and please vigorously enforce the 72 hour parking regulation.

  • DelridgeNeighbor June 16, 2022 (4:06 pm)

     I agree that with many of the comments here.  It’s GREAT this is finally being addressed.  It’s not great that really the encampment is only disbursing and spreading out in other areas.  It’s great that HOPE has done outreach and that Bruce Harrell is trying to finally make some progress.  It’s not great that we spend millions – oh.my.god. the MILLIONS per year to solve this and yet the best we have to offer is temporary shelter?   I think that there are some accountability and transparency issues when it comes to the money spent on this.   If we looked at the amount of money compared to the people it is currently serving, what would that breakdown be?  $10k per year per person?  $100k?  More?  And for those of us in this group that say it’s cruel to force people to move from this tragic, waste-filled, crime-ridden area, please, please, invite them into your homes, backyards, or driveways.   I’m sure your space would be a welcoming and safe one.  It may also give you a different perspective.

  • Sillygoose June 16, 2022 (4:18 pm)

    All of you bleeding hearts should go help those that just showed up to buy their drugs are now sitting in the gravel lost. Now is your time to be a super hero. 

    • CAM June 16, 2022 (6:36 pm)

      I’m willing to bet good money that a large number of the people in this comment section that are providing information about the ineffectiveness of this type of action by the city are actually out there helping this population every day. What are you doing?

    • Mel June 16, 2022 (7:43 pm)

      Exactly. Was a very odd scene tonight with it all cleaned out and people showing up who were clearly on drugs.

    • Scubafrog June 17, 2022 (5:54 pm)

      Maybe mayor bruce, when he finds time in his open schedule, will work to find a way to entice more Police Officers to Seattle. So far, he’s 0/100 on crime.  He received a mandate to be hard on crime, not to be “hard on the homeless”. The RV 72-hour law has to be upheld, so those do need to go.  As far as encampments, it should be up to the SPD if they need to go:  If evidence links crimes to specific encampments, clear them.  It should be noted, quite a bit of the junk at this encampment, was from ‘tax-paying people’ in lieu of the dump (to avoid the fees).   Also, one wonders if the “bleeding heart” commenters are capable of independent thought… 

  • MrsT June 16, 2022 (4:23 pm)

    I hope the people are all ok. And I really hope that all you folks cheering for these sweeps are also relentlessly pressuring the mayor and Cory council members to immediately fund more shelter. Without it this is madness. 

  • CheeseWS777 June 16, 2022 (4:24 pm)

    If people are comitting crime, arrest them. No wait screw that, lets just take away everybodys homes. Thats way better… Wait, why are all these tents popping up now???

  • dave virnig June 16, 2022 (4:26 pm)

    Kudo’s to Councilwoman Herbold,She has stepped up and had a RV encampment cleaned out from a site with an industrial steel plant on one side of the road and a single retail establishment on the other and allowed the “residents” to move a few blocks away to an area that is residential on one side of the road and  a high volume multipurpose trail on the other. It’s easy to see how she was made chairperson of the Council’s Public Safety and Human Services Committee. She has our backs!! Shots fired to follow. 

    • WSB June 16, 2022 (5:21 pm)

      Only 1 rv currently by Dragonfly Park.

      • Echo June 16, 2022 (6:53 pm)

        I think they are referring to Harbor Ave.

        • WSB June 16, 2022 (6:59 pm)

          Most of the RVs along Harbor are in a non-residential zone. Anyway, we went through there too. One additional vehicle since earlier today.

          • Emmalou June 17, 2022 (8:20 am)

            He’s probably referring to the Delridge Playfields or south on Longfellow Creek   where there been tons of tents in the woods. They’ve carved out the entire trail to the duck pond where there is daily burning of garbage, and they run a generator constantly, been there for years now. Or maybe referring to the RVs near the entrance of Camp Long. I can’t even go to at least 5 of my old walking/exercise spots anymore. It’s ridiculous. It’s not all just about the Dragonfly Park. 

          • dave virnig June 17, 2022 (11:39 am)

            There are 3 new ones and because MOST are on the side that is zoned industrial does that makes it OK to allow the crime they bring with them to a residential neighborhood and along the Alki Trail. Ex SPD officer Todd Wiebke , who was in charge of dealing with people living in vehicles for the SW Prescient, once told me 90% of the people in the RV’s are felons and 100% are armed. It is a public safety issue nothing else. If the city believes they should be allowed they should  locate them away from residential areas.  It took 2 people being shot before the city cleared the site.  I have have a proposal in front of the City Councils Land Use Committee and Councilwoman Herbold right now to have the industrial zoned area along Harbor Ave SW rezoned so that the oversize vehicle ordinance would be enforceable. So far I am being stonewall. If you care write our councilwoman. It is nothing more than all of ours’s safety 

  • Junction Lady June 16, 2022 (4:41 pm)

    I witnessed a dilapidated RV being towed away by a mega tow-truck and a big rat jumped from the RV and into some bushes!

  • dhg June 16, 2022 (5:23 pm)

    The comments here are so predictable.  There is a little subset of locals who sit on very high horses and judge everyone who does not bleed for the people of the encampment.  It makes no difference whether the campers are there because of mental illness or there because it’s a convenient home away from home while chopping out catalytic converters.  Self-righteous outrage must be expressed because nothing feels better than being holier than all the other non-camping souls.

    • Joe June 16, 2022 (5:58 pm)

      Well said, DHG, Well said.

    • Scubafrog June 16, 2022 (6:13 pm)

      Well, you moved them.  A few hundred feet away, then got a good, self-righteous virtue-signal in, a good ‘dig’ at the “libs”.  Now what, “patriot”?   Surely your brand of whiner has a plan?  Laws for all, right?  I’m sure everyone agrees to that end.  Just move them 100’, every few days?  Expend Seattle PD’s remaining resources on these moves?   Brilliant.  You got ‘er dunn!  Conservatives can rejoice!

      • Rhonda June 16, 2022 (11:52 pm)

        Thousands of us Liberals are thrilled and relieved that this toxic, dangerous biohazard has been removed. Sorry, but you certainly don’t speak for all of us.

    • CAM June 16, 2022 (6:47 pm)

      This is ridiculous. Nobody is out here being a “bleeding heart.” People are providing accurate information about why this is ineffective. And what is disturbing is the people who are hooting and hollering and cheering and blowing off virtual fireworks as they discuss people being ripped away from the only home they have. Yes, that does display a lack of empathy. I do have empathy for the homeowners in these areas and I do not wish for you to have to experience what you have been. I also do not wish for anyone to be homeless or to have to experience the kind of disruption to their lives these individuals did today. You can experience both of these thoughts and feelings at the same time. I won’t cheer for either of these things and it is absolutely disgusting to watch other people cheer for someone else’s demise, no matter how it benefits them. You can be happy about something, experience relief, calm, satisfaction, etc. without needing to have a party. These are people and they deserve basic human decency and respect. Don’t come for people defending their right to that. 

      • Canton June 16, 2022 (10:35 pm)

        It’s all good to be conflicted with your thoughts.  At some point, we have to separate compassion from diligence. We all know that the situation there had neither.  Would you give those the access to your property or home outright?  If not, are you really, truly compassionate? 

        • CAM June 16, 2022 (11:23 pm)

          Those aren’t conflicting thoughts. They don’t need to be resolved. It is not a problem to have empathy for everyone at the same time and does not prevent being a rational actor. In fact I would say it better enables seeing the problem clearly than when human beings are referred to or thought of as nonhuman species or objects. You want the “libs” to take you seriously and engage? Stop being hateful. 

  • WSB June 16, 2022 (5:52 pm)

    Just updated above again with city’s wrapup #’s.

  • Question Authority June 16, 2022 (6:00 pm)

    Now that all the outreach and subsequent efforts which took place today to address this long standing safety and community issue, when do the ecology blocks get installed to prevent an immediate reincurrence?

  • EnoughIsEnough June 16, 2022 (6:31 pm)

    Absolutely ridiculous that this mess lasted as long as it did. Its simply incredible how commenters here will boast of compassion while letting the city decay before our eyes. These sweeps need to continue unabated

  • Mj June 16, 2022 (6:47 pm)

    50,000 lbs of garbage from what I saw in numbers about 25 people resided in the area, this correlates into 2,000 lbs per person.  WOW!

  • Resident June 16, 2022 (7:19 pm)

    Buy rat traps. You’ll need them the next week. 

  • StuckInWestSeattle June 16, 2022 (7:40 pm)

    Some already relocated over by harbor island. They need to go flush them out of there too.

  • Hard Facts June 16, 2022 (8:08 pm)

    We are a civilized society, which means you can’t just set up camp wherever you please. We have rules and laws to keep some semblance of being better than nomadic cavemen.The reason it worked to “keep them moving” 10+ years ago, is that being homeless should not be comfortable.Go to jail, treatment, a shelter, but living like this is unacceptable.  Especially to those neighbors that pay a horrendous amount of taxes to do their part in their community.  They deserve to feel safe and live in a nice place without garbage everywhere, they deserve to not have to worry about being robbed or finding their catalytic converter stolen as they are trying to go to work.This comment section is exactly the problem, people making excuses for them.There are jobs everywhere, there are plenty of services to help them get on their feet.  Sure it’s not what they want, but NOBODY gets what they want all the time.But as long as people enable them and make excuses for them, they will not hit their bottom and stay where they are.

    • WS Res June 17, 2022 (10:57 am)

      1) We are not very civilized if we refuse to acknowledge and care for everyone’s basic human needs. 2) When you suggest that people who “pay taxes” are MORE deserving of human rights than other people, that right there is some of the core problem.

  • Duffy June 16, 2022 (8:25 pm)

    Almost impossible to help people that don’t want to help themselves.  It usually can’t be immediate; to wean people off drugs takes time and resources.  But these folks essentially took over city property and used it as a drug den/chop shop.  6 years to start wanting to help themselves and it didn’t happen.  So yes, time to boot them out.  What more do you want from the citizens of this community?  More patience?  More than 6 years worth?

  • Thank you Bruce H June 16, 2022 (9:24 pm)

    I just drove by. AMAZING. I’m wonder how many people and machines did it take to remove all that crap? So quickly. Anyone have a cost idea? As a taxpayer and being bled dry. I’d really like to know.

    • Jeff June 16, 2022 (10:43 pm)

      You do know Bruce was in council for over a decade. Creating this mess, right?

      • Canton June 16, 2022 (10:57 pm)

        You do know he was a council “member” right?, one of many. He is now MAYOR, of the city. He now has the ability to do more now, than just being a council voice.

        • shotinthefoot June 17, 2022 (9:05 am)

          @ Canton: You do know he was city council “president” for 4 years? This is a problem he had ample time and ability to address and chose not to. He’s going to be just as ineffective as MAYOR. 

  • Disgusting June 16, 2022 (9:54 pm)

    The RVs that “lived” there should have to pay for the trash they left the city to dispose of. How you ask?  Next year when they go to pay their vehicle tabs, there will be a huge balance due for all the crap they collected and irresponsibly left. They need to grow up, act like adults and clean their mess. Seriously. We can feel sad all we want but these are grown adults who need to grow up and act like adults. Put the needle down and find a job. Cant afford to live in the city? Then go to a city you can afford like the rest of the world does. This is ridiculous. That amount of trash is appalling. That is the threat to our environment.

    • AlkiBeach June 16, 2022 (11:29 pm)

      Two words:  “Damn Straight!”

    • Duffy June 17, 2022 (6:32 am)

      Oh come on, cut them some slack, it was only 25 tons worth of garbage and stolen goods…

    • Eddie June 17, 2022 (7:54 am)

      “Next year when they go to pay their vehicle tabs…”You’re kidding, right?  What percentage of the vehicles involved in that mess had current license and insurance?

  • bolo June 16, 2022 (11:00 pm)

    Just passed thru 10:15pm. Three police vehicles on Andover with blue/red lights flashing. They were listening to a guy on the Nucor (newly cleared) side trying to explain something to them. Shopping cart full of stuff on the health club side.

  • Family man June 16, 2022 (11:02 pm)

    I for one am glad to see this plague swept! I say commit these people to a strict rehabilitation program, make them liable for themselves and not a burden on responsible people. If that can’t maintain sobriety and honest work than why should I be support them. You want free housing… than you are required to help build it for free. Learn a trade… that is legal.

  • B June 17, 2022 (5:10 am)

    As a delivery driver in West Seattle, I have to use this route to navigate the horror of Avalon. It was nice today, to not feel like I was entering a Walking Dead episode as I turned from Yancy to Andover on my way to Delridge, and back. I can only imagine how much nicer and SAFER it must feel for those who live nearby or work nearby and aren’t just passing through like me. A+ in my eyes, call me a jerk. 

  • C Garr June 17, 2022 (7:22 am)

    As an owner on Adam’s st, I am so happy this happened.  It was a serious public health issue.  

  • Tracey June 17, 2022 (8:04 am)

    Can anyone explain where all this trash comes from?  Was the camp not “remediated” months ago?  I have the smallest Seattle trash can and maybe fill it half way every week as a single person with means.  What are they consuming that I am not?  Is it all theft?  Seriously, does anyone understand this?

    • WS Res June 17, 2022 (11:00 am)

      This link was shared elsewhere but maybe you didn’t see it. Similar issues when I lived in Oakland were well-documented.  “Law abiding, tax-paying citizens” turned out to be very interested in avoiding the law and usage fees for the dump, so they’d just dump their crap at the nearest encampment.

      • Cozy June 18, 2022 (9:00 pm)

        A lot of the garbage around encampments is actually homeless people’s belongings which gets ruined in their conditions, then becomes trash around them.

        Also, lack of garbage bags, and trash service, or nearby public trash bins (which durring the pandemic haven’t always been serviced frequently enough, too). 

        Every person generates trash on a daily basis, which can accumulate quickly, if not dealt with routinely.

        Then there is the free found stuff collected. In part this is both a kind of work and nesting behavior. They are trying to establish a home camp, acquiring items for function or comfort.

        These are some of the main reasons, from my understanding.

    • bolo June 17, 2022 (11:07 am)

      Lots and lots of found objects.

      • My two cents June 17, 2022 (6:32 pm)

        Lots and lots of “found” objects.

    • Pessoa June 18, 2022 (11:35 am)

      Tracey:  Have you ever taken a road trip?  You know how garbage collects in your car because you can’t cook, you are forced to buy packaged food and other items that you can’t dispose of properly? You know how your car looks like a dumpster when you return? This prurient fascination (and pretend “shock”) with the volume of refuse and garbage that accumulated at the encampment reveals a great deal about a certain subset of commenters.     

      • Tracey June 18, 2022 (7:22 pm)

        Wow, thanks for passing judgement.  A certain subset of commenters?  My car has never looked like a dumpster.  There are garbage cans all over this City, at fast food establishments and in front of the West Seattle Food Bank where you can be supplied with plenty of deli options that don’t require cooking.  There is no excuse for this amount of trash or for your nastiness, Pessoa.  Shame on you.  

  • C Garr June 17, 2022 (8:18 am)

    Current owner of property on Adam’s St since 2005:  We all know homeless is a complex issue.  I’m just extremely happy this situation is cleared.  It was a major public health and safety issue. I’m sure it has just moved elsewhere, but I’m selfishly so happy it is now elsewhere.  

  • Lisa June 17, 2022 (7:48 pm)

    Maybe Seattle could try something that actually work:https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/06/16/headway/houston-homeless.html

  • Matthew 25 40 June 17, 2022 (11:03 pm)

    “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”  Matthew 25:40

  • CheeseWS777 June 18, 2022 (4:37 am)

    “SPD officer Todd Wiebke , who was in charge of dealing with people living in vehicles for the SW Prescient, once told me 90% of the people in the RV’s are felons and 100% are armed.”Wow thats totally false lol. And spd is saying that. Reminds me of how hitler would just say random stuff about jews to make people hate them

  • Watch June 18, 2022 (7:34 pm)

     Some of the worst neighbors in this neighborhood are the most established here

Sorry, comment time is over.