YOU CAN HELP: Post-cleanup community cleanup Monday along SW Andover

| Delridge | How to help | West Seattle news

(WSB photo, Saturday)

Erik Bell, who organizes community cleanups at least once a week in West Seattle, has an invitation for you tomorrow, if you have Juneteenth off – a community cleanup to follow up on the city cleanup of the SW Andover/28th RV encampment. Here’s the invitation for the 10 am-noon Monday cleanup, in case you haven’t already seen it in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

We’ll be tackling the neighboring streets around the West Seattle Health Club which was just cleared of a long-standing RV encampment. Although it looks clean from the casual drive-by, the gravel parking strip is littered with a myriad of ground-in micro trash and broken glass, the city was only able to come get the large trash items.

We could use an army of folks to come in and give this neighborhood the love it deserves after years of neglect, so come for as little or as much as you’d like…and bring a friend!

What to expect: This has been a long-term RV encampment so has years worth of junk ground into the gravel. If there are any left over tents around we will steer clear of any of those and just focus on the roadway parking strip and sidewalks. Pickup sticks, buckets, vests, gloves and bags will be provided and the resulting trash will be reported for pickup by Seattle Public Utilities.

Parking: We should be able to park back along Andover by Monday but I’ll make updates as the cleanup approaches.

Please reach out with any questions, concerns or carpooling opportunities. I can be reached at 206-852-9552

Jim P. June 19, 2022 (1:26 pm)

Twenty five TONS of garbage removed and yet more needs to be done just to get a place back to what it was before these fine folk graced that area with their presence and habits.

Pessoa June 19, 2022 (7:30 pm)

Again, this macabre fascination with the volume of refuse accumulated at the encampment. Say it slowly, T-W-E-N-T-Y F-I-V-E T-O-N-S, and fully savor every scandalous syllable! Yes, without proper disposal, without cooking facilities and reliance on packaged items, trash tends to accumulate. You know, a bit like when one takes a long road trip – in this case a six year long road trip – and the interior of the car begins to resemble a dumpster.
- bolo June 19, 2022 (10:38 pm)
  
  Welll, maybe, but why your reference to 6 years? The last major cleanup was not many months ago.
- 22bkades June 20, 2022 (5:46 am)
  
  If you are implying that trashing a neighborhood is normal & acceptable, it is not. The bulk Goodwill Outlet store on 6th & Holgate should get shut down or stop bulk sales.
  - Grace Salamanca June 20, 2022 (10:24 pm)
    
    What does Goodwill have to do with anything? Tell us all where homeless people should go.
- Grace Salamanca June 20, 2022 (10:23 pm)
  
  Your right. And I see that you’re just making an observation. I don’t know why these other people replying are trying to extract an opinion out of you one way or the other on the RV issue. It’s like they’re mad because you didn’t say it in a way that blames the ” horrible homeless people ”

Thanks June 19, 2022 (2:57 pm)

So appreciative! This neighborhood deserves some TLC

Mike June 19, 2022 (5:43 pm)

Looks like a bunch of the decrepit motor homes moved to Harbor Ave.. Another freakin’ mess.

WSB June 19, 2022 (6:22 pm)

12 now, up 3 from pre-Andover sweep.
- G-Man June 19, 2022 (7:58 pm)
  
  So they all moved down to Harbor Ave? Does the Mayor know this? Also there are still tents at the site that was just cleared?
  - WSB June 19, 2022 (10:05 pm)
    
    No, they didn’t “all move down to Harbor Ave.” There have been RVs on Harbor Ave for years, fluctuating from two to a dozen (earliest mentions in our archives were in 2016). Before the Andover sweep, we counted nine on Harbor. There are three more now. We also drove Andover/28th/26th again late today, did not see any tents.
WSEA June 20, 2022 (5:42 am)

To Report Encampments.1. First and foremost, if you see a crime in progress in your park, call 911.2. Contact the Customer Service Bureau (CSB) by telephone at 206-684-CITY (2489). If the encampment is obstructing a sidewalk or park feature, please specifically mention the obstruction. Also, you can report camps using the City’s Find It, Fix It Service Request Mobile App http://www.seattle.gov/customer-service-bureau/find-it-fix-it-mobile-app. The app has a drop down menu for reporting, which does not include encampments, and you will need to select “other” and write in “Encampment”.

Wavy David June 19, 2022 (8:02 pm)

Just drove past this last Monday after not having been by in a year or so and was stunned at how squalorous it had become. I’m glad the City was not as apathetic about the situation as I thought.

Andover neighbor June 19, 2022 (8:22 pm)

City will be doing additional clean up over next few days and weeks, including soil removal. Please consider postponing until City completes their work, or suggest cleanup at nearby Dragonfly Park or other adjacent streets. The Andover area is not safe for general public.

Lola June 20, 2022 (7:38 am)

One bus type RV is over by Moo Kw Meeks ( I know Spelling) there had been none there for months. Hubby & I took a drive around last night and saw the Bus parked not too far from the park with its shades drawn. I am sure more will be coming as there are plenty of spots along with a beautiful full view of the water.

Alki Jack June 20, 2022 (8:44 am)

So it looks like the few motorhomes that could still drive a short distance just drove to the main entrance to Alki Beach, Harbor Avenue. Didn’t the city pre-plan for this and not let it happen. I knew that’s what would happen, so did most I talked to. So this will be the new first impression people will get when they come to West Seattle to eat at Salty’s or visit Alki. What a horrible display and lack of planning by the city. All that money spent only to have them move three or four blocks.

Delridge98126 June 20, 2022 (11:02 am)

My dad is coming to visit and I wanted to take him to Saltys. I will have to choose elsewhere

Grace Salamanca June 20, 2022 (10:09 pm)

There is a lot more to each situation. To say that every RV is homeless people and they all do drugs is just not true. I know exactly who has been stealing bicycles, surf boards, scooters, breaking into cars vandalizing cars Etc they live in my building! Another couple is 2 white kids from Bainbridge who drive a newer SUV. Other theft in WS: I reported to Seattle Police Department they just took the report and said that there was nothing they can do when one of them took my antique lamp into their apartment just because it was a sitting outside. the pregnant tweaker said that I should have had a note on it!? Also, I know for a fact from recent experience that is literally impossible to get your RV worked on in this part of Seattle. And even if you have the money and your willing to do it some of the RV places up north don’t have appointments for months. Les Schwab in Georgetown that does Brakes and Tires had my RV that is my business vehicle that I’m turning into a food truck for almost two weeks and returned it with worse brakes than when I left it there. I did not buy it and spend $10,000 and another $1200 having the roof sealed to park it outside of my apartment that I’ve lived at for 10 years on Alki. I bought it to travel in. I’ve been ripped off by one mechanic after the next and if that’s not happening my neighbors are vandelizing it. I have support and I cant get my RV road safe. So how is someone who has nothing? And if you’re unfortunate enough to have your vehicle towed Lincoln Towing pretty much assumes you’re never going to pick it up. It’s my fault I should have been paying closer attention but the parking people are not correct. I was in one spot and I left for a few days and I came back to unload stuff from my storage. I was gone for a few hours it was towed. Before you start saying hahaha well guess what it’s going to backfire on everybody down here that didn’t like it . From Beach Drive to Alki Boulevard Harbor Boulevard mine was the only one that got towed. I had an opportunity to sell it that weekend to my friend’s dad but I couldn’t do that because Lincoln Towing screwed up the power steering. And cut the mechanisms in my driver door so now I had to spent money to fix the door. My friends dad did not want to take the chance not knowing if the door even could be fixed. Every time people screw with my RV its three steps back. If everyone would have just left me alone and let me do my business then I’d be on the road by now. I would have been on the road months agoI’m suing at least one mechanic. Im suing the guy who sold it to me. I’m trying to talk to the mayor and the governor and a lot of other people in the position to help with this stuff about creating a new law just like the lemon law but for older vehicles called the Clementine law ( my idea ) where do you suppose all these RVs came from? It’s impossible to have a mechanic come and check every single little thing when you buy it, so if someone gets stuck with the messed up RV what are they supposed to do? All of these vehicles didn’t just fall from the sky. There’s a story behind every single one of them. As far as drug use goes I will say that being stuck in my RV every single night so that nothing else happens to it, I have noticed it and its bad. But its not EVERY RV. I was on Harbor Boulevard last night. There’s people walking around there like zombies. Some girl asked me last night if I had any ” blues ” so maybe we should be asking ourselves why is there so much fentanyl in the streets in Seattle? Because you can take away all these vehicles but someone’s letting those little blue pills in. Their cheap and apparently a lot stronger than street heroin. Even one of my other neighbors that looks totally square and drives an electric car and works for Boeing was telling me that he’s been buying them now and then because they’re really good for pain. Look all I’m saying is that people’s tunnel vision with the vehicle itself is not helping anything. My RV didn’t do anything wrong. It’s the pervert mechanic that didn’t fix my brakes after I gave him $900. It’s the jerk that sold it to me knowing that stuff was wrong with it since the brakes went out 10 days after I got it. I have no recourse. I have an apt though. There’s no housing for all these people in RVs. There’s no way anybody is going to rent to them. That’s why my friend’s dad was going to buy my RV, he’s been spending $1,200 a week at Marriott extended-stay in Burien. He had to move out of his apartment because he’s too old now to go up and down the stairs. The man has over a million dollars in the bank and no one will rent to him! So how do you think somebody’s going to rent to people that have been living in an RV for a few years? And have no current rental history? Jenny Durkan and her stupid rent memorandum is as much to blame. So many people took advantage of that. If you own property that you rent and you didn’t get screwed over then you lucked out. And to the lady that was going to take her dad to Salty’s, their food sucks anyways, and it’s too expensive. I live Alki and there’s plenty of parking all up and down Alki even with the few RVs over there, take your dad to Dukes. People should be more worried about the young kids driving these fast cars up and down in the middle of the night -all hours of the day and night up to 100 miles an hour. I sit in my RV and I watch them every single night pulling out cases of beer walking to the beach and drinking it and then getting back in their vehicle. No one complains. They’re the ones that are leaving trash all over the beach. I also see people walking on Alki and when they see these big Vans with surfboards all over them- the expensive ones there’s three that come here every summer a black one a gray one and a white one. People smile and wave to them. I guess it’s okay for them to live for free on Alki because they have expensive vans. Some are not much smaller than a RV. They live in them here all summer. Actually the brown one and the white one got here early this year I’ve been seeing them since spring. But what are they really doing for the community? Sucking it dry as a crouton with their tiny carbon footprint. I’m on the beach all the time walking my dog. I have never seen any of these people. All I’ve seen is that one of them has a cat living in the van. I literally have no idea what they really look like. They buy food and cook it. They don’t eat at the restaurants. Who could possibly afford to eat at Alki restaurants everyday? I bought my friend who fixed my door that Lincoln Towing screwed up breakfast Alki Cafe and it cost me $40.00. So why be so nice to them? I am going to attempt to find out who controls the Alki Bathhouse. This community needs to have a meeting- a real meeting where everybody’s voices can be heard. In the meantime people driving down Harbor Boulevard and honking their horns is only going to antagonize people. They are parked legally for the moment. Once piles of trash and tents start popping up then it’s Department of Transportation’s job to take care of it. None of them are taking those orange stickers seriously. There’s RVs that have been there for 2 years. They didn’t get towed. Mine was one of the nicest vehicles that was actually running and now they screwed mine up too. So if it ends up stuck on the street you have Lincoln Towing and shady pervert mechanics to thank. I guess what I’m saying is maybe they should be consistent. Also every time I’ve seen one of those orange stickers you can’t even read it and they don’t answer the phone number. Anyhow rant over. I know. Knowing the Reese’s is going to agree with me I’ve been trying to open up conversations about this for a long time and it’s like I’m speaking a foreign language that no one understands. I guess if you don’t want to go through five years on Harbor Boulevard with RVs like they did over on and over I went by the way I’ve been at that gym since 2012 paying $60 a month. But I guess if people have an issue with it they should do something about it besides complain and one last thing I forgot to say all of these Outreach people that are supposed to be helping them and get them housing it’s all BS. I even messaged an investigative reporter and I have a list of them I’ve been trying to in between dealing with my RV situation trying to reach out to as many investigative reporters as I can so that they can start finding out the real story every single article you see says Outreach workers are attempting to get people into housing blah blah blah it’s bullsh-t shelters don’t say people with dogs. Maybe there needs to be a shelter in West Seattle that’s a novel idea.