Cleanup at West Marginal Way encampment near future RV/tiny house site

Though it does not appear to be part of the future Glassyard Commons RV lot/tiny house site, the lot at the west end of the land bordered by Highland Park Way, West Marginal Way, and 2nd Avenue SW was getting cleaned up this morning. After a reader tip, we went there for a look, and saw crews with state-logo vehicles, including the State Patrol.

Earlier in the morning, there had been a rush for police backup at the site when a trooper decribed as “with a stolen vehicle” wasn’t answering their radio. (They turned out to be OK.) This site – state-owned but not adjacent to the “Glassyard” site (city-owned property sits between the two) had had an unsanctioned RV encampment for a while; we’re following up on today’s cleanup with WSDOT’s encampments point person. Meantime, the community meeting about the future RV/tiny house site is this Thursday, March 5, 5:30 pm, at New Direction Missionary Baptist Church, 755 S. Homer in Georgetown,

Jake March 2, 2026 (2:33 pm)

This is so inhumane… where do these people go? Like there aren’t even neighborhoods in Marginal Way vicinity, I do not see who they’re hurting and now have to go park somewhere else…

WSB March 2, 2026 (2:41 pm)

Obviously that’s one of the questions I have out, were there people at the site for whom shelter had to be found/offered? Likely the site will be used as staging for the imminent construction nearby – TR
North Admiral Neighbor March 2, 2026 (3:01 pm)

From the post that you’re commenting on it’s pretty clear that the encampments such as these have problems with stolen vehicles and other crime that effects the nearby businesses. Letting people sleep in their cars/RVs vs. forcing them into shelter is inhumane and leaves them vulnerable to crime. Hopefully Katie Wilson will make do on her promises to rapidly expand our shelter capacity which will allow us to require unhoused folks to accept shelters or risk jail time.
- Derp March 2, 2026 (4:22 pm)
  
  I do believe that they CAN’T make you get shelter or go to jail. I know that’s the way are messed up country is going, but come on. Seriously, THEY CAN’T MAKE YOU do that. Completely wrong to even suggest it
  - North Admiral Neighbor March 2, 2026 (5:29 pm)
    
    If someone is breaking the law by trespassing or camping where it’s not legally allowed then they can certainly be arrested for it. Same idea for possessing stolen property, illegal narcotics, etc. But I agree, in cases where the individual is being arrested they should at least have the choice to instead go to a shelter.
- Mike March 2, 2026 (4:28 pm)
  
  Jake: if you drove by the previous encampments in that same area, there would be no question in your mind as to who they are hurting. In that case, they were dumping their waste and garbage into the adjacent wetland, and it required extensive mitigation by the state. It hurts local businesses and I suspect it’s a very unsafe environment for the residents themselves. I do think there’s an obligation to provide some level of secure housing, but if they won’t accept that, then tougher measures are indicated.
  - Kt March 2, 2026 (8:45 pm)
    
    Do you know why they don’t always accept housing? Because often times they’re a couple or a person with a pet, and they will all be separated. Would you want to endure that? To lose the only family you have? If shelters are full, where can they go?
    - wscommuter March 3, 2026 (7:26 pm)
      
      Actually, that’s sometimes true, but typically not. Read what folks who actually provide services to the homeless say – too often, those who decline services do so because of mental illness (a very, very difficult problem in and of itself), and/or drug abuse issues and are unwilling to abide by the minimal requirements of shelters. We absolutely should increase funding and resources for MH and substance abuse … but let’s be honest about the problem. It isn’t driven by folks who decline services because “they’re a couple or a person with a pet”. That is not the problem
    - Roberta March 4, 2026 (8:24 pm)
      
      I was living in my rv and services came by and it still took me 10 months to get into a tiny home with my husband. This process is alot more complicated then most anyone knows. Most transitional housing you can have pets but very few places will be available to couples legally married or not. So once In tiny home the process once again to get out of there is harder then it should be if they didnt try and break couples up more people would have housing. The system isnt perfect but im sure they know that is something that needs to be addressed. More housing for couples
- Rhonda March 3, 2026 (3:28 pm)
  
  Forcing people to do ANYTHING is anti-American. That’s why people should be offered shelter and alternatives to living on the streets but not under threat of arrest. It’s only a crime if they camp in a prohibited place like a park, sidewalk, library property, school grounds, etc, and refuse city employee or police orders to leave.
1994 March 3, 2026 (10:52 pm)

Jake – did you see the WSB Follow Up posted March 3 stating criminal activity? Harm is being done. Self harm is happening, environmental harm, criminal activity…..Opinions differ on how to stop people from being homeless but allowing people to live like these encampments is just not right on many levels. Plus… they end up making a huge mess that costs a LOT of money to clean up after them. Roxhill Park is developing campground on the Roxbury St side. If the city kindly moved the tenters out of the park the city would not have such a giant clean up job. The longer the city allows the tenters to camp out the more garbage they acquire. One tent over there literally looks full of garbage! We have to pay to clean it up.

Marcus March 3, 2026 (6:17 am)

Unhoused people need to make certain choices to facilitate their transition to housed even if it is dormitory living. Even the mentally ill and drug addicted. When they cannot make the correct choices then society needs to step in and provide a mandatory choice. Otherwise their life will continue to decent into even greater unhealthy living conditions eventually to expire in the streets. I do not understand why people express so much compassion in their support of the street unhoused. Such misplaced compassion just facilitates the unhousd.

Mike March 3, 2026 (12:42 pm)

Marcus: I don’t think compassion is a bad thing, but I believe there’s a fundamental misunderstanding of what it means to be truly compassionate. For example: if your child is screaming demanding to stay up late on the computer and eating chips, is it compassionate to give in, or compassionate to do the hard work of adult leadership, even in the face of temporary discomfort? Letting the addicted unhoused call the shots and set the conditions in this context is not compassionate; it’s moral suicide. I have enough respect for unhoused people to believe they can improve their lives. I don’t believe that will ever happen by simply giving in to their impulses. Basic civility and personal responsibility are not unreasonable expectations IMO.

Jake March 3, 2026 (12:59 pm)

None of you are helpful and none of you give a care about the homeless with all these false analogies and meaningless hypotheticals. You’re allowed to be an addict and poor and not have to be thrown in jail. As housed people are. Being poor is not a crime. I am so disgusted with my neighbors on this.

wscommuter March 3, 2026 (7:30 pm)

What’s your solution Jake?
- k March 3, 2026 (8:25 pm)
  
  Housing first has long proven to create the stability people need to get out of homelessness and access services they need to address the domestic violence, mental health, and substance use issues when those are barriers to long-term housing stability. There is no hope of long-term stability when there is no short-term stability.
Mike March 4, 2026 (6:57 am)

Jake: please read the updated WSB story about this site cleanup before making more accusative remarks

Seventy March 5, 2026 (8:19 pm)

I do wonder if the folks running these “chop shops” are indeed unhoused? They certainly could be housed folks who just park/chop stolen vehicles on the street because they don’t want to get caught in their driveway(?) Not all unhoused people are criminals, and not all housed people are law abiding.

Sorry, comment time is over.