Home › Forums › Open Discussion › RVs camping next to Riverview park (and in parking lot)
- This topic has 17 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 7 years, 7 months ago by JoB.
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October 30, 2017 at 11:28 am #899211
PangolinPieParticipantThere are now three RVs parked alongside the Riverview playfield, and there was one in the parking lot overnight. I feel for the homeless, but I also feel for the people who live nearby and whose kids play there. It’s depressing as hell to see this starting to happen in my neighborhood. I’m sure people will accuse me of being a NIMBY…and you’re right. I’ve seen the piles of trash, the needles, the sewage – I actually don’t want that in my back yard. :(
November 1, 2017 at 12:08 am #899401
JanSParticipantfunny you should bring up back yards. Rex Hohlbein of Facing Homelessness is utilizing just those very things. Here’s the story. http://www.king5.com/news/local/block-project-calls-on-residents-to-house-homeless-in-backyards/431369585
That was before the first house was actually finished. It’s now done, and a man named Bob, 75 years old, who had been homeless for at least 10 years, now lives there. Another man, to show an example to hid daughter, just donated $35,000 to build another for someone else. We need to remember that not all homeless people are drug using bums, carrying disease, etc, bringing crime to neighborhoods.. I live above Harbor Ave. Where there are plenty of RV’s parked. I don’t see piles of trash, etc, and if I didn’t know that these were homeless people, the RVs look like any other parked on any street. When people say they don’t want “these people” in their neighborhoods, I tend to ask….where do you want them? I only get stories of what people would like to see, not what is reality now. Sigh.
facinghomelessness.com
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/oct/11/seattle-homelessness-backyard-tiny-home-block-projectNovember 1, 2017 at 6:41 am #899409
anonymeParticipantPP, I think your concern is justified, especially given the location of these RV’s. If being an observant and responsible citizen makes you a NIMBY, count me in…
November 1, 2017 at 8:17 am #899416
JoBParticipantwhere would you like them to park?
if we demand safe parking spaces with services for people living in RVs.. we will get them.November 1, 2017 at 8:51 am #899418
PangolinPieParticipantYes, please, safe parking spaces with cleanup services and waste disposal! I used to live close to the Nickelsville camp and I never had any problem with it at all. It’s not the best solution, but it’s better than nothing. But I do believe it would be better to keep them all together, not scattered around the city, and definitely not in parks where kids play. When the RVs on Myers Way were allowed to stay, they generated huge amounts of trash, human waste, and needles. You can see the same thing everywhere around the city. You’re cool with that next to the soccer fields and playground? I’m really not.
November 1, 2017 at 12:23 pm #899438
JoBParticipantyet there are other places where rv communities have settled that are not waste dumps with needles..
keeping them away from parks is a problem because they need to be where they can access clean water and restrooms…
maybe a visit from neighbors to see if and how you can support them keeping the area safe for everyone? or if not.. they are in the perpetually moving game.. which may spread the “wealth” around but doesn’t give them any incentive to work to build a safe community.
November 2, 2017 at 8:53 am #899524
PangolinPieParticipantTruly, I don’t want to visit them to work with them for safety; I want them to leave before it becomes an encampment. Did you see the post today here on WSB about the sweeps? Did you see how many tons of human and rodent waste, needles and trash were removed? Would you like to see figures on how much crime comes along with an encampment? Is it ok that I don’t want that at the park by my house? Believe me, I am the one of the most liberal people I know, but this is where I draw the line. I will 100% support an RV safe space in industrial areas, but NOT in residential neighborhoods.
Something to think about:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/inthe206/November 2, 2017 at 9:27 am #899528
PangolinPieParticipantHere’s another story you should read.
This is from someone who deals with encampments all the time. (I think it may be the person who took the photos in the link in my last comment.)
An excerpt:
“Someone here with two years of camps all around my workplace. I don’t believe this can be boiled down to pros and cons, but I can relate my experience. When the camps are running in the neighborhood, we have an immediate increase in visible trash all over the neighborhood. Not just in the camps themselves, but throughout the entire area. Some places are literally just dumping grounds; other places people camp for a week or so, trash the area, and leave the mess. There is an immediate uptick in graffiti, vandalism, and smash-n-grabs. Broken glass on the streets from car prowls. Bike theft. Needles on the ground. Human waste everywhere – sidewalks, parking strips, you name it….As I have a birds-eye view into one of the larger camps under 5, I can see what is going on there, day in and day out. What I see up there are white, mostly male, mostly young, people with severe drug addictions, preying on one another, vandalizing everything in site, shooting up, smoking meth, and building shanties.”So, yes; am I reacting strongly to this? You bet I am. I’m terrified. I normally hate the slippery-slope argument, but Seattle is turning into one big slippery slope.
November 2, 2017 at 5:46 pm #899589
JoBParticipanti don’t think this has a lot to do with being liberal.
i have met a lot of car campers. Some of them are people just like you and me who for some reason lost their housing.
some of them have mental health and substance abuse problems.
until you have met them you don’t know which you are dealing with.we have had both at an empty house across my alley where the owner is in extended care.
while i helped both the young couple and the older couple…
both were there off and on for a few months…i jsut recently helped the caretaker get rid of the group that was using a camper as a drug site.. and am working with the caretaker to get rid of whoever is breaking into the garage at night.
i don’t want criminals across my back fence either…
but i think we need to find out who and what we are dealing with before we make assumptions about them.November 6, 2017 at 2:28 pm #900029
PangolinPieParticipantNovember 6, 2017 at 6:13 pm #900041
JoBParticipantPangolinPie..
should i make assumptions about you because you just want them gone.. anywhere.. you don’t care where.. as long as they aren’t next to your park?
You wouldn’t like that much.. would you? .. because.. you aren’t that person.
It’s possible they aren’t either.
I don’t know.. i meant to stop by there this afternoon but by the time i was on my way home i was simply too exhausted to do so… I will try to do so tomorrow…
and for those who worry ..
i will take a homeless person with me… for credibility if nothing else.if i learn anything useful i will let you know.
in the meantime if you see any evidence of unlawful behavior.. call the police.
November 7, 2017 at 2:56 pm #900110
JoBParticipanti did drive by riverview today. both vehicles that are still there are tagged. i have met the woman who lives .. or lived.. in the minivan and as far as i know she was just disabled and couldn’t get housing. i don’t know the people in the other RV and did not get to meet them today but the RV is clean and the area is tidy…
no matter. they will be gone one way or another. if the vehicles can no longer be driven they will be impounded … and if they can.. well they will be someone else’s “problem” soon enough.
i have to go back out in a bit to mail my ballot and will stop by again to see when they have to be gone and if they need assistance leaving.
- This reply was modified 7 years, 7 months ago by JoB.
November 7, 2017 at 4:08 pm #900141
PangolinPieParticipantWow, JoB; you’re by far a better person than me. Thanks for getting involved. I would have been far too nervous to approach those folks. I admire your loving spirit.
November 7, 2017 at 5:21 pm #900143
JoBParticipanti stopped by this afternoon around 4:30 and knocked but although i think someone was in there no-one answered.
I checked their tag.. and i think they have till tomorrow so they may just be staying until they have to go. i will try to stop by again in the morning…. when i have someone who can go with me..
i don’t make house calls alone any more…
November 8, 2017 at 11:21 am #900235
JoBParticipanti made another stop at about 10:30 this morning. they are either not home or not answering..
they have one more day before being towed so i will try one last time later today if i can.i hope this doesn’t end with a tow.. i hate to see homeless people made even more homeless.
November 8, 2017 at 11:39 am #900236
PangolinPieParticipantWell, if they’re “camping” there then I do believe they should skedaddle, and if they don’t, they should be towed. They’re clearly ignoring the warnings. That said, I’m sure your continuing caring and compassion are appreciated and I hope you get a moment to let them know that they’re being monitored. If they’re just nice folks with nowhere else to go (hmm) then they should understand that moving will be to their benefit.
November 9, 2017 at 7:14 am #900330
JoBParticipantthey have until today to move..
and if was them and just stopped and could move my vehicle i would probably ride out the time limit before i had to move.
i jsut hope their vehicle(s) can move because if not they will literally be on our streets… as they will be impounded.
moving them down the hill into a tent isn’t going to improve the situation if they are drug users.November 9, 2017 at 2:54 pm #900390
JoBParticipantI can’t speak for the other RVs that were parked at the park.. but I spoke with Gloria today.
She was one of your neighbors until she got sick, ended up in the hospital with double pneumonia, trashed her credit because she couldn’t pay her medical bills and lost her housing because her house was sold.
Her trashed credit prevented her from renting an apartment so she bought the RV and is looking for a piece of land to park it on. The minivan, the RV and a blue pickup are hers..
She is likely to be in your neighborhood for a while.. until she can find a safe and legal place to park .. it’s where her support system is.. so if you see her stop and say hello.
if you know of a safe place for her to park or someone who would be willing to rent to someone with trashed credit from medical bills.. please let her know.
Sadly, Gloria is the new face of homelessness.. someone who managed to make it with somewhat limited resources until illness and the resulting bills took away her ability to remain housed.
If we can’t find some kind of solution we are going to see more of our neighbors on the street.. doing the best they can to stay alive and find a way to make it work.
an RV is only a step up from a tent.. but for the person living in it.. it’s a big step.
- This reply was modified 7 years, 7 months ago by JoB.
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