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Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Important Public Hearing Next Monday at Seattle Center

posted by on January 23 at 9:30 AM

There will be a public hearing on January 28 at Seattle Center’s Rainier Room at 6:00pm about a City proposal to expand its power to sweep up homeless encampments.

To get up-to-date on the issue, check out Real Change, which has been doing a series of reports on the new proposal.

Also check out Real Change Executive Director Tim Harris’s blog. He’s pretty fired up:

It is unacceptable to allow the work of ending homelessness to be confused with the systematic practice of eradicating the evidence. By harassing homeless campers out of the city, we only deepen their misery and decrease the odds that they will ever find the services they need.

This week, Seattle will hold the Annual One Night Homeless Count. More than 700 volunteers will fan out through the city in the middle of the night to assess whether we’re winning or losing the war.

By turning the fight against homelessness into an attack upon the homeless themselves, the Mayor has undermined the integrity of the longest-running, most sophisticated homeless count effort in the nation.

This is profoundly sad. And sadder still if he gets away with it.

RSS icon Comments

1

Harris is absolutely right - the Mayor (or should we call him Fuhrer, Duce, or Maximum Leader?) is trying to push the homeless out of sight so they can depress the numbers for the One Night Count - presumably so the City can claim some sort of progress in ending homelessness.

Next step - making it illegal to camp on public property anywhere in order to push the homeless onto private property, where they can be arrested.

Destroying the belongings of homeless people and trying to push them out of sight is a particularly shameful policy from a particularly shameless elected official.


Posted by Mr. X | January 23, 2008 10:03 AM
2

I wish Seattle would wake up and do more to get rid of all the homeless/panhandlers, especially in the U-district. I hope they really crack down and get these people out of the city.

One of the first things we could do is close the food shelters, but the best thing that could happen would be for people to STOP GIVING MONEY TO WELL-DRESSED BEGGARS! I'm sick of seeing these "voluntary homeless" kids on the Ave near UW who have cd players, cell phones, iponds, whatever, and signs asking for "$ for weed dude."

People, you are all being played for suckers.

Posted by Kire | January 23, 2008 11:35 AM
3

I'm doubtful that anything important will ever happen at the Seattle Center. Or Seattle, for that matter.

Posted by Boomer in NYC | January 23, 2008 12:40 PM
4

we should house the homeless in apartments in SODO

Posted by Bellevue Ave | January 23, 2008 3:29 PM
5

Finally, some news of the homeless encampness sweeps. I've been waiting and waiting. XXX000.

Posted by earwig | January 23, 2008 8:04 PM
6

*encampMENT*

Posted by earwig | January 23, 2008 8:05 PM

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