Today, SPD conducted yet another sweep of a houseless encampment in Seattle’s Chinatown/International District. It was bad. Thread below on what happened ⬇️⬇️⬇️
Approximately 50 cops showed up around 8 am, about an hour before the official time according to the city’s notice.
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For reference, the CDC has recommended that sweeps do *not* take place, especially when there is a shortage of shelter and housing options.
Seattle has been in a housing crisis for years and our shelters are at capacity.
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Cops refused to answer our questions regarding how unhoused folks were going to get connected to shelters and social services.
We later found out that there were zero social workers present as part of the Nav team. Social workers from REACH were kicked out of the barricade.
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Several cops did not have on masks. Others failed to wear them properly, keeping them under their chins instead of fully covering their mouths and noses.
As a reminder, King County is requiring all individuals who are outside to wear a mask to keep others safe. Are cops exempt?
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Community members brought masks, gloves, sanitizer, and plastic bags to help people move their belongings. We were prohibited from helping people move or distribute said supplies.
Cops refused to hand out these supplies. We handed out supplies once folks had left the barricade.
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Community members who were helping houseless folks collect and move their belongings were forced to leave. Some were touched forcefully and physically by cops.
Cops began refusing houseless folks back through the barricade to collect the rest of their belongings.
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We were told that people’s belongings would be taken in a storage van to a warehouse and that folks would be able to get a photo and receipt to later claim their things.
Instead, a dump truck showed up, and people’s belongings were thrown away haphazardly.
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Today was a cruel reminder that this city views houseless people as vermin, as less than human.
I’m glad to have elders and community members like show up and lead by example.
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I’m glad to have people like @calvinrjones show up and do what they could to support. (If I’m missing anybody, apologies! Too many people in too little time.)
It was a cold and wet several hours, and we’re miserable and infuriated.
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But it’s important for us to show up and be in community with our unhoused neighbors & friends—every single time, for as long as it takes.
We need to replace cops with social workers. We need to get houseless folks connected to social services, mental health professionals.
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Instead of wasting our money on sweeps, we need to be investing in social housing with wraparound services. We need to be funding housing providers and shelters.
Communities/orgs like the CID Coalition & PARISOL, , do their best, but they need help.
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We are in the midst of a public health crisis, a global pandemic. This city needs to care less about its image and vision of gentrification and more about the vulnerable people & communities that call this place home.
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A short video of guys cleaning up what appears to be trash doesn’t sell me on a wrong being perpetrated.
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