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An update on Seattle:
Activists from Cal Anderson Community are occupying a vacant building while facing the sweep at cal Anderson park & demanding a stop to sweeps and housing for all
Facing an eviction notice for 7:30 am Wednesday morning, dozens of housed and unhoused
An update on Seattle:
Activists from Cal Anderson Community are occupying a vacant building while facing the sweep at cal Anderson park & demanding a stop to sweeps and housing for all
Facing an eviction notice for 7:30 am Wednesday morning, dozens of housed and unhoused
activists occupied a vacant house at 1006 East Denny. At 2:30 pm Wednesday, these members of the community, which has formed over the past six months around Black Lives Matter and homeless advocacy, dropped a banner stating "Housing Is a Human Right!"
"They're trying to evict us... Where do they expect us to go?" lamented one houseless activist. "This has been as close to a home as I've had in years. There aren't enough shelter beds in the City for people like us, it's cold out, & it's almost Christmas. But there are thousands
of empty spaces-- why won't they open them up to us?"
The activist's demands are clear: Stop the sweeps, and guarantee housing for all.
"So many people don't want to stay in shelters because of past trauma, or because they're high-barrier or accept only youth or women," said
The activist's demands are clear: Stop the sweeps, and guarantee housing for all.
"So many people don't want to stay in shelters because of past trauma, or because they're high-barrier or accept only youth or women," said
one activist, a social worker who works with the houseless community. "We need to provide places where people can live independently, get back on their feet, access services, & be treated like the human beings that they are.
"The Housing First model works," the activist continued
"The Housing First model works," the activist continued
"We've seen it in academic research and in real-life cases. It's more cost-effective, it's better for long-term recovery, and it's the only intervention that's a real solution, not a Band-aid."
Seattle's shelter beds have been historically inadequate to meet the needs of
Seattle's shelter beds have been historically inadequate to meet the needs of
the Homeless State of Emergency declared by King County in 2015. Since the beginning of the pandemic, shelters have had to reduce capacity to meet social distancing requirements. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention's guidelines urge cities to allow homeless encampments
when other housing options are not available, and to instead install handwashing stations and portable toilets to improve santiatio. Further, the guidelines state, "Clearing encampments can cause people to disperse throughout the community and break connections with service
providers. This increases the potential for infectious disease spread."
Although a Point-in-Time count has not been performed since January, it is estimated that many people have become newly homeless since the start of the pandemic. Many more are facing homelessness imminently
Although a Point-in-Time count has not been performed since January, it is estimated that many people have become newly homeless since the start of the pandemic. Many more are facing homelessness imminently
when the eviction moratorium lifts on New Year's Day. One houseless activist pointed out the injustices of City's wealth gap: "We have some of the richest people in the world living here [in King County]. The fact that so many of us are forced out of our homes and into the
streets shows a massive failure by our elected leadership to fight for justice for all people, not just the wealthy."
The activists plan to occupy the space as long as possible: "There are so many vacant spaces," one housed activist explained. "There is no reason that so many
The activists plan to occupy the space as long as possible: "There are so many vacant spaces," one housed activist explained. "There is no reason that so many
people should be unsheltered, night after night, when everything we need is already there. We just need the people we voted into power to do the right thing."
As of this tweet, police have not yet swept Cal Anderson Park.
As of this tweet, police have not yet swept Cal Anderson Park.
