Showdown at the Nickelsville Corral

One of our more grotesque civic comedies is reaching its Act 2 climax this afternoon--denied a restraining order, the homeless encampment dubbed Nickelsville is expecting state police to arrive at 7 p.m. today, to evict them from their latest refuge.

Since there's no place to go--uh...go back to your homes, homeless people!--most of the Nickelsville residents are preparing to be arrested. (Yet another reason we really need to get moving on that new jail.)

A spokesperson says, "Nickelsville is asking any and all friends and supporters to arrive at 5 p.m. this evening to help them load belongings into vehicles (so they are not confiscated or destroyed during arrests) and to show their support." Nickelsville is currently located on 2nd Ave SW near West Marginal Way SW, in South Seattle.

In an earlier KING 5 story--Nickelsville is almost a year old--Mayor Greg Nickels was quoted as saying shelters are available and that people need to "follow the rules." (So much for that goddamned ownership society, huh, Greg?)

Nickelsville's "eviction" is, more than anything else, a sign of Seattle's failure to deal with the homeless as people, as citizens. Nickelsville was an opportunity for leadership, for vision, for compassion from the Mayor--a chance to demonstrate how, with a little city aid, a community could help its members get back on their feet. It might have been a model of "hands off" social service, of innovation.

Instead, TV is no doubt going to show us homeless people being arrested for pitching tents in a vacant lot. God, this shit is just humiliating, all around.

UPDATE: Nickelsville has relocated to Terminal 107 Park, at 4700 West Marginal Way SW. This 8-acre park was once the site of a Duwamish Indian village, and has 1,400 feet of pedestrian paths.