A man was assaulted in the U District when he refused to give a group of assailants his pizza.
A man was assaulted in the U District when he refused to give a group of assailants his pizza.
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.
WSDOT is giving Nickelsville three days' notice to move the camp from its current location at Second and W. Marginal Way. According to the Nickelsville website (yes, they have one), the move followed action by the city government against the state. In a message yesterday, the operators of the website stated, "Nickelsville remains determined to remain until another permanent site is secured."
63 percent of the University Congregational United Church of Christ voted to open their hearts and their parking lot--at 15th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 45th Street--to the roaming homeless encampment known as Nickelsville.
Nickelsville has moved for the third time in about as many weeks, this time setting up camp in the University District. The homeless encampment has moved from Discovery Park to a parking lot owned by the University Christian Church on 15th Avenue Northeast. Organizers are hopeful this will become a more permanent home for the encampment, but as with the camp's previous incarnations, the city most likely has other plans for Nickelsville. Plans which seem to involve forcing the camp to move week by week to opposite ends of the city, with the constant threat of arrest for campers and organizers, despite the fact the city has no better housing option for residents.
The Seattle Police Department gave residents of Nickelsville a 20-minute warning at 12:15 p.m. to vacate their encampment or face arrest. As of 12:35 p.m., the homeless residents of Nickelsville were officially considered criminal trespassers and subject to arrest. According to reports, some campers have chosen to follow orders while others have decided to stay and face charges. Sadly, at least those who stay at Nickelsville against orders are more likely to have a roof over their head tonight in jail than those who chose to comply.
Under the cover of darkness and secrecy, a Seattle homeless encampment named "Nickelsville" in mockery of Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels moved to a new location early this morning. The residents of the new Nickelsville pitched 155 neon pink tents in a field off West Marginal Way. The residents of Nickelsville hope the encampment can become a permanent location for their tent town, while Mayor Nickels says that like any illegal encampment in the city, Nickelsville faces ousting by police in 72 hours. It would seem Mayor Nickels is trying especially hard to live up to the honor of the shantytown being named after him. While he's eager to get rid of homeless encampments with the explanation that it's not proper housing, he doesn't seem to have any bright ideas or funding for finding an answer that helps Seattle's homeless population now rather than the far-off future. It's raining now, Greg.