Washblog || Highland Park in the News again; heard about Nickelsville?

Highland Park in the News again; heard about Nickelsville?

By dinazina
Wed Sep 24, 2008 at 08:08:39 PM PST
Section: Diary Topic: Economic Justice

My little neighborhood in West Seattle, near the city line, is the mouse that got up and roared when the City proposed two sites next to us for a new city jail. That's ongoing.

Now we've got a new controversy; one of the very sites we're fighting over has suddenly taken over by homeless activists calling their tent city "Nickelsville' in honor of the Mayor's seemingly tepid concern for the homeless.

Our Chair, Dorsol Plants, works for a homeless shelter, thus his initial reaction was one of sympathy. He invited Tent City reps to speak to our neighborhood meeting that very evening:
Highland park Sept 22 meeting
Video clip

Yesterday some of us visited Tent City; pictures and report below:

The Tent City is at the upper "X" on the map below, created by me.

Since the the diaries I wrote back in June (NO JAIL: Neighbors Opposing Jail At Inappropriate Location) our group aced a second Seattle public forum (lots of video clips). We arranged meetings with every other neighborhood group and with all the City Councilmembers, who seem to respect us a lot more now. In fact they seem to be on our side. The Mayor, that's another story.

The major newspapers also ignored us, even though we sent them letters, press releases and such. Seems now the Highland Park jail proposals are the news again because of Tent City.

After the appearance at our meeting, we paid the homeless group a visit:
Highland Park Neighbors visit Tent City (lots of pictures)

It was very amicable. This is me with Tex from Tent City.

This is my husband Blair (right) with Jason, who tells us he was once a businessman and now works with the Veterans' Action Coalition, which advocates for homeless vets. He said anyone who isn't a good neighbor in Tent City is not allowed to stay.

If not for our Chair, I might've been a lot more uncomfortable with this situation. His leadership in stating solidarity with Tent City spurred many of us to follow, but plenty of our neighbors, we figure, do not want our e-board to speak for them. I sent the link to West Seattle blog, which has a huge readership. I hope the report might lessen my neighbors' fears and suspicions.

The showdown is tomorrow, Seattle's deadline. The City says they will sweep up the stubborn homeless people determined to make a point.

Nickelsville defying Seattle deadline to move

SEATTLE -- Organizers of a homeless encampment called Nickelsville, in a dig at Mayor Greg Nickels, say they will ignore the city's order to pack up their pink tents and vacate the property.
More than 150 of the tents went up before dawn Monday in an industrial area of south Seattle as a modern-day Hooverville to dramatize the lack of low-cost housing.
City crews posted a 72-hour notice to vacate the property late Monday.

Here was our e-board's letter to the Mayor:

Dear Mayor Nickels,
On September 22, the Highland Park Action Committee held our regularly scheduled monthly meeting.
We had speakers from the White Center Community Development Association discussing some of the great things happening in that part of the neighborhood; we discussed our upcoming Halloween party for the little ones in our area; we had our usual crime report from one of our outstanding local police officers.
We also had two representatives from "Nickelsville". We were all taken by surprise when this well organized group of homeless folks created this large tent city in our neighborhood, seemingly overnight.
Many of us are frightened or at least very concerned when we see those people who live on the fringes of society. They often don't look like us or live like us, and it is sometimes difficult to understand why.
People wonder if have they fallen on hard times, or is this just a lifestyle choice for them. Perhaps they have substance abuse issues or they suffer with mental problems. Maybe they are just one of the thousands suffering through the terrible economic crisis that our country is going through right now, where a minimum wage job can barely allow an individual enough to pay rent, let alone thrive. Many among us are one or two paychecks away from this fate.
At first glance we may be happy to see some shabby old, housing project torn town and replaced by some bright, shiny new condos. But then we think, "Were did all of those people go?" We see some of them now living "off the grid" under the freeway or in the greenbelt. Anywhere they can survive for a while before the police remove them.
Mayor Nickels, many of us voted for you, and support many of the things you stand for. We are proud to live in a city that is recognized around the world as being not only beautiful, but also modern and forward thinking. But we feel that you have failed to truly step up and solve this terrible situation.
When the city tears down several low-income homes and replaces it with
only one, it's obvious that we are going to have problems.
When politicians say that we have sufficient social services to take care of everyone, but then you speak to a person on the street who says that they have been turned away from 5 shelters because there are no more beds available, something doesn't add up.
Forcibly removing these individuals from Nickelsville will not solve the problem. They have few options and will probably just end up back under the freeway or hiding out in the greenbelt.
The Highland Park Action Committee feels that the city has the resources to help these people if they are willing to take serious action. A short-term solution may be to start with a task force to immediately identify unused buildings and arrange tax incentives for the owners if they agree to allow people a temporary place to stay.
I'm sure we all must agree that although Nickelsville may be our current solution to the problem, it is not the best one. These are human beings that at the very least need a simple roof over their head to shelter them from the elements.
Whatever you do, it needs action now. Winter is coming and people should not have to freeze to death on the street or barely survive in a tiny pink tent.
Sincerely,
The Highland Park Action Committee

In doing some research, I found this story from yesterday:
Shelter for homeless vets to receive $2 million

"Sen. Patty Murray says that a new $2 million grant from the Department of Veteran Affairs will provide money for a new shelter that will serve homeless veterans in King County."

Hmm. $2 million pays for only 58 beds? Doesn't seem like a lot, does it?

< On Crying Wolf, Or, Why I Don't Want To Give You $700 Billion | Universal Coverage Is only the Start >

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Highland Park in the News again; heard about Nickelsville? | 30 comments (30 topical)

Great to See

I have been getting notices from Real Change when these actions are planned. It's part of a series of campouts regarding the Mayor's homeless encampment sweeps. The previous events were on the steps of City Hall.

It made me quite nervous when folks decided to take this out to three neighborhoods: north, south and Mercer Island. I think they are showing that, while most of us can ignore the camping under the freeway and governments can sweep folks out periodically, the likes of 'Hoovervilles' are a real possibility in all of our communities.

But it still made me nervous. How will neighbors respond? Unlike the successful tent city in my neighborhood which had tons of advance work done, this encampment just "shows up'.

Thanks for this report, Dina. Your neighborhood is full of true stars. And kudos to the organizers for making sure to interact with you all.

by ktkeller on Wed Sep 24, 2008 at 08:42:01 PM PST

* 1 none 0 *

Thanks very much by dinazina, 09/24/2008 09:13:05 PM PST (none / 0)
Nicklesville neighborhood and planning by Cherisse, 09/26/2008 12:02:31 AM PST (none / 0)

A little $ comparison with new WA prison beds

Everywhere I've lived I've seen the homeless chased from place to place. I saw it in the Lower East Side in NY the early 90s and it's never let up here in Seattle. The likelihood is we'll be seeing more of this. Good for Real Change and other organizers to get this going.

In contrast to $2million for 58 beds for the homeless, here's some data from capital appropriations just signed by the Governor. I pulled these out quickly -- they're just a portion of the total capital costs for corrections passed last session:

House Bill 2765. Supplemental Capital Appropriations 2008

$39 million for 100 intensive management beds at Monroe Correctional Complex.
$154 million for a close security compound at Walla Walla, # of beds unknown.

House Bill 1092. Capital Appropriations for 2007/2008

$6 million for 100 medium security beds at Cedar Creek
$3 million for 80 beds at Larch Corrections
$3.4 million for 120 beds at Mission Creek
$7 million for minimum security beds statewide (number not specified)
$134 million to construct a "close security" complex on the south side of WA State Penitentiary in Walla Wall -- # of beds unspecified.
$6.6 million for 100 beds for women at Mission Creek
$31 million for 300 minimum security beds at WA State Penitentiary in Monroe.

by noemie maxwell on Thu Sep 25, 2008 at 10:19:14 AM PST

* 3 none 0 *

That's disgusting by Pen, 10/31/2008 11:00:56 AM PST (none / 0)

Action items: What you can do to help

This email was sent out by the Nicklesville organizers tonight. Please take action.

It was a great day at Nickelsville Thursday, September 25, 2008 9:13 PM
We saw a remarkable outpouring of community support. A number of structures were constructed, both community buildings and housing. We're up to over 110 residents. The police have not arrived.
A range of people from well known public figures to concerned citizens have encouraged the mayor to back off his threats and think through how we positively deal with our homeless bretheren. The state government has been mislead by the mayor about the situation and is investigating to understand what is really going on.
What we need from our supporters now:

After the sun rises, we need you at Nickelsville as soon as possible.

Call Governor Gregoire and encourage her to tell Mayor Nickels there is a better way to deal with homelessness.

Call the Mayor and ask him to reconsider his position on Nickelsville.

Contact Information
Mayor Greg Nickels
(206) 684-4000
greg.nickels@seattle.gov
Governor Gregoire
(360) 902-4111
govcommoffice@gov.wa.gov

by Cherisse on Thu Sep 25, 2008 at 10:05:43 PM PST

* 4 none 0 *

Thanks

for recommending this, everyone.

by dinazina on Thu Sep 25, 2008 at 10:14:05 PM PST

* 5 none 0 *

Gov. gets involved

In the past hour or so Seattle has moved in to evict the people and arrests are being made. Many Nicklesville residents have moved to some State owned land next door. Gov. Gregoire has said that they can stay on the State land for 5-7 days. See NWCN story here.

It is troubling to me is that Seattle Mayor Greg Nickles and his spokespeople keep saying there are shelter beds available for everyone in Nickelsville. Sure there are, but then the person who was in that shelter bed last night will be displaced tonight. The shelters are simply full and people get turned away every night. The only immediate solution is more shelter beds.

by Cherisse on Fri Sep 26, 2008 at 02:05:59 PM PST

* 7 none 0 *

Build Campgrounds? by ktkeller, 09/26/2008 03:16:45 PM PST (none / 0)

the best thing to do immediately is....... by Cherisse, 09/26/2008 04:51:24 PM PST (none / 0)

OK What is the Deal

with the votes that homeless people are mostly criminals and nut jobs? I hope maybe it was just a cynical joking reflection of 'what most people' think, but I have been kind of stewing over this since I saw the votes.

I'm not going to tell you about the caliber of individual people who happened to not have a home of thier own who had to live in my spare room or folks from whom I bought Real Change from or with whom I worked for Kucinich in 2004.

The problem here is that being without a home is a condition, it's not a class for which values can be quantified or generalized. That is about as useful today as quantifying the 'middle class'.

All I can say is understand the theory of hierarchy of needs. We say this country is supposed to provide the means to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Well, basic needs needs (home, healthcare, food) to be met to provide the basis for life. Liberty, to me requires education, and the ability to get past incarceration. Pursuit of happiness, well part of that basis needs to be set by undoing some of the damage done by, for example, the experience of being in a war.

All high sounding ideals about how to refashion our world. The bad news is that we are fixing the damage done for years by a govenment that believes in privatizing profit and socializing responsibility. We are trying to deal with these broad issues, and know that the big picture needs to change to shift the terrain to where the government works for the public good.

The hard news is that, while many of us try to avoid getting so obsessed with keeping our finger in the dike (and are horrified by watching many people get rich running non-profit programs) we need to still support real solutions for real people.

Why not self-governed tent cities or shanty towns on government land? Why is that any different than co-housing as a governance process, other than the turnover and the fact that it is public land? Well, development and up-zoning in this town has driven up property values to the point where maybe land needs to be allocated to a number of levels of need, including some transitional self-managed 'get back on your feet' entity. This city seems to be doing really well at allocating public land for developments with an extremely few units targetted at low income and doing excellently at tax incentives for housing for people making 50K a year...

by ktkeller on Sun Sep 28, 2008 at 12:18:20 AM PST

* 10 none 0 *

Well said kt. by dinazina, 09/28/2008 09:57:04 AM PST (none / 0)

history of somewhat similar actions working here by Cherisse, 09/28/2008 01:08:28 PM PST (none / 0)

Good examples from local history -- thanks n/t by noemie maxwell, 09/28/2008 08:45:06 PM PST (none / 0)

KING TV reports the truth, not enough shelter beds

A lot of the other MSM simply bought into the Seattle Mayor and his people saying there were shelter beds available for all of the Nickelsville residents on the day they evicted the encampament, but KING reports the truth here.

The mayor's spokesman promised all of them a shelter bed.
"There wasn't enough shelter for the people seeking shelter, as far as Operation Nightwatch was concerned, we had people turned away," said Rev. Rick Reynolds, who runs Operation Nightwatch.
The organization dispatches homeless people to shelters around the city.
Reynolds says Friday night there were not enough beds in Seattle. Ironically, Nightwatch directed some homeless people back to Nickelsville to sleep.

by Cherisse on Sun Sep 28, 2008 at 08:24:24 AM PST

* 11 none 0 *

They don't need "shelter" by chadlupkes, 10/21/2008 03:36:55 PM PST (none / 0)

And Here is How We Get Homes by ktkeller, 10/21/2008 04:45:05 PM PST (none / 0)
big problem by Cherisse, 10/21/2008 08:09:31 PM PST (none / 0)

I DO Agree on the Emergency Nature by ktkeller, 10/21/2008 10:45:57 PM PST (none / 0)

And This is What Our Mayor Does by ktkeller, 10/21/2008 11:13:35 PM PST (none / 0)

KOMO4: Seattle to Nickelsville: Get out or pay

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/30611169.html

'David Bloom, a member of the Interfaith Task Force on Homelessness, is one of almost a dozen individuals being held personally responsible. He could face a fine of $150 per day if Nickelsville residents don't move out.

Blooms said he has been trying to reach a resolution with the city for months to no avail.

"We have been over the many many months," he said. "We've been trying to engage the city in dialogue. The mayor will not talk."'

by ktkeller on Wed Oct 08, 2008 at 01:59:23 AM PST

* 15 none 0 *

Thanks.... by dinazina, 10/14/2008 08:38:37 PM PST (none / 0)

I Hope we all know what we need to do.... by ktkeller, 10/15/2008 01:07:11 PM PST (none / 0)

We need to start looking for someone immediately by Pen, 10/31/2008 11:09:42 AM PST (none / 0)

I Actually Met Someone the Other Day by ktkeller, 10/31/2008 07:12:27 PM PST (none / 0)

Too bad I don't know Bill Gates by Pen, 10/31/2008 08:11:58 PM PST (none / 0)

Bill? by ktkeller, 10/31/2008 10:02:42 PM PST (none / 0)

First I've heard Bill Gates described THAT way by Pen, 11/03/2008 10:53:05 PM PST (none / 0)

Check out Washtech also my own experience by ktkeller, 11/04/2008 12:10:24 PM PST (none / 0)

Yes, it's too bad they bailed out by Pen, 11/04/2008 01:50:01 PM PST (none / 0)

Highland Park in the News again; heard about Nickelsville? | 30 comments (30 topical)

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