Latest Chinatown Encampment
Oh boy, here we go again. Dearborn St. continues to be a hot spot for pop up encampments. On one side, you have multiple tents and structures on Washington State Dept. of Transportation (@wsdot) property. On the other, rows of RV’s and piles of wooden pallets now being constructed into shelters. There’s also tons of trash and needles piling up everywhere. Open air drug use remains out of control.
I’ve been to sweeps in this hood at least a dozen times in the past year. Thursday evening, I recognized some of the same homies. Some new faces, but mostly veterans like Tong and Yung. Some folks have been placed into hotel rooms and are making solid progress. But they still come back to hang out with their community. The #CID also puts a spotlight on Asian American homelessness, rarely ever seen on the streets.
No idea if the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (@kingcorha) is aware of what’s going on here. Former KCRHA CEO Marc Dones touted the success of the 10th and Dearborn removal under the WSDOT clover leaf/”Jungle” last year, especially since more than 70 people got off the streets. But the homeless crisis continues in this hood and the plan to address this remains unclear.
Meanwhile, Councilmember Tammy Morales (@CMTammyMorales) is so overwhelmed with these problems in her district, she just ignores the pleas from neighbors and business owners who want this all cleaned up. By the way, Mariners (@mainers) fans usually park on King St and Dearborn St, grab a bite, then just walk to T-Mobile Park (@tmobilepark) which is minutes away. But others coming for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game (@mlb) in a couple weeks might want to reconsider if this is all still here in the #CID. Just saying.
Back in March
After the King St sweep, lots of guys just scattered to other parts of #Chinatown-ID, like Tong. This guy is a survivor. I have known him now for more than two years. He insists on staying in this community and has rejected help.
Scatter City
Along with King St, WSDOT also cleared the crazy encampment on Jackson St. Once again, lots of folks just scattered and started new encampments.
King Street Sweep
This all went down in March. For the most part, the homeless have not returned to King St because WSDOT is keeping the fencing up for now. Only thing that works in #Seattle. Invest in steel stocks.
Jackson Street Sweep
Again, all happening simultaneously with the King St removal in March. WSDOT finally moved in after months of fires, a meth lab explosion, drug overdoses, and a spike in crime. #Seattle