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Burien Strengthens Public Camping Ordinance

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In a 5-2 vote Monday evening, the Burien City Council strengthened it’s public camping ordinance. Homeless now have to stay 500 ft away from libraries, schools, daycares, parks, and other “critical areas.” It goes into effect immediately.

Mayor Kevin Schilling-Yes

Deputy Mayor Stephanie Mora-Yes

CM Jimmy Matta-Yes

CM Alex Andrade-Yes

CM Linda Akey-Yes

CM Hugo Garcia-No

CM Sarah Moore-No

During Monday’s night’s Burien council meeting, I noticed several homeless guys making tons of noise in the bathroom. When I went inside, I saw a bowl of Cheerios and drug paraphernalia scattered across the sink area. Then I realized it was Austin, a young man I encountered last year.

During Monday night’s Burien council meeting, a young homeless woman by the name of “Marina” went up and shared public testimony. But afterwards, I realized it was actually Lauren Stuns, a young woman recently interviewed by police in a homicide investigation. I have included the police report in this thread. Unclear why Stuns gave a false name but she was sitting with former Burien councilmember Cydney Moore’s crew. Sources say Stuns recently relapsed with drugs and is now living on the streets. Family members are taking care of her child. Prior to all this, Stuns was staying at Oasis Home Church before the backyard encampment closed last month. After she spoke, I saw Stuns again outside the men’s bathroom where she gave me the middle finger totally unprovoked. Bizarre interaction. *Sorry about grainy video, it was taken directly from the city live stream.

Authorities say Nathaniel Scott stabbed Robert Thomas multiple times under the 146th Street bridge in December 2023 and left him to die. Stuns with allegedly with Scott during this time.

Jonathan Choe

Journalist and Senior Fellow, Center on Wealth and Poverty
Jonathan Choe is a journalist and Senior Fellow with Discovery Institute's Center on Wealth and Poverty, covering homelessness issues for its Fix Homelessness initiative. Prior to joining Discovery, Choe spent several years as one of the lead reporters at KOMO-TV, consistently the top rated television station in Seattle. His in depth stories on crime and deep dive investigations into the homeless crisis led to measurable results in the community, including changes in public policy. Choe has more than two decades of experience in television news behind the scenes and in front of the camera for ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, and Tribune. He has also been nominated and honored with multiple industry awards including an Emmy. Choe spent several years teaching classes on emerging media and entrepreneurship to under privileged youth in inner city Chicago. As an independent journalist, Choe also contributes regularly to the Mill Creek View and Lynnwood Times and has reported on exclusive stories in the past year for Daily Wire and The Postmillennial.