The road to Murraysville: Seattle’s homeless crisis
Jan 30, 2016, 10:40 PM | Updated: Feb 1, 2016, 9:59 am
In addition to tent cities, Seattle's homeless crisis is evident with illegal encampments, roadside RV campers, and people sleeping on sidewalks throughout the city. (KIRO Radio file photo)
(KIRO Radio file photo)
While “Murraysville” is a relatively new moniker that borrows the name of Seattle Mayor Ed Murray to describe the dilapidated state of areas affected by homelessness, the problem has been growing for decades across several mayoral administrations.
Nickelsville
Nickelsville bears the name of former Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels who led the city from 2002-10. The name, however, was not used in honor of the man. Initially, Seattle’s homeless community banded together in approximately 150 — donated — fuchsia-colored tents to draw attention to the city’s approach to homelessness.
The name was a riff off of “Hooverville” which was given to shanty towns and homeless encampments during President Herbert Hoover’s administration — amid the Great Depression. In 2008, the City of Seattle began sweeping through homeless camps, pushing people out. Homeless advocates demanded more services for the issue. Nickelsville began as a protest to draw attention to the issue. Homeless people set up the fuchsia camp on city land in West Seattle.
Within days, the city cleared the encampment. Nickelsville was resurrected in various forms with the help of local churches. But in 2013, during Mayor Mike McGinn’s administration, Nickelsville moved into three authorized sites — in Ballard; 1010 South Dearborn Street; and 22nd Avenue and Union Street. Today they operate as self-regulated camps.
The McGinn era
Anyone living in Seattle can testify that tents are not the only visible sign that homelessness has increased in Seattle over the years. RVs and other vehicles have lined many Seattle streets, particularly in industrial areas. The roadside campers have drawn controversy – many citing they are an extension of the homeless issue in Seattle, and others pointing to crime they attract.
Related: Community meeting heats up over Queen Anne RVs
Around 2008-09, homeless advocacy groups began to study and assist the city with approaching the RV issue. The city had posted “no parking” signs in areas prone to the RV campers – banning parking from 2-5 a.m. It aimed to prevent RVs from staying on the street for long periods of time.
“There was a moratorium placed on posting any more of the ‘No Parking 2-5 a.m.’ signs during the McGinn administration,” said Sola Plumacher, acting division director for community support and assistance with the city’s Department of Human Services.
“That was in response to people living in their vehicles and attempting to provide some space where they could park, while at the same time still requiring the 72-hour move notice,” she said. “This was following the recession when we were seeing an increase in homelessness and an increase of people living in vehicles in this community.”
As with other branches of the homeless population, criminal elements began to present themselves among the RV community. The increase in RVs and illegal encampments has prompted homeowners to band together and demand the city do something.
Murraysville
While the homeless population adopted a Seattle mayor’s name for Nickelsville, it was Seattle homeowners who took up a different mayor’s name to express their point. The Murraysville Facebook page acts as a hub for neighbors across the entire city to document their frustrations over crime, trash, and other issues.
In November 2015, Mayor Murray announced a state of emergency for the region’s homeless problem. On Jan. 26, 2016, Murray made a speech focused on the problem, calling for federal and state help for an issue that was not Seattle’s alone.
Related: I’m surprised police go in there, says a voice from the Jungle
During his speech, five people were shot — two fatally wounded — in a homeless encampment called The Jungle. It is believed that low-level drug dealing was involved in the shooting. The illegal encampment under I-5 has infrequently been cleared over three decades, but homeless campers always returned to the site.
Under Mayor Murray, Seattle has established two city-run homeless encampments, and two RV camps, with another tent encampment on the way.
In addition to state and federal help, Murray is also seeking to double the Seattle Housing Levy in 2016 to raise money for the problem.
