SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES
Seattle homicide might be a good argument for homeless camps
Aug 25, 2015, 12:51 PM | Updated: 5:00 pm
A naked man running around beating people with a stick brings up valid arguments both for and against homeless camps. (AP file)
(AP file)
A naked man running around beating people with a stick brings up valid arguments both for and against homeless camps.
On the one hand, Seattle residents probably don’t want to live near potentially dangerous people. On the other, homeless people probably don’t want to live near potentially dangerous people.
Some homeless are in their situation because of poor decision-making, KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson explained. However, not all homeless people are dangerous and camps provide a safe haven for good people who need a place to lay their head and “so they can escape the crazies who beat each other to death.”
Related: Seattle can’t cure its homeless issue with tent cities
The incident under the Magnolia Bridge Monday night that left a woman dead and a man with life-threatening injuries could be used as an example by people on either side of the homeless camp debate. Residents near proposed camps, such as the site on Market Street in Ballard, are worried the camps will be too close to homes and businesses. There’s been enough concern in Ballard that the City of Seattle has held meetings to try and address people’s worries.
But as residents and business owners fight the location of at least one of three proposed camps, those that would benefit from the camps are waiting for a safer place to go. Seattle Mayor Ed Murray argues that the “dramatic erosion of state and federal investments” have created a homeless crisis. Shelters in the city are at or near capacity, according to Murray.
Several experts have argued — and the mayor has agreed — that camps are not the solution. They are a temporary solution to a long-term issue. Union Gospel Mission President Jeff Lilley told KIRO Radio’s Ron and Don Show that there is a growing number of homeless people living in vehicles and finding more permanent places for people to go would be more effective.
A regulated, city-run camp could be better than where many of Seattle’s homeless are currently living, however. At least with a camp there is less of a chance people will turn up dead in their tents. So maybe before people argue against homeless camps, they should think about others who are living among those running around nude and screaming obscenities.
