‘They’re putting them on equal footing’: KIRO hosts defend SPS after eco-blocks to deter homeless deemed illegal by city

Seattle Public Schools (SPS) placed eco-blocks outside its SODO headquarters to deter RVs and encampments, but the city has deemed the barriers illegal because the district never obtained a permit.

Jake Skorheim and Spike O’Neill, co-hosts of “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio, sided with the school administrators and their effort to block the homeless from inhabiting the area outside the building, and questioned what position Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson would take.

“I completely agree with [SPS], it’s in a tough spot,” Jake said. “If you have a city that’s unwilling to deal with that problem, and yet you still want to be able to maintain your business, and you still want your employees to feel like you can safely come to and from work without being accosted by somebody who’s maybe having a drug episode or a mental health episode, whatever it might be. What is Seattle Public Schools supposed to do? I don’t understand; they’re between a rock and a hard place.”

Hosts question why the city won’t make an exception for Seattle Public Schools

Eco blocks are large concrete barriers used on public thoroughfares to prevent people living in tents or RVs from occupying the right-of-way. SPS set up the blocks throughout the area, costing roughly $26,400 of public money, according to the Seattle Department of Transportation.

Spike reasoned with SPS, advocating that the school system should receive a permit to deploy eco blocks and ensure safety throughout the area. Spike also found that, as it stands, the City of Seattle views the homeless and SPS on the same playing field, even though they both have drastically different impacts on the city.

“I would think the City of Seattle should listen to SPS and say, ‘Look, we’re going to give you guys an exemption, a permit for this,'” Spike said. “But they’re not doing that. If I’m SPS, relocate the headquarters. They’re putting the people who are living on the streets, in RVs and tents, dealing with addiction and mental health issues, on the same level as the administrators hired to run our school system in Seattle. They’re putting them on equal footing in terms of who has the right to that roadway. Give the city permission, make an exemption.”

Jake argues the city clearly doesn’t view the encampment as a threat

After everything shakes out, Jake wondered who would come out on top, noting that the city clearly doesn’t view the group of homeless outside SPS’s headquarters as a threat.

“Who should you try harder to protect from this type of thing than schools?” Jake asked. “Who’s the city going to prioritize? Who’s Katie Wilson going to choose, the people in the RVs or the people who are running out schools? It seems to me like they are prioritizing the panhandlers and the people who are homeless and in the RVs. It’s very clear they don’t see them as a threat.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3