Protesters hold first all-night campout at Seattle City Hall

Hundreds of people expressed their dissatisfaction with Seattle’s handling of the homeless crisis and controversial camp sweeps at Seattle City Hall Wednesday night.

RELATED: Seattle leaders urge council to continue sweeps

But there was tension in the room as some called for the end of sweeps, while others urged the city to continue them.

“Funds are there, we need to stop throwing money at stop-gap measures and enabling and focus on recovery, housing, and treatment services,” one woman said. “It will give people their lives back … Our city cannot afford more fighting.”

“I am here to urge you to continue to support mental health services in the form of a navigation team,” another woman said. “Which does outreach, really gets to know people, connects them to housing mental health services and drug treatment services … it plays a key role in our homeless crisis.”

The public comment period during the budget meeting stretched on for hours. On one side of the issue were those opposed to sweeping unsanctioned homeless encampments in Seattle. On the other were residents urging the city to maintain the sweeps with a housing-first program. Both sides noted that 66 people have died on the streets of Seattle this year, that housing is too expensive, and that the problem is getting worse. But they disagreed on what to do about the hundreds of homeless camps on public property around Seattle.

“I’ve been living here in Seattle for 20 years and I’ve seen the homeless population grow from about 2,000 to now 12,000 … what are the mayor and the city council doing? Nothing, except these sweeps which just keep pushing homeless people around without a solution,” a man said. “There’s an obvious solution – house the homeless.”

The council is considering a few budget items dealing with the homeless crisis. Councilmembers Kshama Sawant, Mike O’Brien, and Kirsten Harris-Talley are calling to stop the sweeps. They are proposing a new business tax on employee hours to fund more homeless programs.

Demonstrators spoke for, and against, these ideas.

City hall campout against sweeps

The activity at city hall was an extension of other demonstrations around Seattle. The first was an all-night campout at city hall following the budget meeting. The campout was in support of a ban on homeless sweeps and was expected to last 17 hours. The event notice states:

Join us for a one-night, family-friendly, substance-free, well-stewarded campout at City Hall to show the politicians we’re serious in demanding real solutions to homelessness. Bring your tent, sleeping bag, and stories of homelessness, displacement, and activism to share. Hear from our homeless neighbors, religious leaders, and more with all-night teach-ins.

Campers could catch “awesome music and art” outside city hall at a companion event. Both demonstrations were collecting supplies to rebuild encampments that the city has swept.

A third, ongoing, demonstration will last until Nov. 13. Anti-sweep Seattleites are encouraged to camp with their homeless neighbors around town.

With the colder months around the corner, I’m calling on everyone to join our most vulnerable in solidarity in the streets by camping out with them, near your schools, work places, or join an encampment. Most of us working class people are borderline of becoming clients ourselves for services or already are. With rising living cost its not going to get better.

All three events were sponsored by a range of organizations, including Councilmember Sawant.

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