Large homeless camp near I-90 in Seattle the latest to be cleared

Seattle police are clearing out another large homeless camp just off I-90 Tuesday morning.

Last week, the city said it’s making the camps near I-90 and Rainier and Dearborn a priority for the next two weeks.

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Police will be moving people living in tents near Rainier, in an area they call the Cloverleaf, before moving on to clear the entire area just off the freeway. Outreach workers will be there to help those who need to relocate.

City officials said as many as 93 people live in the encampment and they’ve made attempts over the past week and a half to see if any of them would voluntarily accept help, but only six people did.

The sweep follows a pattern seen in the city recently, including the cleanup of a camp near the former Jungle.

Police say while people in the Cloverleaf camp may not be involved in criminal activity, they say it’s a public health and safety hazard with police responding to incidents like generator fires and a raid by Seattle police on a camp near Dearborn and 10th that ended with officers finding a collection of guns and included a woman being stabbed and held hostage in a tent.

People who once lived in a nearby camp say the sweeps just spread them out, while neighbors want something done.

“Being homeless is an unfortunate situation, but you don’t get a pass in committing and visiting mayhem on other people because you’re homeless,” said neighbor Allynn Ruth.

Homeless man Jerry Coleman said sweeps are not the answer.

“If you don’t want anybody here, just sweep them out. But the problem is you’re not getting rid of them, they’re just moving down the street,” said Coleman.

The cleanup effort near I-90 and Rainier and Dearborn is expected to last for two weeks.