City removes homeless campers from Seattle playfield

Homeless people are no longer camping next to a football field in Seattle’s Interbay neighborhood.

After reporting the story last week, the parks department and police officers cleaned them out.

City council member Tim Burgess was upset over the tents on the field.

Related: Video disproves claim that nobody is camping on play fields in Seattle

“City government has become so conflicted and confused, we’re paralyzed,” he said. “And so a tent in an end zone during a pee-wee football game and our parks department and police department throw up their hands say we can’t do anything, that pushed my button.”

Burgess continues to fight a proposed ordinance that would require the city to give homeless campers 48-hours notice before they are moved. The city would only be able to oust people from a camp if it is interfering with public use.

Several weeks ago, KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson spoke with Lisa Daugaard, director of the Publican Defender Association, about his concern with the ordinance. He said it would allow people to set up tents on sports fields and there would be no legal recourse.

“Realistically, that’s not happening,” she said at the time.

But it was. A video proved it.

Daugaard responded: “The proposed ordinance would not allow tents on playfields. In fact it would allow tents to be removed from playfields, and in considerably less time than under the present confusing rules.”

The city council could vote on the law as early as mid-October.

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