David Boze: I applaud Tacoma parks for banning ‘walled structures’

A new change to City of Tacoma code bans “walled structures” in Tacoma parks. But now the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty has gotten involved and wants the ordinance taken away.

I drove by a couple of really nice parks in Tacoma and wondered if Seattle had invaded. Luckily, they were cleaned up quickly. I think there is definitely a silent majority of people in Tacoma saying, “No, we don’t want the walled structures, we don’t want tents, we don’t want tarps, these are public spaces where kids are supposed to be able to play without worrying about what people have thrown on the ground.”

What we need is an empowerment zone — we need citizen empowerment. For example, if you leave your junk in a public space where camping is banned, there should be some sort of state-granted immunity so people can go clean it up after 24 hours. Nobody wants this in their community. It’s not making any sort of positive change in these people’s lives.

I feel stupid even having to say this, but I will — it’s not like individuals do not care about people on the streets. I’m not just talking about women and children on the streets, I’m talking about men, too. Regardless of people’s backgrounds and past decisions, it’s a horrible thing to have them on the streets. Everybody thinks this.

Pierce County Sheriff’s Office cleans 30 tons of waste from encampment

But there are shelters out there that work with people. Helping the homeless does not mean that we have to surrender all public spaces and have the entirety of our public domain look like something out of an apocalyptic tale of warning. It does not mean that kids playing at parks should have to watch people drugged out of their minds.

The founding fathers and mothers of historic cities — the people who built the original Tacoma parks — would not have wanted their parks surrendered to blue tarps and people using the park grass as their own restroom. We should help the homeless, there is no doubt about that. But we can better do so by giving to the organizations that are really good at helping people in these horrible situations. They know how to best treat people.

I cheer for Tacoma’s ban on walled structures in parks. I cannot imagine anyone living in Tacoma who wants that. Pierce County does not want to become Seattle. It is not healthy for people on the streets, it is not healthy for the communities, and it is not healthy for the future.

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