Homeless advocates decry city's tactics

A stepped-up campaign by the city of Seattle to rid the city's greenbelts and parks of homeless encampments is being called "inhumane" and "immoral" by homeless people and their advocates after reports that police have destroyed or dumped their personal belongings.

The Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness says it has received reports from a dozen sites where people's belongings were destroyed, sometimes without notice. The notices that were posted at the camps had an outdated city phone number to contact for help.

Tearing down homeless camps in Seattle is nothing new. But the latest effort is far more aggressive, the advocates say. In the past, camps were removed only after complaints from neighbors. But since the summer, the city has shut down sites that received no recent complaints.

"People who were camped out in several different locations who had everything they needed for survival, their tents, their sleeping bags, cooking equipment removed and destroyed," said Alison Eisinger, the coalition's executive director. "It is immoral to evict people from where they are struggling to survive without providing meaningful alternatives."

Mayor Greg Nickels' office could not be reached for comment Monday. But the city's Human Services Department said the cleanups have been halted while the mayor's policy office works on a more uniform protocol for dismantling the camps.

"We would much rather people remove their own things but we are not a storage [facility]," said Patricia McInturff, the human-services director.

She said the cleanups are meant as a public-safety measure. "There have been a number of people who have run across the freeway," she said.

Also, a man in a sleeping bag was killed earlier this year under Interstate 5 in Seattle when he was hit by brush-clearing equipment run by the state Department of Transportation.

In response to the complaints, City Councilmembers Nick Licata, Sally Clark and Peter Steinbrueck sent a letter to Nickels' office Monday demanding a briefing on the situation.

"My concern is for the humane treatment of homeless people who are being impacted by these sweeps," Steinbrueck said.

In June, managers at the Aloha Inn, an old motel on Aurora Avenue North that is used as transitional housing, met with city officials who wanted to clear out a nearby greenbelt. The Aloha's managers encouraged the city to first work with the people living in the greenbelt to find someplace else to go.

Instead, in August, tents and equipment were removed by officers from Seattle police and the state Department of Corrections, said Dan Wise, Aloha's program manager.

"It's pretty clear nobody who lives indoors would accept being treated this way," Wise said. "People who are living outdoors have rights, too."

In a separate incident, James Bustamente said he was returning to his camp a month ago in Kinnear Park on Queen Anne when he ran in to a police officer with a machete.

Bustamente, 39, said he offered to move his belongings, but the officer told him he would be arrested if he did. Bustamente said he walked away. When he returned, he said, his tent was slashed, his mattress was punctured and his lantern was smashed.

He says he complained to the Police Department and got a letter back saying the incident would be investigated, but that's all he's heard.

He said he wants the city to "replace my stuff and tell the cops to stop being such bullies."

Sharon Pian Chan: 206-464-2958 or schan@seattletimes.com