Seattle Firm Will Defend Puyallup In Homeless Sweep Lawsuit

PUYALLUP, WA - The city of Puyallup has hired a Seattle-based law firm to defend itself in a suit over homeless camp sweeps, according to court filings. The city was sued on Sept. 14 by six homeless people who claim Puyallup and Pierce County have victimized them by destroying personal property during encampment sweeps.

Lawyers from Perkins Coie, an international firm based in Seattle, are representing the six homeless plaintiffs - a fact that Puyallup officials lamented on Sept. 21 in a press release.

"A large Seattle-based law firm has sued the City of Puyallup and Pierce County on behalf of six homeless plaintiffs. The Seattle law firm alleges that the plaintiffs were victimized because the City and County cleaned up volumes of trash, waste and debris at encampments which had been established by trespassing individuals," the press release read.

The lawsuit alleges that Puyallup and Pierce County "victimize" homeless people by forcing the homeless "to vacate their outside homes and seize and summarily destroy their property."

The homeless plaintiffs have experienced a "loss of their essential personal property, including tents, clothing, shoes, bedding, tools, cooking equipment, medicines, employment resources, important legal paperwork, identification information critical to their physical and mental health, and other possessions," the lawsuit claims.

In response, Puyallup has said that homeless people receive notice before an encampment sweep. The sweeps are done out of a concern for public safety, according to city officials. Puyallup also contracts with nonprofits, like Comprehensive Life Resources, to find alternative living arrangements for homeless camp residents.

In 2017, two homeless Seattle women sued the city and King County because they lost possessions during sweeps. In Seattle, officials give homeless people 72 hours notice before sweeping a camp. Seattle's Navigation Team provides storage of homeless people's possessions after sweeps.

You can read the full lawsuit against Puyallup here:

Image courtesy City of Puyallup