Man Who Exposed Anti-Homeless Bike Racks Harassed By Neighbor

SEATTLE, WA - The man who helped expose the Seattle Department of Transportation's installation of a row of anti-homeless bike racks in Belltown is now being harassed by his neighbors. SDOT recently removed the bike racks after coverage by The Stranger.

Jeff Few noticed the racks near his Belltown condo last year - a normal enough sight in Seattle, except that these racks were under the Western Avenue Alaskan Way Viaduct overpass, a remote area hardly anyone would ever use to lock up a bike. That overpass, however, had been used by the homeless for shelter.

Curious about the racks, Few submitted a records request to the city and got SDOT emails showing that the racks were installed to deter homeless campers, an example of "hostile architecture." After outcry over the bike racks, SDOT promised to remove them. The agency made good on that promise March 9.

But now Few is dealing with backlash.

On March 10, Few's neighbor confronted him at the door of his condo, according to a post on Few's Twitter page.

"A knock on my door from my neighbor to say that there was 'a special place in hell for me and [Councilwoman Teresa Mosqueda]' for getting the Belltown anti-homeless bike racks removed. The only part of the unhinged screed he plans to send to our neighbors I got to hear before shutting the door on him," Few wrote.

Seattle's homelessness crisis has turned into a politically divisive issue. Residents in neighborhoods like Magnolia and Ballard have banded together to prevent transitional housing or sanctioned encampments for the homeless. Conversely, Seattleites across the city hold the opposite view, welcoming encampments or protesting the city's sweeps of unsanctioned camps.

Caption: The Alaskan Way Viaduct overpass where the racks were installed. A handful of homeless people had been living in that spot for several years.

Image via Google Maps