Photos: Seattle Clears 'The Field' Homeless Camp

SEATTLE, WA - A planned sweep of a large homeless encampment along Airport Way in Seattle went ahead as planned Tuesday morning, despite efforts by some of its residents to get the city to let the residents stay.

Seattle police surrounded the triangular patch of state land - located between north and southbound Airport Way and Royal Brougham Way, underneath I-5 and I-90 - as private contractors and outreach workers swept through the camp, clearing possessions and garbage and counseling residents. As many as 50 people were still living in the camp on Tuesday morning, but there were 100 or more living there at its peak, Seattle city officials said.

Although largely peaceful, residents of the camp were clearly distressed by the eviction. One man exited the camp and began shouting, angrily and mournfully, about human rights. He later curled up on the muddy ground along the shoulder of Airport Way as outreach workers from the Union Gospel Mission consoled him.

Deputy Human Services Director Jason Johnson told Patch.com that outreach workers had been at the The Field for months before the sweep trying to connect residents with services. He said that any resident who needed shelter would be given the opportunity to get it.

In addition to indoor shelters, like the Union Gospel Mission, the city was providing vouchers for people for motel rooms, or even for rent deposits. Johnson said that residents of the encampment who wanted to continue living outdoors could be steered toward one of three sanctioned encampments currently open in Seattle.

"The nature of this site has always been temporary," he said.

However, some shelter options - like the Salvation Army, which Johnson specifically mentioned - are known as "high-barrier" because they place conditions on residents. For example, a shelter might not allow someone to bring possessions or pets, or might require sobriety.

In recent months, Seattle has released plans to open three new sanctioned camps - one in Georgetown, one near the Highland Park neighborhood, and another in north Seattle near Greenwood - as well as a low-barrier shelter for homeless called the Navigation Center. The Navigation Center, however, is not yet open.

The Field has come under scrutiny in recent weeks. Two residents were recently arrested in connection with sexual assaults there. Last week, the camp was temporarily evacuated due to an accident along I-5 directly above it involving a butane truck. That evacuation revealed muddy, rat-infested conditions in the camp.

Residents of The Field recently opened a large tent in the center of the camp called The Sanctuary. That facility had a wood burning stove to reduce the number of fires burning at individual tents around the camp.

A group of protesters arrived around 8 a.m. to resist the clearing. One member of the group, Travis Thompson, told Patch.com that the protesters were from the Neighborhood Action Coalition, a group organized in the wake of President Donald Trump's election to "support marginalized groups." On Feb. 28, the group stopped the clearing of a homeless camp underneath the Ballard Bridge.

"We're here to listen, to take photos, and witness the sweep," Thompson said.

The high visibility of camps like The Field make them especially vulnerable to scrutiny and criticism. Seattle city officials have raised concerns about sanitary conditions in the camp. Last January, a shooting at The Jungle encampment underneath I-5 brought the issue of homeless camps to the attention of the general public.

Indeed, some who drove by the camp on Tuesday morning appeared to be happy about the clearing. Several drivers passing by honked, seemingly in support. One man, driving in a thyssenKrupp work truck, slowed down near police, gave a thumbs up, and shouted, "Good job!"

On Monday, some residents of the encampment went to City Council to ask for a reprieve. They asked the city to provide infrastructure so that residents could get a handle on garbage and other sanitary conditions. That way, the residents said, they could live safely at The Field.

Images via Patch.com