Bellingham says it will clear homeless tent encampment near ball fields parking lot
Homeless people who moved near Frank Geri Softball Fields after the city of Bellingham removed them from a downtown encampment last week were told Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 2, they must move by 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 5.
Overnight camping in city parks is not allowed by city municipal code without a permit, according to the city’s Tuesday afternoon statement.
The city of Bellingham provided the legal notice on Tuesday afternoon that it would clear the new homeless tent encampment from the lower parking lot of the ball fields off of Puget Street. Volunteers helped the encampment, known as Camp 210, move to the Civic Athletic Complex parking lot Thursday, Jan. 28, after the city cleared the camp off the lawns of City Hall at 210 Lottie St. and the Bellingham Public Library at 210 Central Ave. a day before the city’s deadline for the homeless encampment to leave.
Camp 210, which started in November, was an occupied protest over the lack of shelter available for homeless people. Volunteers estimated that between 90 to 120 people were living there.
More than 100 law enforcement officers in riot and tactical gear with Bellingham police, the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, the Washington State Patrol and U.S. Customs and Border Protection showed up early Thursday morning, with city public work crews, heavy machinery and large dumpsters to clear the encampment.
Protesters, who were mostly dressed in black, used wooden pallets to create barricades to block officials from clearing the encampment. The barricade allowed volunteers time to help the residents gather their belongings and leave.
Four people were arrested and three law enforcement officers were assaulted but unharmed by the time protesters left around 3:30 p.m. Thursday, according to city officials. Bellingham Mayor Seth Fleetwood said he had authorized the clearance of the tent encampment a day early after he received “credible information” that outside groups were coming to gather in the city on Friday.
Several crimes had been reported at the civic center over nearly three months, including an alleged arson that burned a tent and caused two propane tanks to explode, a hatchet attack and harassment and assault of city and county employees. A person who was reportedly sleeping in the street was also run over in late January, but was not seriously injured.
The public library is resuming its curbside pickup service next week. It closed last week when tensions flared between the homeless tent encampment and the city after the city attempted to create a 25-foot safety zone around City Hall.
It is the second time that violence at the camp forced the suspension of curbside services at the library, which have been in place since June in order to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Services were suspended for several days in early December after the suspected arson.
After the city cleared Camp 210, many of the residents moved to the lower parking lot of the ball fields. As of Friday afternoon, more than 30 tents had been set up.
“Please help us encourage campers to find shelter elsewhere. Space is available at Base Camp shelter, and at its overflow facility, offering warm, dry beds, meals, showers, laundry facilities and other services,” the city’s Tuesday statement said. “The city did not sanction this new camp following the removal of the City Hall encampment and did not assist in its creation.”
After the civic center homeless encampment was cleared, Bellingham City Council members said more can be done to help homeless people in the area, while Puget neighborhood businesses near the new encampment at the ball fields expressed concern about its arrival.
The city is also working to increase shelter options in collaboration with multiple partners and advocates for the unsheltered, the city said. Swift Haven, a tiny home community and temporary winter shelter for homeless people operated by the nonprofit HomesNOW! in collaboration with the city and Whatcom County, is located at the upper parking lot of the ball fields. It is currently full, according to HomesNOW!.
While there is space at Base Camp, BOP (Bellingham Occupied Protest) Mutual Aid said in a previous statement that it is not an adequate alternative for some of the people residing at Camp 210. The shelter’s capacity is not large enough to house everyone staying at Camp 210, and campers say they have been kicked out in the past or have had traumatic or disrespectful experiences and don’t feel safe to return, the statement said.
“The fact that the city repeatedly says to just ‘go to Base Camp’ shows that they don’t truly support shelter for all people, because they know that not everyone can go there,” the statement read.
“If we can’t be here, then where do we go?,” BOP Mutual Aid said in a statement posted Tuesday after receiving the legal notice provided by the city.
BOP Mutual Aid is encouraging members of the public to reach out to city and county elected officials and demand a stop to the clearing of homeless encampments, according to a statement posted Wednesday. It also is encouraging community members to be ready to show up to physically stop the clearing of the new encampment in the ball field parking lot.
The group said like last time, the city provided a 4 p.m. deadline on Friday, but doesn’t know if the city will show up early to clear the encampment like it did last week.
“Where are all of the campers supposed to go? We are in the middle of a pandemic and Mayor Fleetwood chooses to utilize taxpayer funds to chase a community of houseless folks around the city, brutally tearing down their homes and causing trauma each time,” BOP Mutual Aid’s statement said.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued interim guidance for service providers and local officials on homeless tent encampments during the coronavirus pandemic. The guidance says that all partners who work to help homeless people should be involved in the planning and response to the pandemic and for helping homeless people stay safe during the pandemic.
It also says that providers and officials should allow people who are living unsheltered or in encampments to remain where they are.
“Clearing encampments can cause people to disperse throughout the community and break connections with service providers. This increases the potential for infectious disease spread,” the CDC guidance states.
It also encourages people who are staying in encampments to have their tents or sleeping quarters 12 feet apart from any other tent or sleeping quarters. If the 12-foot distance can’t be achieved, then officials and service providers should work to get individuals at risk for severe illness from COVID-19 into individual rooms or safe shelter.
The guidance also states that nearby restroom facilities be open, have functional water taps and be stocked with hand hygiene materials, such as soap and drying materials, and toilet paper. Those facilities should remain open 24/7 for people experiencing homelessness, the guidance states.
This story was originally published February 2, 2021 at 5:39 PM.
