Seattle Sweep of Unhoused Encampments Draws Criticism

Last week, streets around Seattle’s T-Mobile Park, playing host to the MLB All-Star Game this week, became suspiciously empty of the unhoused people, tents, and RVs that usually line the sidewalks. “In their place, concrete blocks and ‘No Parking’ signs prohibit vehicles from parking there until July 11, the day of the All-Star Game.” 

As Greg Kim reports in The Seattle Times, “A spokesperson for the mayor’s office said the city has focused much of its encampment removal efforts in Sodo over the past year and a half based on an ‘objective prioritization matrix’ that ranks Sodo highly due to the high concentration of RVs and tents in the neighborhood.”

The city has announced plans to open a safe parking lot in August which could hold 26 RVs, “a far cry from addressing the thousands of people estimated to be living in vehicles in King County.”