A July 4 parade in a Washington state city had to be re-routed to avoid a massive homeless encampment for ‘everyone’s safety’.
The 100th anniversary July 4 parade route in Burien, Washington, was altered to avoid a homeless encampment of up to 20 tents, according to local media.
It comes as Burien is refusing to remove the encampment due to not having the authority to stop people living on city land.
Debra George, who leads Discover Burien, a coalition of business owners who made the decision, said it was best just to ‘err on caution’ and the encampment shouldn’t be in the city’s ‘commercial area’.
And some business owners added they had lost customers because they did not feel ‘safe’ anymore.
The 100th anniversary July 4 parade route in Burien, Washington, was altered to avoid a homeless encampment of up to 20 tents, according to local media
It comes as Burien is refusing to remove the encampment due to not having the authority to stop people living on city land
In June, a blaze tore through two tents in the encampment after a man using a fire pit left his tent unattended.
And men were seen ‘brazenly’ smoking fentanyl on the day of the parade, which attracts families and young children, according to the Discovery Institute.
Burien Mayor Sophia Aragon said the situation was a ‘crisis moment’ but it would be difficult to pass legislation to remove the homeless because it is such a divided issue.
She told the Discovery Institute: ‘There are better ways to work together in the community and not have people pointing fingers.’
Progressive members of the council believe they have to allow the situation to continue until the city can find housing for everyone or find a space for a sanctioned encampment.
Council Member Stephanie Mora warned that the homeless need to be moved immediately because they have already rejected help, and others from outside the city are moving into the encampment.
In June, a blaze tore through two tents in the encampment after a man using a fire pit left his tent unattended
Men were seen ‘brazenly’ smoking fentanyl on the day of the parade, which attracts families and young children, according to the Discovery Institute
Council Member Stephanie Mora warned that the homeless need to be moved immediately because they have already rejected help
In June, Seattle City Council voted not to pass legislation that would have allowed the City Attorney’s Office to prosecute public drug use cases.
The move would have brought Seattle into compliance with the state’s new drug possession law, which makes the crime a gross misdemeanor.
But photos soon emerged showing homeless people openly abusing drugs on the streets of the Washington state city.
In one, a man can be seen using a hypodermic needle to inject drugs into his hand while propped outside a liquor store.
Others show people spaced out and hunched over on the sidewalks, with paraphernalia strewn around them.
The council bill failed to pass in a 5-4 vote with councilmembers Alex Pedersen, Sara Nelson, Debora Juarez and Dan Strauss voting in favor of the bill.
One man can be seen here openly using a hypodermic needle as he lays on the sidewalk
Another person is seen here completely spaced out as citizens go about their regular day
Councilmembers Lisa Herbold, Kshama Sawant, Teresa Mosqueda, Andrew Lewis and Tammy Morales voted in opposition to the bill.
Pedersen told King5: ‘State law without the local law is like a train without tracks, a car without keys, it’s a pen without ink.
‘You have to have them together or else it’s basically tantamount to decriminalizing.’
Councilmember Nelson told the news channel: ‘We have to do something or the alternative is doing nothing new and that is just unacceptable.’
According to the Seattle City Attorney’s Office, there were 589 overdose deaths in Seattle in 2022, up 72 percent from 2021.
Seattle Police Officers Guild opposed Seattle City Council’s move, with President Mike Solan saying: ‘It’s going to put our city’s public safety crisis that much more in a dire circumstance.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk