A clash in Fife, Washington, between a homeless advocacy group and local police has ended with the eviction.
Fife police a hazits dresses move to a Travelodge motel on Wednesday to eliminate more than 40 homeless residents staying unpaid, CBS affiliate KIRO 7 News reported.
Advocates for the homeless with Tacoma Housing Now brought residents from two Tacoma camps. They booked 16 rooms and paid for a one-night stay on Christmas Eve, but had no plans to leave or pay any other bills.
On Monday night, while Tacoma Housing Now volunteers were bringing food and supplies for the homeless occupants, they told KIRO 7 that many of them were at risk of dying in icy weather when they were brought from bridges and camps.
Homeless and chronically ill
“Many of these people have chronic illnesses here,” said a member of Tacoma Housing Now, who asked to be identified as “Arrow”. “They have from cancer to seizures of serious infections, all kinds of chronic diseases.”
But motel manager Shawn Randhawa told Fife police and the city manager that the motel is a troubled small family business with 10 employees, which was already devastated by the pandemic. When he was told the group refused to pay for his rooms, he told the city manager he might have to pull out of the whole business.
Fife police say it took them several days to implement a response plan. When officers showed up on Wednesday, so did protesters on both sides.
“I’m here to support the police,” said Darren Coperson, who lives in the area. “It’s crazy,” he said.
“Housing is a human right,” said Courtney N. Love, another Fife resident who supported the cause of housing advocates.
“Dignified and noble” cause
Fife’s police chief said in a statement that the group’s cause was “dignified and noble”, Tacoma Housing Now victimized the motel owner, put him at risk of leaving business and finally committed a crime. Those involved could face criminal offenses.
The motel manager told KIRO 7 on Tuesday that he was about to have to close completely and lay off his ten employees.
“Right now, I’ve been robbed,” Randhawa said. “Are these people booking for one night cheating on me and now trying to tell me I’m doing something (wrong)?”
Hyun Kim, Fife city manager, said the city worked with the Tacoma rescue mission to offer shelter beds to each occupant. The mission said only one person agreed. Mission employees helped drive some other occupants to the Tacoma camps.
A Tacoma Housing Now advocate, who only wanted to identify himself as Sam, said people turned down reception offers because “the conditions you have to meet for these options do not meet the needs of anyone who is here.” .
Unfortunate situation
He said another LiHi offering of 10 small houses for couples and groups would not work either.
“They wanted to split pods and units of people,” Sam said. “No one here is really offered a real life situation,” he said.
Kim said two people in the group, a couple, are sick with COVID-19 and will go to a COVID-19 emergency shelter in Tacoma.
People say it is unfortunate that the whole situation is dissolved in this mess.
“Fife has problems”
“Fife has problems. I don’t think that helps, I really don’t think that helps,” said Frazer Loveman, who works in the area.
Police say everyone left voluntarily and did not cause any problems while they were there. After the police left, KIRO 7 witnessed someone breaking the glass into a fire extinguisher box and grabbing the fire extinguisher.
It is unclear if and when the property owner will be paid.
Kim says it is now a civil matter between the defenders and the property owner.
“I’m very sorry for the owners. It’s not a nice situation to be there,” Loveman said.
Fife police also said in the statement: “Procedures have now been put in place to ensure that if something like this happens in the future, there will be swift and certain actions that will reaffirm the position that Fife is not a city that is giving the welcome of criminals or persons engaged in criminal activities, however noble or important the underlying cause may be. “