There is a difference between civil disobedience and intransigence. The campers should voluntarily leave as soon as possible. As a gesture of good faith, they should remove the graffiti from the port-a-potties and used approved paint to clean up the bridge footings. Elvis indicated that the camp is willing to do this and had been stymied in their efforts. The city should work with the campers to allow them to make reparations. The camp should help with clean-up on moving day and cooperate with city employees.

The campers should work to better their situation, taking small steps on a daily basis. Campers need to tap into their two key strengths — resourcefulness and resilience — to make healing a priority. It must be stressed that recovery is possible. They need community role models and mentors to support their efforts.

According to a Just Housing poll of twenty campers, only one could think of alternatives to living under the bridge. The others would not relocate to Union Gospel or the Mitigation Site even if there was space available. They cited bad experience/mistreatment, having been kicked out, don’t agree with rules, no personal space and being unable to stay with loved ones. Elvis alleged that 60% of the people at the Mitigation Site are dealing, and he faced retribution for complaining.

I asked Opie what respect would look like to him. He said it would be a place where he could set the rules. That is just not possible. Integration into society will be hard if this is your mindset. To live by the code of street self-governance is regressive and not desirable. Moral norms are practical solutions for common problems.

Contrary to Council Member Parshley, no one “likes” to demonize the homeless, and almost all community members reject dehumanization of the homeless. People can have sympathy for someone’s struggle while not tolerating anti-social behavior that has become common and visible.

No one on the outside has an understanding of who is at these encampments, what activities are taking place and what social services are needed. The Thurston County Sheriff reports there are 74 transient sex offenders in the county, 27 Level II or III, which respectively have a moderate or high risk of reoffending. According to the Sheriff, “approximately 90% typically reside within city jurisdictions.”

There seems to be no official push back against theft, dealing and prostitution in the camps. It does not seem unreasonable that frequent and friendly police contact be established at the major camps and at least periodic check-ins at the smaller camps to establish presence as a check on criminal behavior. We also need law enforcement and the justice system to find effective ways to deal minor offenses like shoplifting to counter the boldness with which people have been stealing.

We need regional government, service providers, the community and the campers to face this crisis with honest self-reflection, intellectual integrity and a presumption of good faith. Inconvenient truths cannot be ignored, and no one who wants to see humane solutions should be shamed.

The situation is going to require at least temporary coexistence between residents and campers, the responsibility falling on campers to be better citizens. Most objections have to do with unacceptable behavior. If that behavior can be dialed down, public opinion on the viability of camps might change. Until then, people having their safety threatened are reacting appropriately to that threat by speaking out and demanding change to policy and enforcement.

VOTING INFORMATION

Washington State is implementing Same Day Voter Registration for the general election on November 5, 2019. You may register to vote online, by mail, or voter registration drive up to 8 days prior to Election Day. You may register to vote in-person and update your voter registration address up to 8 p.m. on Election Day.

MORE INFORMATION

For more further analysis of homelessness in Olympia, please see The Real Crisis in Olympia is Not Homelessness which discusses how tolerance for harm is having an adverse effect on the city.

Candace Mercer is an artist/writer/activist who has lived in Olympia since 1996. She has worked with The Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice and the Crisis Clinic of Thurston and Mason Counties. She has written for Electronic Intifada, The Alternative Press and Works in Progress. She can be reached at therealprobleminolympia@gmail.com

All images used with permission of Olympia Photography and News whose mission is “to photograph Olympia. Sometimes that means photographing something that is perceived to be beautiful, sometimes something that is perceived to be ugly will be photographed. However, at all times we will photograph and document the truth that we see, whether it is ‘ugly’ or ‘beautiful.’”