KGMI News

By Mike Davis

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Bellingham Mayor Kelli Linville has responded to tent campers at City Hall protesting homeless sweeps in the city.

In a statement issued Friday, Mayor Linville denied that the city does homeless sweeps saying it does cleanups based upon citizen complaints or public health risks.

The statement said the permit from the city for the encampment is still set to expire at noon Monday and will not be extended.

As of Friday night, there were about 37 tents with 65 persons camped at City Hall.

A man who identified himself as Neil, the camp’s cook, said in his experience about half the time the city does in fact give homeless notice to leave, while other times he claims campers’ blankets and sleeping bags have been confiscated.

The camper said as of Friday night no new campsite has been identified for the group, and that they would welcome outreach from any local church offering assistance, saying “the homeless look out for each other when they have a safe place to be together.”

The Mayor’s office on Tuesday requested assistance from the Interfaith Coalition to find a partner host for the encampment noting the Washington law provides broad leeway for religious organizations hosting the homeless.

The Mayor’s office noted in an email to KGMI that the campers’ compliance with city rules and regulations increased once the permit for the encampment was granted.