by Kirby Lindsay Laney, posted 21 September 2015
For its September general meeting, the Fremont Chamber of Commerce hosted a forum called ‘Crime, Car Camping & Consequences’. The Chamber Board specifically asked the Chamber’s Executive Director, Jessica Vets, to organize a meeting on problems business owners have been having with some of the residents of encampments and RVs around the area.
John Schochet, from the City Attorney’s Office, and Seattle City Councilmember Mike O’Brien spoke, along with several representatives from the Seattle Police Department including an Acting Captain, a Lieutenant, and members of the Community Policing Team, all from the North Precinct.
Homelessness Is NOT The Issue
Schochet, Councilmember O’Brien and the Acting Captain all gave opening comments on the need for understanding and patience in dealing with the homeless humanely.
The gathered attendees – business owners, managers, employees and area residents – gave a strong and united response: We have a crime problem.
Instead of asking questions, attendees threw comments at the panel. Everyone voiced sympathy (empathy, even,) with the plight of the homeless. One resident mentioned that his children make friends with homeless that camp near their Fremont home.
The people echoed opening comments made by Councilmember O’Brien – living in a car, a tent or on the bare street is a terrible situation to find yourself stuck in. More services are needed to help these people find safer, long-term situations. Nearly everyone spoke, at first, about their understanding and consideration for people struggling to find their way out of homelessness.
It’s Crime
A restaurant owner, and other business owners, then told of employees’ threatened, molested and mugged, and property stolen and defaced. Several mentioned human feces and mountainous piles of litter in front of their doors, on the sidewalks and in parking areas. A resident mentioned being assaulted three different times by people living on the streets.
The citizens emphatically explained that we have a crime problem. Yes, we have homeless, but the crimes are being committed by an element that scare many of the homeless. A certain element – a subset – of the people living in RVs, campers, caravans, tents and on the street have no respect for others, their property or any rule of law.
“I feel like I have called too often,” explained a manager of an iconic area restaurant, frequented by tourists, “none [of the criminals] have been arrested.” In July, after heavy pressure from area business owners, Seattle Police relocated large numbers of people living in vehicles along North Northlake, finally arresting one, according to the Acting Captain, who refused even after much pressure to move along. According to the Northlake business representatives, of the campers that were moved along, one group were particularly responsible for acts of crime, and they have been returning to the area to issue threats and graffiti property – including writing ‘burn’ on buildings.
“They are criminal rings,” said an industrial business owner. One group of criminals live in a collection of vehicles that moves around our area, taking over an area, dealing in drugs as witnessed by those working and living nearby. Calls to the police have so far done nothing except relocate the group. “They are slime balls,” agreed another industrial business owner, “They are criminal gangs.”
“The criminal element don’t only prey on us,” another business owner said, “they prey on each other.” The resident whose children talk with the homeless are told by them who to avoid, who is scary. If the street people know who the criminals are, and what they are doing, why is the City unable, or is it unwilling, to address the problem?
“We need help with the criminals,” stated an attendee. The frustration – and fear – of the criminals is making it harder to stay sympathetic, and understanding, of the genuinely homeless. “You need to listen to the people reporting the crime,” one business owner said to the Police, while he and his employees operate under threats of arson and property damage, “We need to put our resources to it.”
He and other business owners have tried to hire private security to patrol their area, yet one of the leading companies, which hires off-duty officers, has said no officers will sign-on to address this problem. The SPD representative promised to investigate this, and find out the problem to solve it.
What More Can Be Done…
“It has been going on too long,” Councilmember O’Brien said, once he understood why the neighbors are really so upset, frustrated and angry. He also agreed that the City needs a strategic plan for dealing with the criminal behavior, and he said that a recommendation plan is currently expected from the Mayor’s Office.
The SPD representatives acknowledged that they don’t have adequate resources to address the calls they get. “All calls get assigned a priority level,” the Captain explained, responding to a call of stolen property or littering, “takes away resources to respond to a narcotics call.” According to him, the North Precinct, which includes Fremont, has only about 15 – 20 officers on-duty per shift.
“We enforce the laws you give us,” the Captain said, “We use the resources we have.” When asked, Lt. Dave Sweeny acknowledged that the list of laws they need to address this criminal activity, hiding in plain sight among the honestly homeless, is too large.
Seattle has a major drug problem, and an intensifying litter issue, spreading in and amongst the homeless population. “There is plenty of time for Greenways,” one attendee said, specifically to Councilmember O’Brien, “but public safety is priority number 1!”
“Those guys know where the troublemakers are,” one resident said of the homeless, “do you talk to them?” He begged City representatives, “Don’t wait until an assault occurs to do something.”
Criminals cannot be arrested until they commit a crime, but citizens at this meeting insist crimes have been, and are being, committed on the streets of Fremont. “We’re not willing to tolerate it any further,” said one Fremont Chamber member. This meeting shows that this is an issue the Chamber will continue to follow. Find out more through the Chamber website, at Fremont.com, or by contacting Vets at director@fremont.com
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