Seattle business owners install 1-ton concrete blocks on city streets to prevent some of Dem-led city’s 13,300 homeless from camping on sidewalks
One-ton concrete blocks have been installed on the side of Seattle to prevent RVs and homeless tents from being set up
The blocks are so heavy they cannot be moved without specialized equipment – making them tricky for the city to remove
Despite it being illegal to put ecological blocks, sidewalks or parking lots, anonymous residents continue to plant them in the city
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Seattle business owners install one-ton concrete blocks on city streets to prevent homeless people from camping on the sidewalks.
The Democrat-run city struggles with a homeless population of nearly 13,300 people — exacerbated by the pandemic — and they often set up tent camps along the streets.
But the concrete slabs are how locals are trying to curb homeless camps and RVs being planted outside shops — after the city suspended parking enforcement during the pandemic.
The blocks are so heavy they can’t be moved without specialized equipment – making them tricky for the city to remove as they keep popping up in Georgetown, Ballard and Sodo.
Despite it being illegal to place ecological blocks, sidewalks or parking lots, anonymous residents keep planting them in the city.
Business owner JW Harvey told: The Seattle Times: “Individual businesses and residents are setting up ecological blockades because they are taking matters into their own hands, because if they call the city and say there are RVs in front of their business or in front of their home, they can’t help it.”
The one-ton concrete blocks have been placed on city streets to prevent homeless people from camping on the sidewalks
Homelessness is rife in Seattle, and tents are popping up in public areas. Homeless population has grown during the pandemic, pictured in March 2021
City dwellers said they were ‘sad’ and ‘depressed’ to see groups of tents pop up as homeless numbers soared after the pandemic started
There are hundreds of such blocks on the streets of Seattle, but only 25 property owners and businesses have been warned they could face fines for not removing the blocks as of June 2021
He said he’s spent more time speaking to and helping homeless people than running his business — but he’s now tired of trying to manage the “ripple effects” of Seattle’s overwhelming homeless population.
In 2020, Seattle and King County were the third most homeless area in the nation, with about 11,700 people living on the streets.
Harvey added that entrepreneurs feel they have no choice but to place the concrete slabs due to the growing number of RVs and tents in the area.
The West Seattle Health Club told its members earlier this year it would install eco-blocks once a homeless camp was vacated by city authorities.
They wrote in June: “To prevent the return of the encampment, the West Seattle Health Club is working with our neighboring companies to place eco-blocks in the area.”
According to the local newspaper, there are hundreds of concrete blocks from the streets of Seattle.
However, as of June 2021, only 25 property owners and businesses have been warned that they could be fined for failing to remove the eco-blocks.
Last year, city dwellers said they were “sad” and “depressed” to see groups of tents pop up as the number of homeless people soared after the start of the pandemic.
The number of homeless people in Washington state rose by more than six percent in 2020 — or about three times the national average, according to the latest data
Encampments on the streets of Seattle have continued to grow since the pandemic
These photos show conditions in the growing city of tents that threaten to engulf downtown Seattle just a week after an $8.3 million hotel bomb shelter opened in March last year.
The number of homeless people in Washington state rose by more than six percent in 2020 — or about three times the national average, according to the latest data.
City officials have cleared two camps in recent months, but many planned moves have been postponed due to federal public health guidelines regarding the pandemic.
According to the Seattle Times, homeless people have increasingly resisted visiting shelters since the start of the pandemic last year over concerns they could catch the coronavirus from another resident.
But now parents say they’ve had to resort to “sweeping” public parks to make sure there aren’t any needles on the ground before letting their kids play on swings as the encampments continue to grow.
“How do we get to a place that we think is normal and part of life in Seattle?” a resident asked Fox news.
‘It’s a shame that people can’t enjoy the park,’ says another resident.
The tented camps include homeless people who leave needles and other drug paraphernalia – used to ‘cook’ methamphetamine and heroin, in areas often close to schools.