A confrontation in Fife, Washington, between a group of homeless people and the local police, ended with the evacuation.
Fife cops in costume hazmat move to a Travelodge motel on Wednesday to eliminate more than 40 homeless residents who stay there without paying, CBS affiliate KIRO 7 News reported.
Homeless lawyers with Tacoma Housing Now brought residents there 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 other bills.
On Monday night, while Tacoma Housing Now volunteers were bringing food and supplies to the homeless occupants, they told KIRO 7 that many of them were at risk of dying in icy weather when brought from bridges and camps.
Homeless and chronically ill
“Many of these people here have chronic illnesses,” said a member of Tacoma Housing Now, who asked to be identified as “Arrow.” “They have from cancer to severe seizures, all kinds of chronic diseases.”
But motel manager Shawn Randhawa told Fife police and the city director the motel is a small family business with 10 employees that has already been devastated by the pandemic. When told that the group had refused to pay for their rooms, he told the city manager that he might have to pull the plug for the entire 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 housing lawyers’ case.
“Dignified and noble” cause
Police chief Fife said in a statement that while the group’s cause was “dignified and noble”, Tacoma Housing Now victimized the motel owner, threatened to give up business and eventually committed a crime. Those involved could face criminal charges at the level of crime.
The motel manager told KIRO 7 on Tuesday that he was about to have to close completely and lay off his 10 employees.
“Right now, they robbed me,” Randhawa said. “Are these people who make reservations for one night cheating on me and now trying to tell me I’m doing something (wrong)?”
Fife City Director Hyun Kim said the city worked with the Tacoma Rescue Mission to provide shelter for each occupant. The mission said only one person agreed. Mission staff helped drive other occupants back to camps in Tacoma.
A Tacoma Housing Now lawyer, who only wanted to be identified as Sam, said people turned down shelter offers because “the conditions you have to meet for these options do not meet the needs of anyone here.”
Unhappy situation
He said another offer from LiHi of 10 small houses for couples and groups would also not work.
“They wanted to share pods and units of people,” Sam said. “No one is really given 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 has dissolved into this mess.
“Fife has problems”
“Fife has problems. I don’t think this helps, I really don’t think this 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 window in a fire extinguisher case and taking the fire extinguisher.
It is not clear if and when the property owner will be paid.
Kim says it is now a civil matter between the lawyers and the property owner.
“I’m so sorry for the owners. It’s not a pleasant situation to be in, is it,” Loveman said.
Fife police also said in the statement: “Procedures have now been put in place to ensure that, if this were to happen in the future, it would quickly respond to certain actions that reaffirm the position that Fife is not a city. receiving offenders or persons engaged in criminal activities, no matter how noble or important the underlying cause is.