A disagreement in Fife, Washington, between a group for the homeless and local police, ended in eviction.
Fife police in Hazmat package moves into a Travelodge motel on Wednesday to wipe out more than 40 homeless residents staying there without paying, KBS subsidiary KIRO 7 News reported.
Homeless advocates with Tacoma Housing have now brought the residents there from two Tacoma camps. They booked 16 rooms and paid for a one night stay on Christmas Eve, but did not intend to leave – or to pay any further bills.
When volunteers from Tacoma Housing Now brought in food and supplies for the homeless residents on Monday night, they told KIRO 7 many of them were in danger of dying in the icy weather when they were brought down from bridges and campsites.
Homeless and chronically ill
“Many of these people have chronic illnesses,” said a member of Tacoma Housing Now, who asked to be identified as “Arrow.” “They have everything from cancer to serious attacks of infections, all kinds of chronic diseases.”
But the motel manager, Shawn Randhawa, told Fife Police and the city manager that the motel is a struggling small family business with ten employees, already devastated by the pandemic. When he announced that the group was refusing to pay for their rooms, he told the city manager that he might have to pull the plug on the entire business.
Fife police say it took them several days to put in place a response plan. When officers arrived Wednesday, protesters on both sides did as well.
“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 advocates’ case.
“Dignified and noble” cause
The Fife police chief said in a statement that the group’s case was ‘dignified and noble’, but Tacoma Housing Now victimized the motel owner, endangering him and eventually committing a crime. Interested parties may face criminal charges.
The motel manager told KIRO 7 on Tuesday that he was about to close down completely and lay off his ten employees.
“At the moment they are robbing me,” Randhawa said. “These people who are booking for one night are cheating on me and are now trying to tell me that I am doing something (wrong)?”
Hyun Kim, city manager of Fife, said the city has worked with Tacoma Rescue Mission to provide shelter to every resident. According to the mission, only one person accepted it. Mission staff helped drive other occupants back to campsites in Tacoma.
A Tacoma Housing Now lawyer, who only wanted to be identified as Sam, said people reject shelter offers because ‘the conditions you have to meet for the options do not meet the needs of everyone here. ‘
Unfortunate situation
He said another LiHi offer of ten small homes for couples and groups would also not work.
“They wanted to divide pods and units of people,” Sam said. “No one is really offered a real life situation,” he said.
Kim said two people in the group – a couple – are sick with COVID-19 and that they are going to an emergency for COVID-19 in Tacoma.
People say it is a pity that the whole situation has been resolved in this mess.
“Fife has problems”
“Fife has problems. I don’t think it helps, I really think it helps,” said Frazer Loveman, who works in the area.
Police say everyone left voluntarily and caused no problems while they were there. After the police left, KIRO 7 saw someone break the glass to a fire extinguisher bag and take the extinguisher.
It is unclear if and when the owner of the property will be paid.
Kim says it is now a civil case between the lawyers and the owner.
“I feel so sorry for the owners. It’s not a nice situation to be in,” Loveman said.
The Fife police also said in the statement: “Procedures have now been put in place to ensure that if such a thing were to happen in the future, it would quickly and with certain action confirm that the view that Fife is not a city that welcomes in criminals or people involved in criminal activities, no matter how noble or important the underlying cause. ‘