We just returned from a tour of the homeless camp dubbed Nickelsville by organizers at Discovery Park. They are set up behind the Daybreak Star Cultural Center (see map).
The director of Daybreak Star says the group is on land that is leased from the Seattle Parks Department. The organizers of Nickelsville had chosen the site because they thought it was on federal land and could protect them from complying with city laws.
The people living in the camp that we talked to said they don’t know how long they plan to stay but they are settling in with lots of pink tents in the clearing that is surrounded by trees.
They have one portable toilet on the scene and said they are expecting two more. They also say they have running water and they are using electricity from the Daybreak Star Center through an extension cord.
The campers say they are not concerned about the location being far away from services and noted that they can use the bus service that is about a quarter mile away. They also said they expect more homeless people to make their way to the site soon.
The rain was falling on the group and some of the people from the Daybreak Star Center were helping them by providing tarps.
Mayor Nickels has made it clear that the city will not allow the group to camp on city property. They were forced to leave their last location in South Seattle.
