Seattle’s homeless population stretches far beyond downtown. North Seattle residents and businesses are also struggling to deal with the issue. To see how the community is trying to find a balance, we take you to the streets of Ballard for a raw and compelling look at the problem.

The Homeless Neighbor is the third in a series of stories partnering Next Door Media sites with the nonprofit Common Language Project and students of University of Washington’s Entrepreneurial Journalism class. One of the authors of this story is Christian Caple, the editor of our newest neighborhood site U District Daily. We invite you to take a look.

First on Magnolia Voice: We just learned that Fred Corbit, the attorney representing three of campers at tent city, has worked out a deal that allows the campers to stay at Discovery Park until the end of the week and avoid a sweep by the city if they leave voluntarily.  The city previousely planned to sweep them out of the site on Wednesday at noon. 

Here is the email that he sent to Phill Brenneman at the City Attorney’s office this afternoon:

 I just finished a client meeting.  I also just got off of a telephone call with Debora Juarez, the attorney for the United Indians of All Tribes.  My clients agree that they will voluntarily leave the encampment near the Daybreak Star Center, by noon on Friday, October 10, 2008, and they will encourage other people in the encampment to do the same.  Also, I have confirmed that the United Indians of All Tribes have given the people in the encampment permission to stay until noon of Friday, October 10, 2008.

 With the agreement of my clients, and the permission of the United Indians of All Tribes, I assume that the City will take no enforcement action against the encampment prior to noon on Friday, October 10, 2008.  If my assumption is incorrect please let me know immediately. 

Fred Corbit, Northwest Justice Project

Even though Corbit only represents three of the current campers at Nickelsville, he says he expects the other members of the encampment to follow their lead and leave the site.

This email follows an offer from Brenneman to give the organizers until noon on Friday if they agree they will not organize or participate in any other unpermitted encampment in the City of Seattle. He also expects that the campers not represented by Corbit will leave the park by that time.  

Fred Corbit, long time Magnolia resident, is the Northwest Justice Project attorney who is representing three residents at Nickelsville in Discovery Park.  He is currently working with the city to keep them from removing the homeless campers who are set up behind the Daybreak Star Cultural Center on land leased from Seattle.

Corbit says that the Discovery Park site is not a permanent solution to the problem and he wants to work with the city on behalf of his clients for a long term plan.

“These are people who need a place to be.  Sweeping them out is not the answer.  There must be a place for them,” said Corbit.  “Where are they going to go?  Are you going to put them in jail?  They will end up someplace.”

He says that his neighbors and friends in Magnolia tell him they are concerned about this issue and he believes most people are sympathetic to the plight of the campers who moved to Discovery Park last Wednesday after being removed from a site in South Seattle.  Corbit has spent time at the camp and said he has seen Magnolia residents who have come by to offer assistance to the homeless campers by bringing food and supplies.

Corbit is representing three individuals who live at the camp, not SHARE/WHEEL or organizer Scott Morrow.   He said his clients will leave if asked to do so by the United Tribles of All Nations but that has not happened yet.

Corbit is meeting with the city today and hopes to reach a resolution before the current deadline of 12pm on Wednesday for Nickelsville to clear out or be removed by the city.

Corbit has been working full time for the Northwest Justice Project since last year.  The group provides civil legal services to persons of limited financial means.  Prior to that he was with the national law firm of Heller Ehrman. 

During our latest visit to Nickelsville, the residents showed us a large teepee that was built in the center of the encampment. They say that representatives of the United Tribles of All Nations set up the teepee and hosted a feast for them as a show of solidarity.

The organizers at Nickelsville claim that the tribes have offered them sanctuary on the land behind the Daybreak Star Cultural Center.  It is not clear what that means since the tribes lease that land from the city.

As we have reported, the group now appears to have until noon on Wednesday to stay at the encampment before the city forces them off the property. About 60 homeless men and women are living there in tents.

Earlier: More coverage of Nickelsville’s move into Magnolia

UPDATE:  Here are details from the police report.  One of the men staying at the camp called police complaining he had been removed for drinking beer.  The man told officers that the homeless camp’s “security team” hogtied him – a claim rebuted by the four other men involved.

The incident started Friday when Nickelsville members voted to ban all drugs and alcohol, according to the police report.  The four members of the security team told police the man who complained of being hogtied was one of five people known to have alcohol. When they called him out, the man said he had a handgun and would kill whoever came into his tent.  The four men went after him. The guy started swinging a hammer. The group told police they planned to tie his hands behind the man’s back, but escorted him out instead after wrestling him to the ground and disarming him.

That man, who called police, told the responding officer he had been one of the coordinators of Nickelsville, but quit his position on Friday because “residents are smoking crack cocaine and marijuana,” according to the report.

“I’ve heard about the dealing that’s going on,” he told the officer. “I’m on Nickels’ side now; I know what he’s up against.”

When the officer arrived at Nickelsville, where he interviewed members of the security team, he could “smell the odor of marijuana in the air,” he wrote in his report. No arrests were made, and the man who had been escorted out of Nickelsville was taken to a homeless shelter.

UPDATE:  Seattle Police spokesperson confirms that they responded to a call from the tent city on Friday night.  She said police got a call from someone at the camp reporting a disturbance but there were no arrests made.

Organizers at Nickelsville tell Magnolia Voice that they had to call police to the encampment in Discovery Park overnight when people who were asked to leave the area became disruptive.  The homeless group has been camping out behind the Daybreak Star Cultural Center since Wednesday night.

The group says they asked eight people to leave because they violated the ban on alcohol use.  They were escorted off the site to the closest bus stop and told not to return.  Police were called when two or three of those asked to leave became threatening.  We have calls in to the police to confirm but we are told that no arrests were made.

Meanwhile, the campers are now spreading out their pink tents and tarps and making what organizers call small neighborhoods.  They are using more of the land behind the Cultural Center.  They say that giving people more space helps to limit problems.

The city has told the group they must vacate the land by 12pm on Monday.  However, the group claims that the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation has now given them what they call sanctuary on the land.  The tribes lease the land from the city. 

The Northwest Justice Project is now representing Nickelsville in King Co. Superior Court and they plan to ask a judge to stop the city from sweeping the tent area on Monday.  The Northwest Justice Projectis a not-for-profit statewide organization that provides free civil legal services to low-income people.  They obtained a restraining order in court on Friday that changed the move out deadline to Monday.   


The group has a kitchen area set up and received a donation of apples today. 

Update:  A city spokesperson confirms that they have agreed to give the group until 12pm on Monday to leave the park.  She says at that point the city will follow its encampment protocal which means sweeping the site and arresting those who do not leave for illegally camping on city property. 

First on Magnolia Voice:  Organizers at Nickelsville now say the city will allow them to stay at Discovery Park until noon on Monday.  The group is also claiming that they plan to seek a temporary injunction and hope to have a hearing on Monday morning as they fight to stay in the encampment.  

In a post on their communication site, organizer Scott Morrow says the group will only move if the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation asks them to leave and he says they have not done so yet.

Morrow also tells the group to be at Nickelsville at noon on Monday for what he calls either moving or resisting.  He is asking for supporters to attend the hearing Monday because he believes a large crowd will help the cause.  The hearing, however, has not yet been scheduled and it is unclear what that would entail. 

We are checking with the city right now to confirm the change in eviction date which was originally set for 5 p.m. on Sunday.

More: See all our Nickelsville in Magnolia coverage to date

First on Magnolia Voice: Just moments ago, Seattle Parks and Recreation workers posted signs telling residents of the new homeless camp in Discovery Park that they have 72 hours to vacate the property. We spoke with parks spokeswoman Dewey Potter who says the protocol would be similar to what happened last Friday in South Seattle. Since it’s illegal to camp on city land, the homeless campers must leave by the deadline or face eviction from Seattle Police. Outreach workers will be on hand to provide shelter information.

As we reported earlier, Nickelsville organizers thought they were camping on “native land,” but it turns out the United Indians were leasing the land from city parks. Potter says once the homeless pack up and leave the camp, park workers will “schedule a cleanup,” throwing trash away and holding any belongings for the owners to pick up later. We will update as we learn more…

Organizers of the makeshift homeless camp that moved into Discovery Park last night said they were camping on “native land,” but it turns out the property is owned by the city, according to the United Indians.

“Obviously we can’t give them permission on city property,” Marty Bluwater, Executive Director for United Indians, told KING 5. This would put Nickelsville back in the same situation as earlier this week: facing eviction from Seattle Police. We will be updating as we learn more…

It does not appear that the homeless encampment is planning to leave Discovery Park at this time.  We are still waiting to hear from the city of Seattle as to whether they will be forced to leave.

Thought you would be interested in this note from Scott Morrow, one of the organizers of Nickelsville that was just posted on their information page.

Dear Friends:

Nickelsville successfully moved to its third location late last night.  We are currently at the  Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center, within Discovery Park.  The address of Discovery Park is 3801 West Government Way.  Once inside the park, there are signs pointing to Daybreak Star.  It’s on the Metro #33 busline.

Nickelodeans are extremely grateful to the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation for allowing us to stay at Daybreak Star.  Please thank them for their generosity!   We are also extremely grateful for the overwhelming amount of community support we’ve experienced over the past week and a half, and last night especially with our complicated move.

Please come visit!  If you are coming by car, please park in the North Parking Lot of Discovery Park rather than at Daybreak Star.  Also, if you are able to help us with trash removal by taking away a bag of trash, we would appreciate it.   Blankets, tents, tarps and food would be welcome donations.

Earlier: Photos from Nickelsville in Discovery Park

UPDATE:  The website for the group now announces the move to Discovery Park and lets members know to take the #33 bus to Magnolia from downtown to get to their location.  This may indicate that they expect more people to move to the park.  If you want to follow the group’s activities, they also have an announcement site where they post updates.

The homeless camp dubbed Nickelsville has moved from South Seattle to Discovery Park.  Wednesday night dozens of homeless people moved onto former federal land in the park that is leased to the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation.

The name of the camp is aimed at Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, who has been cracking down on illegal homeless encampments throughout the city.

The campers set up their pink tents in the park saying they have permission to be there.  They decided not to disclose their plans to move to Discovery Park sooner for fear that others might try to chase them out.

Organizers say that setting up Nickelsville on what they call native land will offer the tent city protection from city laws.  Unlike other tent cities, Nickelsville has plans to eventually transform itself into a shanty town complete with wood walls and corrugated roofs with up to 1,000 residents.

The group has a website with information about their efforts but so far no information on the site regarding how long they plan to stay in Discovery Park.  One of the organizers of the tent city told the Seattle Times that the Discovery Park location is likely to be more permanent than their previous location.

This move capped more than a week of turmoil for the group filled with warnings, evictions, and arrests after they set up camp in South Seattle on September 22.