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.

Plus: Continuing coverage of Nickelsville in Magnolia

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.