Illegal Encampments in Green Lake
Green Lake resident Tom sent us a recent correspondence that he had with the Seattle Police Community Enforcement Officer after he noticed several illegal encampments on the Northwest side of Green Lake were occurring and gathering trash.
Here’s the response from Officer Bender:
Though encampments in the park are technically against Seattle Municipal Code, our current city policy is to utilize MDOT (Multiple Disciplinary Outreach Team) to post, outreach, remove, and clean up encampments. This process utilizes multiple agencies. To report encampments to be placed on the calendar, you can either call 684-CITY or use the Find-It-Fix It application that can be downloaded to a smart phone. I recommend using the phone application if you can as you can get email updates on problems that you have reported.
Note: It is my understanding that the city is working on a new policy so this reporting standard might change in the near future.
Respectfully,
Officer J. Bender #6812
Seattle Police
North Community Police Team
Joseph.Bender@seattle.gov
After this response, Tom called 684-CITY where he was told that it is illegal to camp in improved park areas but not to expect anything to be done soon. During the call he was also told that there are evidently over 300 illegal camp sites and only if there is an “incident” will the police or park department get involved.
Tom, like many others are concerned that if these encampments become permanent they may attract other illegal camping. He encourages others to also call the city to express their concerns.
Again, the number is 684-CITY or via the Find It Fix It App.
