City of Burien approves public camping ban
BURIEN, Wash. - The Burien City Council voted on Monday to approve a public camping ban after months of heavy debate and postponing votes.
In a 4 to 3 vote council members voted late Monday night for the ban. It would make public camping a misdemeanor if the person is offered shelter and they decline it.
If shelters are not available, that is the exception to the ban enforcement.
This vote was all in an effort to address the city's homelessness crisis. It was modeled after an ordinance in Bellevue.
The ban will go into effect on Nov. 1.
The city of Burien was previously offered $1 million by King County, according to City Manager Adolfo Bailon the offer still stands however during Monday's meeting he said it would now cost $200,000 more to build a tiny home village. Funding he and other city council members say the city does not have.
Currently, an encampment is siting off Ambaum Blvd and 120th Street just south of White Center. Dozens of unhoused people like Elizabeth Hale, 46, have been forced to move from one location to the next. Hale says her husband lost his job due to the pandemic; they struggled to pay rent and eventually were evicted, landing on the streets.
"People don't realize what we go through on a daily basis cars driving by yelling kill yourself out the window," Hale said.
Many here started off next to Burien’s City Hall.
Many started on a small stretch of land they were pushed off to turn into a dog park and forced to move to Dottie Harper Park, then onto sidewalks as talks of what to do continued without answers.
"We want housing, we just want to be treated fairly, and good conditions, we don’t want to be out here, any more than people want us out here," Hale said.
She's afraid of what the camping ban will mean for her, her husband and their dog along with the dozens of other unhoused people in the encampment.
"It’s scary, because most of us have no place to go," Hale said. "Here we have each other, you know, we are like a family."
Right now, the only help available is those like Eliza Bakulijira, a good Samaritan and nearby resident who stopped to give her and several others milk, water and fruit.
"That’s a really sad thing, people should feel compassion for these people because they're going through a lot," Bakulijira said.
Compassion is one thing some Burien residents say their leaders are lacking. Over 25 people shared their point of view on the ongoing issue over public comment. Patricia Hudson a 29-year resident of Burien urged leaders not to pass the ordinance.
"Policies criminalizing homelessness can make it more difficult to afford and qualify for housing," Hudson said. "These ordinances continue the cycle of displacing people without providing any safer alternative place to live."
The issue has divided many. Others say it’s about safety claiming these encampments lead to criminal activity. Linda Akey who lives across the current encampment was in favor of the ordinance.
"We must stop enabling homeless encampments," Akey said. "We must reject tent encampments as a solution and shift the conversation to treatment and housing,"
City leaders say the encampment will not be cleared. Social services will work with folks and connect them to shelters and or other services in the next month.
One of the issues has been lack of space at shelters, Deputy Mayor Kevin Schilling says the ordinance will help with that.
"What we’re lacking the most across King County and the nation are shelters for men, so we need folks to step up either nonprofit or a church to get more shelter permitted," Schilling said.