'Just another day.' Seattle clears Denny Park tent encampment, forcing unhoused people to relocate

People living in Seattle’s Denny Park were made to clear out by the city's Parks department and Seattle police Wednesday morning.

It was one of the first tent encampment sweeps without the city’s now defunct Navigation Team, and one of the few to occur during the pandemic.

Some people were directed to shelter through housing services. But others were forced to move their possessions to a new location.

People living in the park were notified in advance of the sweep by flyers posted to trees and tents over the weekend. The city instructed people to leave by 9 a.m. on Wednesday.

By daybreak, most campers had already left. But about a dozen tents still remained as city crews and police arrived.

Robert Dewitt, who had lived in Denny Park for only about a week, said he stayed until Wednesday hoping to speak with the city's outreach services staff about getting into a tiny house or apartment.

Seattle's new Homelessness Outreach and Provider Ecosystem (HOPE) Team would "continue to work with all those interested in moving to shelter to help them transition over the coming days," the city told KUOW.

Dewitt said no such help was offered to him Wednesday, although city spokesperson Will Lemke later told KUOW that outreach workers had been in contact with him in previous days and, “that would have included an offer of shelter.”

“I've had to move so many times," Dewitt said as he rolled up his sleeping bag. "It's just another day."

Roughly a dozen mutual aid volunteers — equipped with food and moving supplies — helped Dewitt and the other campers gather their possessions and relocate, without city help. Meanwhile, police stood by guarding the entrance of the park as city crews waited nearby for the OK to clean up any remaining items.

Tents were quickly rolled up and possessions stuffed into bags as police roamed the park and closed the park with caution tape.

Mayor Jenny Durkan’s office said the city’s HOPE Team and contracted service providers have offered outreach at Denny Park since last November. Two people, Durkan’s office said, have accepted shelter offers since last week.

City officials later said outreach workers were again at the park on the Wednesday it was cleared out.

But Dewitt's only point of contact with the city on Wednesday was when four police officers and two parks employees approached him at 9:20 saying, “you got ‘til 9:30! 9:30.”

Dewitt and volunteers hurried to get all of his belongings packed and onto the sidewalk.

Dozens of people have been camping in Denny Park for months. City officials, despite public health guidance advising against further displacing unhoused people during the pandemic, said they chose to clear the encampment because of a recent increase in crime in the area.

According to the Mayor’s Office, over 60 calls related to Denny Park have been made to 911 since November. Among them are reports of arson, domestic violence, and assault. Tent fires have also been reported within the park.

The city said sections of Denny Park will be closed for several months as crews address any damage to the park in the wake of Wednesday's clearing.

Shawn Murphy, a friend of Dewitt’s, moved out of Denny Park Tuesday morning, hoping to avoid any altercation with police.

Murphy said he has been on waiting lists for housing for about five years, and has been swept out of encampments by police over a dozen times. He said he’s not comfortable going to a cramped shelter out of concerns for his safety and the risk of contracting the coronavirus.

“I would rather live in a tent on my own than be in a shelter, where you're just jamming a bunch of people in with all of the emotional stress that comes with it,” Murphy said.

He found a new place for his and Dewitt’s tents near Denny Park. After living beneath I-5 and in larger tent encampments before, they said they enjoy this area and want to stay in the neighborhood.

Shortly after 9:30, all of Dewitt’s possessions were packed and loaded into a volunteer’s car. Another volunteer handed Dewitt a cup of steaming chili loaded with shredded cheese.

Dewitt picked up one last piece of plastic before leaving the patch of flattened grass where his tent used to be — the only trace he had ever been there.

The walk to his new encampment wasn’t far, and Dewitt said he was grateful this sweep happened when it was dry and sunny. At the new tent encampment, with all of his things piled together, Dewitt said he doesn’t know how long he’ll be able to stay there.

“I feel even more unstable than I did in Denny,” he said.

Both him and Murphy said they’ll contact outreach services again today for information on housing — as soon as they can find an outlet to charge their phones.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include additional information from the City of Seattle, indicating outreach workers had previously been in contact with Robert Dewitt prior to the Wednesday encampment clearing and to clarify that outreach workers were at Denny Park the day it was cleared.