Seattle neighborhood groups, businesses write letter to city regarding park conditions

Neighborhood groups and business leaders around Seattle penned a letter Monday asking city officials to work together to address a "spiraling public health and public safety crisis" in Seattle's parks.

Led by the Downtown Seattle Association, the groups included Seattle Central College, Seattle Parks Foundation and Visit Seattle as well as other neighborhood alliances and community councils.

Instances such as muggings, open drug use, damaged infrastructure, human waste and even a murder-suicide in parks were cited by the groups.

"Because of COVID-19, regular maintenance, programming and events in these parks have been suspended, leaving them without critical management or the usual anchor of positive social activity," the letter said. "Consequently, our parks and public spaces have become dangerous and chaotic — exactly the opposite of what people need at this moment. And acres of park space have been closed to the public because they have been closed by the City, vandalized or are inaccessible for use to the residents of Seattle."

The signers are asking for the creation of an interagency team that will immediately address issues such as public health, safety and maintenance concerns in the parks, calling these public spaces "vital to the health and well-being of everyone in our city."

Among those parks named in the letter included the Ballard Commons Park, Denny Park, City Hall Park, Gateway Park North and Cal Anderson Park, which has been temporarily closed since June 30 due to damage from protests. The city has not released any plans to reopen the popular park located in Capitol Hill.

The letter comes amid rising frustration from residents that the city is not doing enough to address the homelessness crisis. When public playgrounds and fitness equipment reopened earlier in October, some residents reported encampments, trash and needles within close proximity, creating an unsafe environment for recreation in a time where many indoor activities are prohibited due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The city has repeatedly stated that it will not sweep camps during the novel coronavirus outbreak as it conflicts with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance and could increase the spread of the virus.

But with the suspension of the Navigation Team, the team responsible for sweeping illegal encampments and connecting people experiencing homelessness to resources, the city has said it does not have the tools to address the encampments.

"The sweeps of homeless encampments are cruel, inhumane and ineffective," Councilmember Kshama Sawant said. "People are removed again and again and again, sometimes from the same locations, because there's nowhere affordable to go. There are no alternatives."

On Monday, the council approved a $2.07 million plan to expand homeless outreach programs through service providers such as REACH through the end of 2020.

"This legislation is a first step towards an engagement policy that is centered on provider outreach," Councilmember Andrew Lewis said. "We can stop overemphasizing the role of police and underemphasizing the role of our service providers in facing this crisis."

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