Posted on 07/05/2023 4:49:51 PM PDT by Morgana
A July 4 parade in a Washington state city had to be re-routed to avoid a fentanyl-riddled homeless encampment for 'everyone's safety'.
The 100th anniversary July 4 parade route in Burien, just south of Seattle, was altered to avoid a homeless encampment of up to 20 tents, according to local media.
It comes as Burien cannot remove the encampment due to not having the authority to stop people living on city land - as it does not have a law that prohibits camping on public property.
Debra George, who leads Discover Burien, a coalition of business owners who made the decision to reroute, said it was best just to 'err on caution' and the encampment shouldn't be in the city's 'commercial area'.
And some business owners added they had lost customers because they did not feel 'safe' anymore.
In June, a blaze tore through two tents in the encampment after a man using a fire pit left his tent unattended.
And men were seen 'brazenly' smoking fentanyl on the day of the parade, which attracts families and young children, according to the Discovery Institute.
Burien Mayor Sophia Aragon said the situation was a 'crisis moment' but it would be difficult to pass legislation to remove the homeless because it is such a divided issue.
She told the Discovery Institute: 'There are better ways to work together in the community and not have people pointing fingers.'
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Rerouted at last minute to avoid bad optics.
Surprised this wasn’t the city but in Burien, which is actually a blue collar suburb south of Seattle.
Municipality now on record detailing the problem.
“it does not have a law that prohibits camping on public property”
Oopsie daisie. Too bad they don’t have a functioning government that might be able to convene a city council and pass a law.
A case brought against the City of Boise ID held that a government can not move homeless “campers” off city property unless that had a place for them to re-locate (now known as the “Boise Decision”)
This was challenged in Federal Court and affirmed. This was then brought to the US Supreme court and they refused to hear the case.
It is not one city’s problem as in Burien but all cities’ problem. Thanks to bleeding heart courts.
How can you do that without immediately dropping dead? AFAIK, the fatal dose is 2 mg.
Yeah, I suppose there could be a street-standard cut ratio, but Who would trust that?
As usual, the people of Burien get exactly what they voted for.
That is the approximate fatal dose for a naive user. Development of tolerance means much higher doses can be survived.
The real stunner is that Seattle has a Fourth of July parade in the first place.
Meanwhile, I plan to never visit Seattle again.
It used to be a great city.
No longer, now.
I stayed at “The Edgewater,” on my last visits in 2018.
Easy walk to the Ferry Docks, restaurants, both Baseball and Football stadiums.
Never again.
Good bye Seattle.
I don’t blame you. I live here for half of the year, and look forward to spending less time here in the future. The city is a dump infested with drugs and homelessness, the people are absolutely freaking cuckoo politically, and the state is trying to impose an income tax even though the state constitution forbids it.
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