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In October 2023, the Burien City Council made a decision that reflects a firm commitment to principles of social responsibility. We passed several measures aimed at keeping our community safe, including allowing law enforcement to remove permanent tent encampments on public grounds. These measures are reasonable, legally defensible and popular with Burien residents.
Burien is a predominantly working-class suburb of Seattle with a population of around 50,000. As such, we contract with the King County Sheriff’s Office to provide law enforcement services to the city, and the city pays millions of dollars each year for it. For months, our common-sense policy that regulates tents to keep public spaces safe was enforced without incident.
But a few weeks ago, the city reached out to Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall to discuss our concerns with the Sheriff’s Office not enforcing drug laws in Burien’s downtown core. Instead, the sheriff — appointed by King County Executive Dow Constantine — was pressured to direct deputies not to enforce our tent-regulation measure.
Instead of sitting down with us to discuss concerns, the county government filed a legal complaint in U.S. District Court against Burien to say they don’t want to have to enforce the law passed by an elected body of a city. This is a dereliction of duty, a bad use of taxpayer resources and — above all — a tragic sense of priorities during this worsening crisis.
Since the sheriff stopped enforcing Burien’s ordinance, there have been four overdoses and two deaths at encampments in our city. The most recent death, from an overdose, was on Friday, and within the same hour, a fire started at the same encampment where the man died.
Despite calling the situation a “crisis,” regional leaders have not acted with any urgency. Worse yet, county leadership has decided to become an obstacle.
We should invest in what works: transitional housing and treatment for addiction and mental health. It’s also time to give up what doesn’t work – unrestricted encampments have only exacerbated the crisis. We can’t keep throwing money at a problem without getting positive results. Money is not an outcome.
Fentanyl overdoses in King County continue to skyrocket. Tragically, Burien’s primary encampment recently added to that somber count. Instead of lawsuits that waste taxpayer time and money, the county government should be focused on encouraging folks to accept services no matter where they are.
Like most communities around Seattle, Burienites come at homelessness empathy first. That’s why Burien’s City Council has strongly supported effective programs. Successful public-private partnerships have led to hundreds of permanent supportive housing units, behavioral health beds and affordable housing units in Burien.
I also have first-hand experience responding to this crisis, alongside dozens of compassionate folks in Burien. My uncle was homeless, and my family helped him get back on his feet. For years I’ve volunteered with Union Gospel Mission’s Outreach, St. Vincent de Paul’s homelessness program, taken dozens of youth groups to Catholic Housing and community services programs and donated to causes dedicated to eradicating homelessness.
As a Democrat, I believe in the potential for government to help vulnerable populations. That’s exactly why I support accountability. Because government can make an impact on lives — through treatment, emergency shelter or accountability measures — it’s a moral failure to double down on failed approaches.
In coming years, I hope Burien, and cities like it, will become a regional leader in streets-to-workforce programs to provide the occupational support people need after drug rehabilitation and housing support.
I understand that some will be critical of Burien’s approach. But it’s time for local leaders to start pushing back against the bad habits of regional leadership. That includes standing up for the enforcement of reasonable local approaches.
King County voters have been clear for years. It’s time to prioritize public safety over politics and treatment over tents. If King County’s leadership won’t listen, cities like Burien will be forced to go it alone.
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