Home Shows, remember why you are there. For better or potentially worse.

moemoe6434

Having done some reading up on Seattle’s current homeless predicament is startling.  Incredible numbers in recent years with no real solution in sight which is incredibly sad, but also has caused some concerns for safety, even in touristy areas:

http://komonews.com/news/local/tourists-attempting-to-visit-space-needle-attacked-by-homeless-man

SEATTLE - A family from Arizona was attacked by a man from a homeless camp just as they parked to visit the Space Needle earlier this month. 

Details are just now being made public of the June 2 attack. Officers responded to a reports of a fight in progress in the parking lot next to the Wells Fargo Bank at 3rd Avenue and Denny Way, one block away from the Space Needle.

There is an unsanctioned encampment with about a dozen tents along one-block stretch of 3rd Avenue, that has been growing over the last three months. Tourists often walk by on a daily basis on their way to the Space Needle and the Pacific Science Center.

Police documents state the family parked in the lot because of its close proximity to the Space Needle. They told police they felt uncomfortable being so close to the tents, especially after someone peeked their head out of a tent and saw them.

After moving their car to the other side of the lot, the family had just exited their car when a man emerged from a tent and became threatening. 

He had a rope and attacked the father, punching him and attempting to strangle him, according to the report.

The report describes the man as delusional. It said he thought one of the family members was the TV star Ellen Degeneres and that he was going to marry her, and that’s why he attacked the father.

Police arrived around 2:30 p.m. and stopped the attack. The man was arrested on investigation of felony assault. Police said he had a Renton address.

The unidentified father suffered facial injures and a rope burn on his neck.

Melissa Burns, who’s lived at the camp for 74 days, said she didn’t know about the attack, but believes it will draw attention to the camp.

“Of course it will increase our scrutiny and make us more likely to move,” said Burns.

Police said the camp has a high rate of drug use and criminal activity. Burns said she doesn’t allow drug use at her end of the camp.

Saying living on the street is never safe, Burns and her husband Shamrock accepted an offer by the city’s Navigation Team of plane tickets to Kansas where they have family.

Other tents are currently preventing the completion of the demolition of a former Car Toys building. Construction crews put out ‘no camping’ signs where tents are located because it’s a safety issue.

But, a frustrated construction worker told KOMO News, they can’t move the tents, saying "only the city can."

The crew has halted demolition of half of the building until the street campers move.

Some tourists said before they come back, they want to know what the city is doing to solve these issues.

"I know it's a problem in a lot of larger cities," said tourist Carrie Guston. “But for me as a tourist, it's not something I want to see or feel unnerving when I'm you know, walking around."

Tourism leaders with "Visit Seattle" said they're hearing more of the same concerns from conventions, associations and visitors.

“Our convention center is in the heart of our extremely vibrant downtown, which makes it unique and attractive for many organizations looking to host conventions," Chantelle Lusebrink from Visit Seattle told KOMO News. "But yes, like many cities along the West Coast, we are experiencing growth in the numbers of people struggling to secure adequate housing, mental health care and services to mitigate addiction. In light of this, we have seen more conventions, associations and visitors asking about what we are doing as a city to solve these issues and questions from visitors about safety when visiting Seattle."

Officials said if the homeless crisis isn't solved, it could take a toll on tourism industry.

Lusebrink added, “we stand with the rest of the Seattle community – our government leaders, community advocates and businesses – when we say we want to be a part of finding both short- and long-term solutions to what we are facing as a city. If we don’t, we do believe it will have an adverse effect on continued economic growth for the city, both in bringing conventions and meetings business, but also in general tourism.”

The attack near the Space Needle happened less than a month after a homeless man raped a woman inside a Ballard car dealership bathroom. 

In that case, police arrested the homeless man who had a warrant, and had previously lived in the Nickelsville homeless camp.

ZeldaZonk

It's definitely a bad situation here. The homeless population is rampant. I actually heard about the incident that happened in the Ballard dealership from an employee at the dealership I usually visit. We were casually talking about other locations, and I was commenting on how small the Ballard dealership was. That's when he told me about the incident in the bathroom and it blew my mind because I hadn't previously heard about it. You just can't be too careful. 

RunIntoTheRain

The whole tone of that article rubs me the wrong way.  Not a word about how there are people who have had unfortunate circumstances occur that have caused them to become homeless and need a helping hand to get their lives back on track. They aren't all criminals.  It's kind of written in a "not in my backyard" vein. Just my opinion, but it irritated me.

moemoe6434

RunIntoTheRain said:

The whole tone of that article rubs me the wrong way.  Not a word about how there are people who have had unfortunate circumstances occur that have caused them to become homeless and need a helping hand to get their lives back on track. They aren't all criminals.  It's kind of written in a "not in my backyard" vein. Just my opinion, but it irritated me.

Agreed, to a degree.  But the articles I have read that while they may not be serial criminals, sleep deprivation, dehydration, and potentially other factors (mental illness, PTSD, depression or drug usage) can make anyone hostile for a moment.  The streets can make anyone temporarily dillusional over time though.

The number of homeless in Seattle has increased by an estimated 30% in just the recent few years.  As a rule, there are a few in every crowd that give any group a bad name. Some are seeking ways to take advantage of people.  I couldn’t believe this particular instance (and the dealership rape) was in broad daylight, mid afternoon in immediate vicinity of a major tourist attraction. 

Trust your gut and be alert.  Crowds will be all over the place before and after the concerts, there is safety in numbers.  My hotel is 2 miles from the stadium unfortunately. I may walk a mile with the crowds, if the crowd dwindles, I may drop in a bar and use Uber for the last mile.  Better to be aware and have plans.