Declaration of a State of Emergency in 2010 by and for Homeless People in Seattle & King County
Four years into Seattle/King County’s Ten Year Plan to End
Homelessness, our numbers are at an all time high. Our shelters are
overcrowded, noisy, at times infested with bed bugs, and often consist
of little more than a mat on a floor. We have no place to store our
possessions, and so must carry them with us. Pushed onto the street in
the early morning hours, we are hidden from sight and forced to stay
on the move. We are unwelcome in your public spaces, and are harassed by your police and private security when we stop to rest.

At least a third of us sleep outside, where we are subject to trespass and arrest. Our belongings are routinely stolen and destroyed by government workers who are “just doing their jobs.” When we camp in cars, we are targeted for citations and our vehicles are towed and
impounded. When we come together to form safe, dignified communities, we are threatened with arrest and our supporters are bullied with
threats and fines.

We die, on average, at 48 years of age. Nine of us have died by
suicide this year.

We are the working poor who have been set up to fail. Our low wages, work insecurity, lack of healthcare, overcrowded and unaffordable housing, and unreliable transportation leave us vulnerable to economic disaster.

We are the expendable, the dehumanized, the written off, and the
devalued. We are the sick, the disabled, the mentally ill, and the
addicted. We are the too poor, too uneducated, too old, and too
unemployable to matter. We are the human wreckage of a broken system that denies its responsibility and blames us for our existence.

IT SHOULDN’T BE LIKE THIS. Homeless people deserve and are entitled to the same protections as our housed brothers and sisters: a right to
health and housing, freedom from violence and stereotyping, the
ability to keep our families and loved ones together, and the tools to move ahead and thrive.

In 2010, worse will come. King County, at the close of this year,
reduced human services funding by 46%. Youth shelter funding was eliminated. Food banks funding was slashed to zero at a time of record demand. The state budget crisis promises disaster. General Assistance for the Unemployable, the State Housing Trust Fund, drug treatment funding, and Basic Health Care are all to be eliminated.

OUR STATE OF EMERGENCY MUST BE RECOGNIZED. The Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness is a fraud. The true causes of homelessness – rent increases, gentrification, evictions, and the failure of the market to provide affordable housing – aren’t dealt with, measured, or touched. For every unit of affordable housing produced under the plan, three to four have been lost to market forces.

Top leadership of the Plan has tokenized the participation of homeless people, and has fallen deaf to our pleas for safety, shelter, and community. The percentage of homeless people who are sheltered should be a plan benchmark.

We can no longer wait for the expanded survival services we need today while our “leaders” promise housing in the future.

1. EXPAND SURVIVAL SERVICES. Since the Ten Year Plan began,
homelessness has grown while emergency shelter supply has held steady and funding for day centers has declined. Stop pretending and meet the need with clean, simple decent shelter.
2. SUPPORT SELF-HELP HOMELESS GROUPS (like SHARE). When we run our own shelters, we cost-effectively offer maximum dignity and community to residents. Stable city funding will help us built community-wide solutions to meet the growing need.
3. PROVIDE A PERMANENT SITE FOR NICKELSVILLE. We need a site big enough for a non-moving eco village of up to 1,000. There are over seventy sites in Seattle that will work and only one is needed.
4. COMPLETE THE HOMELESS REMEMBRANCE PROJECT to honor people who have died while homeless. The Tree of Life in Victor Steinbrueck Park and Leaves of Remembrance in sidewalks throughout the County will serve as reminders to us all that homeless lives have value.
5. STOP THE CRIMINALIZATION. Citations for trespass violations,
panhandling, and sitting on sidewalks clog our courts and punish the poor with fines and jail time while denying us due process under law.
6. EXPAND TREATMENT. Drug and alcohol treatment services save lives and money. Punitive policies undermine public health goals and deepen the misery and isolation that often underlies addiction.
7. PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION. As downtown gentrification has pushed more services outside the free ride zone, access to bus transportation has become a barrier to overcoming homelessness. Homeless people should receive free bus passes.
8. SUPPORT AFFORDABLE HOUSING. Strategies to cost-effectively increase
supply must be prioritized over big-ticket infrastructure projects and sports arenas. Encourage market solutions that don’t let excellent get in the way of good. We need housing. Now.

This Declaration was written by people from, and is supported by the SHARE, WHEEL, Nickelsville and Real Change Communities.

REAL CHANGE is Seattle’s 15-year-old Street Newspaper and a cross- class Organizing Project to unite people in working for social
justice.
2129 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA 98121
Web: realchangenews.org Email: organizer@realchangenews.org

WHEEL (Women’s Housing, Equality and Enhancement League) is an organizing effort of homeless and formerly homeless women.P.O. Box 2548, Seattle WA 98118-0334Web: sharewheel.org Email: wheelorg.@yahoo.com

Homeless remembrance project www.homeless project.org

At 1 PM on Monday December 21, we will be holding a joint press conference with our partners at SHARE/WHEEL as well as with our partners at Real Change.

At this press conference we hope to rebut certain erroneous assertions
made in the Seattle Times today by Danny Westneat and others.

Also at this press conference we will be releasing our Homeless
Manifesto so that the City and State are aware of what homeless people
as a group need and desire from the City and State.

Finally as a reminder, we are still in need of funding for our
dumpster and Porta-potty bills. Our current bills stand as follows:

Garbage Removal: $592.13
Honey Bucket & Sink Maintenance: $1,400.23

Also, as you are aware the temperatures have taken a severe plunge
which is dangerous for those homeless people who must sleep either
outside or in tents. So we are asking that those who have extra
blankets or sleeping bags would consider donating them.

Thank you to those who have donated so far and to those who are able
to donate in the future.

Sincerely,
Your Friends at Nickelsville

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Today our present host - New Hope Missionary Baptist Church - has
invited us into their hall to relax, watch some football, and enjoy
the day. We have been so blessed to have had so many remarkable hosts
for Nickelsville over the past 14 months.

Even the host who arrested and expelled us - Seattle City Government
as led by Mayor Nickels - has lightened up a little. Instead of
immediately slapping a Notice of Violation and threatening fines here
at New Hope, they have instead turned to issuing a permit. Maybe its
the start of something big, and not just a brief spasm of compassion.

As Seattle City Government changes over the next 40 days we will be
asking our friends to encourage it's new leaders to allow Nickelsville
a permanent home. Someplace where we can have sturdier structures
than tents, that is eco-friendly, and that will allow up to 1,000
homeless people to stay together and safe.

There are always needs at Nickelsville, so we will mention two kinds
of them today:

SUPPLIES: Garbage bags, blankets, tarps, tents, pallets and plywood
will always be needed. Now that our kitchen has a floor, we need a
mop and broom. Please call the camp at 450-5268 before bringing them
over, to make sure these are still needed. We also miss the burn
barrel the Port never returned.

FUNDING for UTILITIES: We are running behind on our dumpster and
porta potty bills. They are almost $2,000 a month and at this point
comprise 9/10 of our budget.

Please don't give more than you can afford or sustain over the long
haul - because that's what we're all in it for. Instead, think of
groups you belong to, or people you know, who would help if they knew
about it. Encourage them to support us like you already do.

Have a great turkey day. We are so thankful for our friends who've
stuck with us!

November 2, 2009

 NICKELSVILLE IS MOVING ON THURSDAY!!! 

[VFP92] Nickelsville Moving!
Since the Port of Seattle swept us in late September Nickelodeons have been sheltered by St. Andrew's Episcopal Church the first week and Keystone Congregational United Church of Christ for the last month. We're enormously grateful for the kindness and generosity of these two churches for providing us with a place to stay together in an emergency.

Nickelsville will be moving this Thursday, Nov. 5, to New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, 124 21st Avenue. We're thankful that Nickelsville will once again be able to provide up to 100 people a safe, organized alternative to living outdoors alone. The compassion and sense of social justice displayed by Pastor Jeffrey, the church's deacons, and members of the congregation is commendable.

We will need help loading the moving truck, transporting 30 Nickelodeons to the new site, and help setting the camp back up for the first time since the sweep. The port has offered to deliver the things they took during the sweep to our new site, but we won't know until Thursday what the port saved or what condition our camp's possessions will be in.

We would appreciate help loading our blankets and clothes into a truck, giving people rides to the new site, and setting the camp back up. If you can help, please show up at Keystone Church, 50th and Keystone Place in Wallingford at 8:00 AM this Thursday, Nov. 5.

Peggy Hotes
Associate Member, VFP 92
Nickelsville Liaison

Oct 28,2009

NICKELSVILLE STILL LIVES!!! WE ARE MOVING NEXT WEEK

Greetings to our Friends, Allies and Supporters:

Yes, Nickelsville is still alive!!!! A week from today we hope to
reclaim our tents, grills, burn barrels, blankets and other property
confiscated by the Port and set up again outside a friendly church.

30 of us are currently staying in the sanctuary of Keystone
Congregational Church until November 4, 2009. Many of us are
scattered, and a new group popped up in a motel on Aurora.
The core group of Nickelodeons, though, has decided to stay together
in adherence with Nickelsville original mission statement:
Nickelsville is (to be) a PERMANENT, eco friendly, self-managed
encampment of up to a thousand people. It is not based on social
services or staff, but is a self-help, self-managed group. Its main
goal and purpose is to keep people together and safe.

Our prospective host will not make a final decision until early next
week. If, for one reason or another, the church cannot host us on its
land, we will need your help finding a temporary location.

The help we need is not simply money – although there are always porta
potty and dumpster bills to pay. Just as important is your support in
other ways – help with the move, telling the politicians to get with
it, responding with the truth when the press gets confused, and
supporting our request for public land.

When we move on Wednesday 11/ 04, we will need rides to our next site
as well as people who can help us set up camp. We do not know exactly
yet how much of our belongings survived the sweep by the Port’s Civil
Disturbance Unit Police, and might be in need of pallets, tents and
tarps.

If you are available to help us on Wednesday, please call our staff at
(206) 450-9136 or email him at scott@nickelsvilleseattle.

 Oct 5, 2009

As you know we were swept on Wednesday the 30th from the port of
Seattle’s T-107 Park. It was shocking and shattering. Most of us
have been separated from everything we own, except what will fill a
backpack or two.

Since then many of us have been at St. Andrews Episcopal Church on
80th Ave NW. Many more, though, are floating between other places –
temporarily couch surfing, sleeping in vehicles, staying in the
jungle. A sizable number fled to Motels on Aurora. There are some
ideas to try and have a project there. That’s not Nickelsville’s
goal, but we wish them luck.

Many of the Nickelodeons who were swept last Wednesday will not be
able to get back together until we have another outdoor site. This,
and our inability to get our things back until we have an outdoor
site, are two reasons why it is so important someone – most likely a
church – stand up and let us stay for up to 3 months while we secure
the permanent site.

On this Wednesday, the 7th, our core group of Nickelodeons will be
moving to Keystone Congregational Church at 5019 Keystone Place North
(& 50th in Wallingford.) It is a small building with a bighearted
congregation. They are willing to share with us all they have, which
is very moving to us.

We will be staying in their Sanctuary, and it is not yet clear how we
will cook. It is not likely that more than 30 people can fit into the
space. Because two Congregations use the space on Sundays we will
have to be out from 8 AM to 7:30 PM on that day.

We would love to see you and visit, but must ask that you be careful
in the donations that are dropped by – there isn’t much storage room.

At the same time, we have a big quandary. All of our belongings have
either been seized by the Port, or are in one storage group with
friends. In both cases, we cannot recover and take responsibility for
them until there is an outdoor site with storage.

That means some of the clothes on our back have been the same clothes
on the same back for a couple of days. We need to get some new
clothes, and replace some of the other possessions we can’t yet
retrieve.

If you have the following specific item their donation would be very
helpful. If it’s not on this list, please call either the camp number
– 450-5268 – or the Staff number - 450-9136. Then we can tell you
whether to bring it now, or to wait until later.

Here is what we are in need of right now: Winter coats, blankets,
sleeping bags. Men's pants, sizes 34 to 36 shirts, women's size 7 –
18, large to ex large sweatshirts, and also hygiene such as
toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, shampoo, towels, and deodorant.

Ready to eat food for about 30, tents and most of all money to pay for
past and future porta potties and dumpsters are also needed.

If you’ve seen a Nickelsvile Alert before, you know that there are
over 40 pieces of property in Seattle that are sitting vacant right
now that would be great for our permanent site. It’s just that we
have not yet found an owner of such property – despite repeated
requests – who is willing to share.

In the same way there are many churches and charitable organizations
with a patch of land large enough to accommodate up to 100
Nickelodeons for the next 3 months while we secure a permanent site.
We must confess a little disappointment that almost one week after the
Port shattered our community, no one with temporarily available land
has yet contacted us.

Please remind those you know with an unused parking lot or patch of
lawn that they are needed and have a chance to do a great thing!
Thanks!

Oct 1st,2009

NICKELSVILLE LIVES!!!

Using overwhelming force, over 80 armed officers of the Valley Civil
Dispute Unit (aka the Port of Seattle Police and Partners) took back
Terminal 107 Park for the Port of Seattle yesterday afternoon. All
Nickelodeons were expelled, much property was seized, and 12
Nickelodeons arrested.

As the camp was being destroyed Interim Nickelodeon Staff - on leave
from her usual employ - called St. Andrews Episcopal Church Rector,
the Reverend Peter Strimer, to report the expulsion and arrests. On
behalf of Nickelsville, she requested sanctuary for our community. In
the great Christian tradition of the Episcopal Community, it was
granted.

For one week the heart and head of Nickelsville will be located at St.
Andrews Episcopal Church at 111 NE 80th (north of Greenlake and just
west of I-5). No future home - permament or temporary - has been
found beyond that time.

Over the week the scattered Nickelodeons will come back together,
meeting regularly at 6:00 PM at their present home. Some will sleep
there, others will wait until the tents come out - where we know not -
next Wednesday.

Blankets, food, money and tents are desperately needed now. Please do
not bring other things to St Andrews, as there is no storage. All
those - excepting the Port of Seattle Stooge who crossed 'Civil
Disturbance Unit' Police Lines in one last effort to break the resolve
of the Nickelsville 12 - are welcome to the initial 'External
Business' part of the Nightly 6 PM Meetings.

Nickelsville lives because it is a remarkable community of good people
who have an honorable goal and great friends. If you were there
yesterday, or if you have stood with us at some other time, thank you
for being a friend.

More to come soon.

 September 23,2009

September 22, 2009 – yesterday – was our first full year! Friday will
be the anniversary of the day the Nickelsville 25 took their stand and
(thanks to them) the rest of us successfully moved to state land.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26TH, WE WILL BE CELEBRATING WITH NICKELSVILLE’S
1st BIRTHDAY PARTY! IT’S AT 3 PM AT NICKELSVILLE AND WE’RE LOOKING
FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AND THE REST OF OUR OLD AND NEW FRIENDS.

On hand will be hamburgers, hot dogs, Leslie’s Nickelsville Birthday
Cake, Peggy’s 18 Minute Video of the Highs and Lows of Nickelsville’s
first year, music from our many friends and etc.

To speed the cooking of the hamburgers, we are looking for a big new
grill that can handle our firewood. After a year, one of our two
major grills bit the dust last week.

This is the extent of the good news.

The bad news is that the Port still wants to sweep us next Wednesday –
September 30th. While we are grateful for Port Commissioners Tarleton
and Creighton for meeting with us last week, no permanent location has
been found for us to move to.

Without a permanent location, Nickelsville will not move.

If you believe homeless people should have a place like Nickelsville
in Seattle, this is your week to take a stand. You are needed
September 30th. Please check in at the Camp any time after first
light next Wednesday. For that week (September 30th) only, the
Nickelsville Central Committee Meeting (always at 9 AM) will be
meeting at Nickelsville. You are invited.

The more our friends are standing with us, the better the chance for a
good resolution.

Finally, SHARE’s bus ticket crisis will come to a head the evening of
Monday, September 28th. They desperately need drivers to help them
reach the homes the local politicians whose sidewalks they will be
sleeping in front of until this problem is solved. (Thank you to the
14 drivers who’ve already volunteered to help! Vans and trucks are
particularly needed!)

Please give SHARE a call at (206) 448-7889 or (206) 956-0334 if you
can help.

 September 16, 2009

Birthday Party..You are invited!!

Dear Friends, Allies and Supporters:

You are cordially invited to Nickelsville’s Birthday party. We will be
celebrating on Saturday September 26 with an open house at 3 PM. We do
hope that all our friends will join us on that festive occasion. There
will be live music, entertainment as well as refreshments and of
course a cake.

We will be holding a fundraiser that day one of them involving dunking
our organizer in cold water.

It is amazing that despite Mayor Nickels' harassment of our camp and
our friends we have not only survived but we have thrived.

Today, the Nickelodeons will be meeting with Port Commissioner
Tarleton. It is encouraging to know that we still have a dialogue open
with the Port Authority.

Nevertheless, our encampment might still be swept on September the
30th and we still need our friends to keep calling and emailing the
Port Authority and asking them to practice the 3 tenets of good
government: Compassion, Justice and Common Sense.

PS: The SHARE sleep out has been delayed. We received good news from
our friends at SHARE who received a generous anonymous donation which
should supply them with bus tickets through Tuesday the 22nd.

PPS: WHEEL/Church of Mary Magdalene Women in Black will be conducting
a "Cleansing Ritual" of the I-5-/I-90 Jungle Greenbelt area, where
many homeless people died this summer, on Monday, September 21st at 5
PM. This will be a brief ceremony designed to bring peace and healing
to The Jungle, and to call for creative community solutions including
more shelter, support for Nickelsville, and an end to Encampment
Sweeps. Please join them! They will gather at 4:15 PM Monday
September 21st at the WHEEL Office, at 1902 Second Avenue. For more

September 2, 2009

Dear Friends, Allies and Supporters: 

Greetings from the Nickelsville Central Committee. We would like to 
update you on the Nickelsville situation. 

At this time we continue to mourn our friend and fellow camper Al Farr 
who passed away Saturday night or early Sunday morning in camp. We are 
making inquiries to a number of people to set up an appropriate 
memorial service for him (It is our understanding that Al was a member 
of the Islamic Faith.) 

On Tuesday 09/01, the Nickelodeons and their supporters went to 
testify in front of the Port Authority Commissioners. It was 
heartwarming to have so many of our friends and supporters show up and 
speak on our behalf. More than fifty Nickelodeons and supporters 
packed the room. 

Among those who addressed the Port were our friends from El Centro de 
La Raza, The Women in Black, our neighbor Leslie, and many 
individuals. We are optimistic that we have cracked the door open a 
little wider and made headway toward keeping the dialog with the Port 
open. We asked the Port Commissioners not to sweep Nickelsville on the 
30th of September but instead to reconsider accepting our proposal for 
a two month lease with a possible one month extension while we are 
searching for a permanent spot. 

We explained to them that the stress of being under constant threat of 
being swept was counterproductive to site searching and that we needed 
a reprieve in order to concentrate on our goal. We also invited them 
to come and visit our home. We hope that they will accept our offer; 
their reactions to our testimonies and presence at the hearings were 
encouraging. 

Once again, we want to thank all our friends and allies who showed 
up. 

This week we wish to give special thanks to both Mark Hovarth and 
University United Church of Christ for their generous donations. 

Last but not least, our baby is just about one year old. We have 
survived despite the attempt of the Mayor to destroy our camp and 
harass our friends. 

We will be celebrating Nickelsville’s First Anniversary on Saturday 
September 26 with an Open House at 3 PM. We hope to see all of you on 
that joyful day. Leslie has already said she’d make a birthday cake. 

Once again, thank you for your continuous support and friendship. 

 August 31, 2009

Dear Friends, Allies and Supporters:

Greetings from the Nickelodeons. We, a Nickelsville Central Committee
Subcommittee, have met this morning to decide what to do about
tomorrow's Port Commissioner Meeting.

We are contacting you today because we have decided to request your
help and support tomorrow, Tuesday 09/01/09. We will be testifying in
front of the Port Authority Commissioners and try to open up their
minds to the idea of working with us, instead of proceeding with plans
to sweep our encampment on 09/30/09.

It would be great if you were there to show the Port that Nickelsville
has many friends and allies. If you cannot make it, but might want to
go another Port Commissioners meeting, please contact us.
We are asking our allies to try respectfully reasoning with the Port
Commissioners. Our hope is that if we explain ourselves directly,
they may start to open up. We do not want to shut them down by
criticism, but will be plain spoken about the impact their planned
sweep will have on us.

Tomorrow’s meeting will be held at 1 pm at Pier 69 but we will be
meeting at 11:30 AM at the Josephinum on 2nd Avenue and Stewart.
(1902 Second Avenue.)

We do hope to see you there, and we are also asking you to keep us in
your prayers. Once again, thank you for your continuous friendship and
support.

 August 27,2009

Greetings from the Nickelsville Central Committee. We would like to
update you on the Nickelsville situation.

On Thursday August 20th four Nickelodeons met with Port Commissioner
Gael Tarleton, Port External Affairs Director Kurt Beckett, several
other Senior Port Staff, Washington State Speaker of the House Frank
Chopp and his Chief of Staff, The Executive Directors of both the
Church Council of Greater Seattle (Micheal Ramos) and the Washington
State Lutheran Public Policy Institute (Paul Benz) The meeting was
held at the Duwamish Longhouse and graciously hosted by their
Chairperson, Cecille Hanson.

The Nickelodeons resubmitted to the Port a proposal to lease the T107
property to the Duwamish who would allow us to stay for three months.
After the Port raised its usual legalistic arguments that it couldn't
be done, the Washington State Speaker of the House assured them that
he would resolve their concerns in the upcoming session.

The Nickelodeons further accepted the idea that if agreement was
reached, it would be for a two month period, with an additional month
if site searching elsewhere was going well but not completed. Thanks
to the advocacy of all present, but particularly the eloquence of
Speaker Chopp, Port Commissioner Tarleton committed to taking back
this proposal to her fellow Commissioners and asking for their
acceptance.

At the time, it seemed that this might be simply a matter of protocol
and that the Port Commisioners would agree to the proposal brought to
them by Commissioner Tarleton.

Unfortunately, we found out Tuesday that the Port Authority will not
work with us in the manner proposed. They now want no direct
agreement with us or the Duwamish, and have rather posted the Camp
with yet another Trespass Notice Wednesday morning. It tells us we
have until September 30th to get out.

We are very disappointed in the Ports hesitation to work with us
directly and in good faith. 90 days is not at all an unreasonable
amount of time for the enterprise of finding a new (permanent) home.
A 90 day lease would have let us focus on site searching. It is very
difficult to search for a new permanent site when we keep being
threatened with being swept over and over. WE DO NEED this time!

In its press release the Port States "The port has tried to provide a
compassionate response to this situation while also balancing other
obligations to the citizens of King County." Since when does
homelessness deprive one of citizenship? Furthermore, T107 is located
away from residential neighborhoods. Staying there, away from peoples
backyards benefits the good home owning "citizens" of King County, not
just us.

Temporarily changing uses of property isn't something new to the
Port. Contributing to community projects like the billions of dollar
Alalska Way tunnel happens often. Different Port tenants are always
coming and going, piers are always being reconfigured and rebuilt,
more airplane runways and terminal fix ups are constants. All this
churning affects others, like the tenants of the Lora Lake Apartments,
the environment and the taxpayers.

Temporary change isn't something new to Terminal 107 either. It
hasn't always been a Park. Seattle's port and industry totally moved
around the Duwamish River that T107 is next to. T107 land was once a
Duwamish Community, and in the 1930's a depression era shanty town.
Temporarily using this - or other Port property - for the common good
makes sense and is lawful in this new depression.

The Port's latest press release claims yet again that "The Port lacks
the authority to donate land, money or services for housing
purposes." But this is NOT what the Nickelodeons asked for on August
20th. A 3 month Temporary Use Agreement is not a donation, is not
begging for money, and Nickelsville is not Housing. Nickelsville is
just a better way of living together safely in a temporary encampment.

Right now we are still hopeful to come to an agreement with the Port
that gives us a realistic amount of time, since that is in their
interest too. Nickelsville cannot and will not leave Terminal 107,
after all, until a much more permanent site is agreed to. Threatening
to sweep us in a little more than a month is not our idea of working
together, and would wind up being expensive, divisive, and helpful to
no one.

Please keep calling and emailing the Port Authority on our behalf. It
may be the the best way to reason with the Port Commissioners is at
their regular meetings. The next one is on Tuesday September 1st at 1
PM at Pier 69. We will keep you posted on whether or not we will
visit them at that time. If so you will be invited to join us.

Once again thank you for your support and friendship.

August 20,2009

Encouraging progress was made this afternoon in a meeting at the Duwamish Long House that included Speaker of the House Frank Chopp, Port Commissioner Gael Tarleton, Michael Ramos, Director of the Church Council of Greater Seattle, Paul Benz of the Lutheran Public Policy Office, Cecile Hansen, Chairperson of the Duwamish Tribe, and four Nickelodeons.  The outcome of the meeting was that Commissioner Tarleton agreed to take a proposal back to the rest of the Commissioners for approval.  If approved, the proposed agreement would allow Nickelsville to remain at the T-107 Park for an initial two months with a third month safety net.  The time would give parties who were at the table time to work together to find a permanent site for Nickelsville.  The Port of Seattle and Nickelsville would seek a Temporary Use Permit from the City of Seattle for the three month stay at T-107 Park.  Signals from the city are that a permit would likely be granted

 August 19,2009

Dear Friends, Allies and Supporters

Greetings from the Nickelsville Central Committee. We would like to
update you on the Nickelsville situation.

Monday August 17th, the Port Authority police showed up at camp. They
came unannounced, perhaps in a vain attempt to psychologically
intimidate the Nickelodeons. The officers were courteous enough, but
communicated to the campers that they were intent on sweeping the
camp. The Nickelodeons are well aware that the Port Police works for
Executive Director Tay Yoshitani and the Port Commissioner and that
only they could order a sweep.

The Port Police said our deadline is Friday August 21st. That does
not mean that we will get swept that day, Tomorrow, in the afternoon
we are meeting with representatives from the Port, Speaker of the
Washington House of Representatives Frank Chopp, Representative Sharon
Nelson, and leaders of the Duwamish at 4 pm. We will urge the Port to
accept our proposal, under which we would be staying at T107 for 3
months.

Extensions beyond that would require mutual agreement between both
parties. Other alternatives would be a larger permanent site or
perhaps a (soon to be mothballed) County Park. County Executive
Triplett plans to close 39 County Parks. We know of several that
would work.

Our contract is well drafted and it would be a win-win situation for
all the parties involved.
.
We do not expect to be raided on Friday. Still, we do have to remain
vigilant. We will keep you updated of any new development.

Please keep calling and emailing Port Authority Officials as your
voice can make a difference.

Once again, thank you for your friendship and support.

August 16, 2009

Dear Friends, Allies and Supporters.

Greeting from the Nickelsville Central Committee. One the topics discussed this week was the transportation Crisis that the camp is encountering. Some of you might not be aware that the closest bus stop is 1.2 miles away from the encampment.. This is a problem for those Nickelodeons who are elderly or disabled..

Some of the alternatives to get the campers to and from the bus stop ate:

-         Asking Metro for a new bus route..

-         Contacting Hopelink to arrange for rides.

-         Jitneys (the little cart used on railroad tracks).

-         Having volunteers drive a shuttle to and from the bus stop.

-         Get a vehicle for the camp to use as a shuttle.

-         Since we are located on the river banks: get a long boat, canoes or row boats.

-         Get a donkey with a cart as these are gentle, resilient animals who unlike horses do not get sick easily and  can grass on all terrains.

-         Get a variety of bicycles (including a recumbent bike for disabled campers as well as tricycles for those Nickelodeons with bad balance).

-         If Nickelsville get a Bicycle fleet, we would need to have parts and someone willing to help us or at least teach us how to fix them.

We are asking our friends to please help us brainstorm and email us any suggestions you might have to  Scott@Nickelsvilleseattle.org

 August 12,2009

At 3:22 this afternoon the Port of Seattle told King County 
Superior Court Judge Paris Kallas they were withdrawing 
their request for an Order to Show Cause Hearing tomorrow. 
Nickelodeons view this as great progress and thank you and 
all who have contributed.

We are delighted the Port of Seattle is stepping back from 
their absolute assurance that they cannot "engage in the 
necessary support of the poor and infirm" (in the words of 
Article VII, Section 7 of the Washington State Constitution 
which authorizes municipal corporations like the Port to 
help poor people like the Nickelodeons.)

Now they are asking others to review the matter - like the 
State Auditor and State Attorney General.

Nickelodeons know that the organization that reshaped the 
Duwamish and built Sea Tacs Third Runway can figure out how 
to let homeless citizens - in this time of depression - 
live peacefully (if they want too.)

The Port still wants everything resolved before August 21st.
Nickelodeons ask their friends to make clear:

1) Where there's a will there's a way - and we expect the port to
find it and

2) If the Port falters, the rest of us are still sticking together,
and taking a stand at Terminal 107, because sometimes the right thing
to do (really) needs to be done.

PS Mark your calenders now for Saturday September 22nd. That's the
date of Nickelsville's First Anniversary, featuring an Anniversary
(and PortaPotta Fundraiser) Party at Terminal 107!

August 12, 2009

Greetings from Nickelsville!

Tomorrow morning at 10 AM in King County Superior Court an eviction
hearing initiated by the Port of Seattle will be held before Judge
Paris Kallas. Many Nickelodeons, Veterans for Peace Chapter 92, and
our organizer were served with eviction notices. The court building
is located at 516 3rd Avenue in downtown Seattle Room E209. We would greatly
appreciate the presence of as many supporters as possible. Please
join us tomorrow morning!

Thank you if you’ve taken the time to contact the Port on our behalf.
It’s critical that the Port continues to receive pressure from the
public to allow Nickelsville to stay at T-107. www.nickelsvilleseattle.org
has more information about how the Port can help. Please contact:

Tay Yoshatani, CEO tay.yoshatani@portseattle.org 206-728-3000
Bill Bryant, Commissioner bill.bryant@portseattle.org 206-728-3034
John Creighton, Commissioner john.creighton@portseattle.org
206-728-3034
Patricia Davis, Commissioner patricia.davis@portseattle.org
206-728-3034
Lloyd Hara, Commissioner lloyd.hara@portseattle.org 206-728-3034
Gael Tarleton, Commissioner gael.tarleton@portseattle.org 206-728-3034
Web contact form: http://www.portseattle.org/about/contact/

The People for Puget Sound, a local environmental group, have
organized a Clean-Up Day at T-107 for this Saturday, August 15th, at
10 AM. Come help Nickelodeons become stewards of the park and work on
the clean up. Contact Ginger MacDonald at restoration@pugetsound.org
or 206-890-3527 so she can coordinate volunteers and equipment.

Bus stops for Nickelodeons are a mile in either direction, making
bicycles a necessity. If you’d like to donate bicycles in working
condition please bring them to the camp at T-107 Park. Call
206-450-5268 for further directions.

Thank you!

August 10, 2009 

We hope that you can make it Thursday morning for Nickelsville's court s   date...Presided by the Honorable Paris Kallas, Superior Court of King County, 516 3rd ave, Seattle Room E-209 at 10 AM.  

August 9,2009

 Ask port to do whats right and legal/Court Hearing 10 AM Thursday

PORT CLAIMS UNMASKED!

For weeks now the Port has said they can't let Nickelsville stay at
Terminal 107 because that would be breaking the law. When pressed
they have pointed to an Audit by the State Auditor which dinged them
for a number of screwy things.

Now we have proof positive that this Audit doesn't make Nickelsville
ilegal at their present location: First, we have uncovered contracts
for shelter between the Port and SHARE which covered the period when
the audit took place. The State Auditor made no issue with these
contracts (probably because the State Constitution clearly allows
'help for the poor and infirm.'

Secondly, the State Auditor himself directly told the Speaker of the
Washington State House of Representatives that nothing in the Audit
prohibited the Port from helping Nickelsville at T-107.

On Thursday the Church Council of Greater Seattle, the Duwamish Tribe,
the Lutheran Public Policy Institute of Washington State,
Representative Sharon Nelson, the Chief of State for the Speaker of
the Washington State House of Representatives and several Nickelodeons
met with the Port of Seattle at the Duwamish Longhouse.

The Port was presented with two contracts, one with the Duwamish and
one directly with Nickelsvilles financial sponser - Veterans for Peace
Chapter 92. Both contracts have the same format, terms and
conditions that were acceptable to both the Port and the State Auditor
when used by SHARE and the Port from 2001 to 2005.

If the Port is serious about negotiating a solution in good faith,
they will quit trying to claim that they can't legally allow
Nickelsville at Terminal 107. And unless they can show a better
solution for where homeless people can sleep tonight, they will allow
Nickelsville at T-107.

At the NickelsvilleSeattle.Org home page - right under the August 5th
Announcement and Directions, are links to all the documents cited
above - the State Auditors Report, the Port/SHARE Contract, the
Proposed Duwamish and VFP Contracts with the Port for Nickelsville to
stay at Terminal 107.

Look them over for yourself, and then encourage the Executive Director
of the Port and the Port Commissioners to do the right thing and reach
agreement with Nickelsville. The Port Commissioners will be meeting
Tuesday, so this is an important time for them to hear from you.

Also, please thank all those who have worked to bring the truth to the
port - especially Representative Nelson, House Speaker Chopp, Duwamish
Chairperson Hanson, the Church Council, and the Lutheran Policy
Institute.

REMINDER: On Thursday at 10:00 AM in the King County Superior
Courtroom of Judge Paris Kallas the Port will attempt to get a Court
Order evicting the Nickelodeons from Terminal 107. Individual
Nickelodeons - plus Veterans for Peace - have been targeted by the
Port in this action.

Your presence will help increase the possibility of justice being
served at this hearing. Come support us if you can!

The Port has been asked to reconsider this action, and if they do so -
or if the hearing time changes - we will post it here immediately. 

 August 5, 2009

Dear Friends, Allies and supporters:

The Nickelsville Central Committee would like to thank you 
for your continuous support.

We have several updates to share with you:

a) On Friday 7/31 the Port Authority served some individual
Nickelodeons as well as Veterans For Peace Chapter 92 with
(defective) eviction papers. These are the kind of legal 
documents that a landlord serves to his/her tenants prior 
to eviction (an unlawful detainer process). A written 
response is due by August 11th . The named and served 
Nickelodeons then have to go to King County Superior Court 
on Thursday August 13 at 10 AM. We are asking our friends 
to show up and support us. This is a very important court 
date since if the “eviction” goes through, this would go 
in the rental history of the individuals cited and would 
jeopardize their chances of getting housing in the future.

b) The Nickelodeons have been asked by local environmental-
ists to help clean up the Duwamish River. This is great 
news as we do strive to be good neighbors and are attuned 
to conservation.

c) On Saturday August 8, we will be attending the Duwamish 
Festival at the Duwamish Park. We are looking forward to 
having a nice day with our neighbors and making new friends.

d) Nickelsville is having an open house very soon, all are 
welcome. Stay tuned for a date and time.

e) Last but not least, we have a wonderful legal team but 
are looking for a lawyer who specializes in audit and/or 
leases. If you are a lawyer willing to work pro bono and 
have some fun, join our team.

Once again thank you for your friendship

******

Directions:

To get to Nickelsville, take the bus #21 

from 1st and Pine and get off at the Harbor 

Island Terminal. Walk 1 mile South on 

West Marginal Way. The camp is located at

 Terminal 107 

Thank you for your continuous friendship and support. If you have any questions, you can email scott@nickelsvilleseattle.