Dow Barricades Campers Behind Fencing; Allows Tents to Remain in Front of Burien Police Department

King County workers squished dozens of tents together, confining campers to the "Rain Garden" greenspace across from the District Court at 6th and 148th.

by Katie Kresly.On May 16, it was a busy Thursday morning for King County workers as they cleared dozens of tents from the District Courthouse parking lot on 6th and 148th St. Over the past month, the number of tents has grown from two to over 25, with an unknown number of campers. However, this was not a "removal," only a slight relocation to the adjacent greenspace.Burien residents we spoke with thought it was Burien property, but according to Chief Boe, it is King County's property, therefore, Burien has no jurisdiction here. The site is not even included in the "official" tent encampment count. As of two weeks ago, the chief told us there were only 25 tents on the streets of Burien, and this parking lot encampment was not included in that tally.For some reason, instead of finding shelter or services for dozens of people who are in desperately in need of help, Dow Constantine is continuing to allow people to set up campsites, take drugs, defecate and litter on county and city property.[caption id="attachment_17807" align="aligncenter" width="482"]

Raingarden, now encampment with at least 25 tents, across from Burien Police Department. 5/16/24[/caption][caption id="attachment_17806" align="aligncenter" width="483"]

Used kitty litter box, full of waste. Across the street from the parking lot.[/caption][caption id="attachment_17808" align="aligncenter" width="487"]

"This raingarden is making Puget Sound healthier."[/caption][caption id="attachment_17809" align="aligncenter" width="503"]

KIng County security officers watching as tents are moved and fences added. 5/16/24[/caption]We visited the site and spoke with several King County workers, security guards and groundskeepers. We asked, "what comes next?" and "why is King County allowing this to continue without finding help for these people?" They all shook their heads and said the same thing, "it's above my paygrade."A 20-year KC worker we spoke with looked sadly at the beautiful, clean wildland space created by environment-friendly caretakers. He was concerned that it would soon turn into a public safety hazard for the campers and a toxic environmental waste dump for the city of Burien.[caption id="attachment_17805" align="aligncenter" width="518"]

Burien raingarden, across from the Burien Police Station. Dozens of tents in the background. 5/16/24[/caption]The KC supervisor who oversees grounds maintenance said that the only other place in King County that he sees with any continued tent, homeless issues is in Shoreline, and that it is not even close to what he is seeing in Burien.The question many in Burien are asking, including King County workers we spoke with, is "why Burien?"(Images by Burien-News Reporter)