Councilmember Linda Akey reached out to Burien-News this morning to underscore the importance of using Burien’s camping ordinance as a “critical tool to connect unhoused individuals with services they desperately need.”
On Friday, June 28, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of allowing municipalities to restrict homeless camping, thus seeming to render the Burien camping ordinance as constitutional. However, based on King County’s response over the weekend, the battle in the courts will continue since King County states they will not enforce the ordinance. Yesterday, Mayor Kevin Schilling confirmed that King County has avoided direct communication with Burien, opting instead for press releases.
Comments from CM Linda Akey on July 2, 2024:
“The Supreme Court’s decision upholds Burien’s camping ordinance, a critical tool to connect unhoused individuals with services they desperately need. King County Sheriff’s refusal to enforce it not only disregards the will of Burien residents but also delays access to treatment. We need collaboration, not resistance, to address this regional crisis. Burien is committed to solutions – offering services and working with treatment centers across King County. Open drug use shouldn’t be tolerated. The Sheriff should enforce existing laws and utilize resources like the SCORE jail with its detox and treatment programs. It’s time to prioritize public safety and well-being by getting people the help they deserve.”
In addition to CM Akey’s remarks today, she interviewed with Burien.News in June and gave suggestions for how Burien people struggling with addiction can find treatment and recovery assistance nearby.
Content of the article originally posted in June 2024:
At the June 3, 2024 Burien Council meeting, CM Akey gave a report on the many recovery services and treatment centers available to people in Burien and in our region. Voluntary and involuntary treatment services can be found at Valley Cities Behavioral, Evergreen Treatment Centers, and John Volker Academy. Akey has repeatedly expressed her genuine desire to “save people’s lives,” and she believes that allowing people to live in homeless encampments, “being preyed upon by drug dealers,” is “inhumane and immoral.”
To help people get ”into treatment or into housing options,” Akey shared the three primary ways for people to receive recovery assistance:
- Voluntarily admit themselves; or
- After an overdose, medical staff or a doctor can give a “medical referral” for involuntary treatment (there are 16 beds “open and available” at the Involuntary Treatment Center in Kent); or
- Court-ordered treatment, where the “Blake Fix” law allows a judge to give people the option of jail or treatment. (Referred to as “pre-trial diversion.”)
Regarding the “Blake fix,” she cites Governor Jay Inslee in July 2023 as stating, “I don’t want to fill the jails; I want to fill the treatment centers.” Many people in Burien are unaware that there is help or abundant space available for people struggling with addiction, so the councilmember continues to bring this important information to light.CM Akey expressed great hope for Burien as the city engages supportive programs to bring people “off the streets and into a healthy living environment.”
