[EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a Letter to the Editor, written and submitted by verified resident. It does not necessarily reflect the opinions of South King Media, nor its staff.]
Dear Community,
I started with a plan to write this letter in response to the hateful and dehumanizing comments on the recent story about a man driving his car into the encampment near the courthouse. I wanted to share stories about my friends in the camp, the young veteran who cares for cats, the man who carves beautiful walking sticks and has lived in Burien five years longer than I’ve been alive, the kind woman who tries to keep the community structured enough to protect everyone. But I don’t think the people applauding the driver or expressing support for the attack will be persuaded by these stories. And I don’t think anyone should have to prove their humanity to the rest of us, to “earn” the right to peace and safety. No one deserves to have a car driven through their home. No one.
So I’m not writing this letter to the people who don’t see our unhoused neighbors as human; I’m writing it to you. You, my neighbor and fellow community member. You know this was an unjustifiable and dangerous crime. You, who cares about the peace and safety of our community. You who have been silent because you don’t think your voice will make any difference or because you don’t see what any of this has to do with you. We need you and your voice now.
In our city, people with money and power have worked hard to convince us to turn on each other. To blame those with less for our own struggles. To depict the unhoused as a kind of blight that we need to be rid of, instead of the symptom of larger (and admittedly more complicated) systemic issues like stagnant wages, rising costs, dysfunctional health systems, and the shortage of housing in our region. You likely experience this yourself; maybe you live in Burien and commute to another city for work because you can’t afford to live in the city you work and you wouldn’t get paid enough to work in the city where you live. Maybe you’re working multiple jobs or struggling with the cost of child care or nutritious foods. And you understand our unhoused neighbors aren’t to blame for this.
Nationally, a VP candidate is stirring up violence against immigrant communities with dangerous lies. Globally, we’re watching in horror as innocent civilians are murdered because of their ethnicity, religion, or tribe in Gaza, Congo, Sudan, and more. It might feel like each of us has no role in this violence, but I believe that we do and that it is directly tied to the hateful rhetoric right here in Burien. We are being asked to blame whole groups of people, to treat them as a threat or a burden. We are being asked to believe that those among us with the fewest resources, (instead of those hoarding the most,) are the cause of our struggles.
I don’t believe this and I don’t think you do either. But right now we are hearing from the loudest voices who do. We need to hear from you – our elected officials need to, your neighbors need to, and unhoused people who feel so demonized and dehumanized need to hear that there is a community ready to support them and welcome them. Please, don’t silently shake your head and move on. Speak up. Make words of decency and kindness too loud to hear the shouts of hate.
If you’d like to organize with more of us trying to make Burien a kinder and more connected community, please consider emailing Housing4Burien@gmail.com to get involved.
– Kelsey Vanhee
Boulevard Park
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Nowhere in your letter do you openly admit that drug addiction and mental illness are the primary reasons the camp exists in the first place. You paint this as a humanity issue, then disregard the obvious reality of enabling and condoning an unsustainable lifestyle choice as it’s the publics fault. How about instead of blaming society at large you get the squatters to except the help that’s consistently offered so the camp goes away and everyone succeeds.
Surprisingly you seem to not be aware that the things you mention (addiction and mental illness) are not lifestyle choices. They are not moral failings despite your opinions. They are illnesses that require complex treatment that is offered in a patchwork and broken system. Having humanity for those suffering from these illnesses is no different. Perhaps you should focus on your own humanity for a moment and realize that those people in the encampments are just that…..PEOPLE.
I have humanity, and it shows by my refusal to sugarcoat the entire issue and perpetuate it by softness and enabling.
I don’t bury my head in my hands while exclaiming “oh the innocent junkies who steal to support addiction or, the raving angry guy threatening others just needs a hug.” No, I expect society and others to quit having, or using excuses and deal with this and quit excepting it as normal.
That is probably because drug addiction and mental illness are usually secondary reasons for homelessness, and are not typically the driving cause.
More people become addicted to drugs by being homeless than become homeless by being addicts.
I am a Master Addiction Counselor and licensed Substance Use Disorder therapist. “Addiction” is rightfully called a Substance Use Disorder. It is a mental health disorder. To assume addiction and being unhoused are identical or cause-and-effect is ignorant and serves no purpose in rectifying the problem. Did you know that alcoholism is highest in the military and police forces? No one talks about the houses who are addicts. Let’s come together over this issue. Stop being hateful.
Open your house and property up to them, allow them to live with you… don’t preach.
Thank you for your work and well written piece!!
Your appeal to emotion overlooks the real issue: the safety and well-being of the broader community. While it’s unfortunate that some individuals are homeless, tolerating encampments that disrupt public spaces and pose health and safety risks is not a solution. Blaming “people with money and power” is a tired cliché that ignores personal responsibility and the impact of enabling destructive behaviors. Comparing local concerns to global atrocities is a gross exaggeration that trivializes real suffering. Encouraging silence in the face of illegal activities under the guise of compassion only perpetuates the problem. Instead of lecturing others, perhaps focus on practical solutions that address both the needs of the homeless and the rights of the community.
Embarrassed and shamed of Burien. I can now smell the urine on the west side of Ambaum. Burien…the toilet of King county.
Your romanticism of the criminal drug addicts who inhabit the homeless camp on 148th street seem naive. These are not the “kindly hoboes” that you write of. These are hardcore criminals and drug addicts. I deal with these people every day. I think of the dirty, tweaked out guy laying on the ground who built a small fire next to our store so he could smoke some drug sand then go dance in traffic or the man who threatened me last week and then assaulted the officer who eventually caught him. The community is FED UP.
Some of that type of activity has happen in burien for years now . Like 20 years ago i was catching the 130 bus home at 11:30 pm at the old park and ride and some guy pulled a knife on me luckily one my friends knew the guy told him knock it off or that knife was going in him . Then multi able times there was a black guy at the park and ride that would openly smoke crack on some aluminum foil while waiting for the bus in the middle of the day . Then another day I was shopping with a family member at the old Bernie and boys grocery store 15 years ago and some lady used her child’s stroller with her child in it to shop lift items . Then back when sarrs was in that same spot as la fitness they had shop lifting issues all the time that was before any encampment’s were around . I remember one day I got off the bus downtown and there was a asian guy trying sell hot dogs he stole from sarrs it was a bag of packs of hotdogs but half of them where dark green . I walked away trying not to vomit .
Well, Chris, I know what you guys have done for a long, long time and that is help people get decent work when they are down on their luck. Even drug addicts and alcoholics. I have seen that over and over and over. So when you speak about these issues, I listen and respect your point of view. Thank you for all your family has done for Burien over the decades. It is very hard to believe where we are now.
You can easily tell which commenters are part of the hate being spread in Burien. I applaud both the courage and kindness of the author here. It’s patently true much of the area has devolved into the “hatred of others” being fostered by a certain party / presidential candidate. It’s incredibly uneducated and unsophisticated. I’ve become embarrassed to admit I Iive in the Southend. Do better.
How presumptuous of you to try to associate anyone who disagrees with the author as a “certain” party member. To be tired and frustrated by the issues facing Burien, and not buying in to the authors ideals has nothing to do with a pending election. Do better
To be honest, as a Socialist, I would be more likely to blame Liberals for the current attitude.
Liberals are just as likely (if not more so) to be NIMBY, or only have empathy when it doesn’t directly affect them.
It’s where the catch phrase “Scratch a liberal, and a fascist bleeds” which means roughly that Liberals are only allies to the working class so long as they are not personally affected.
I am sick of the graffiti I see wherever homeless gather. It is wrong to vandalize property just because you’re homeless. And there are piles of garbage all over Burien. The town looks trashy. I have also noticed people soliciting and using their children to gain sympathy from passerby, sometimes they venture into traffic to solicit from cars stopped at lights. This is a safety hazard and I have notified police. There are plenty of local charities and food banks who will help families in need.
I respect your respect for human beings in general but unfortunately there is a line between good and evil. Let me ask you and I’m assuming your an adult… what do you do when you have children, do you raise them so to speak and why do you do that? The question your letter sits on is… if someone breaks a law, whats the recourse? Your dismal attempt at claiming to know someone somewhere regardless if there homeless, not homeless, living at the Burien camp or not – doesn’t hold any weight…… Did you know Carl knows a guy in the KKK that has mental disorder so would everyone need to believe in what he believes because hes just a human too? And Sherry knows a woman who’s apart of ANTIFA and shes battled against the police and been arrested, broken public windows protesting in Seattle and wanted to defund all police forever but one should let her actions go unpunished because its just what she believes in right, shes human? And Marcus knows a guy who lives in the Burien encampment too, this man smokes Fentanyl like chimney and sells it right out of his tent and says hes never stopping regardless of the help, but lets disregard this because hes just human right? Shoot I know some folks too, we could just keep explaining people we know OR we could actually come up with a sustainable method for fixing the problem instead of enabling it.
Hi John, Thank you for this post. I am glad you are commenting on here. Sanity is in short supply in South King County.