PARKLAND, Wash. — Pierce County deputies were dispatched to Parkland Wednesday to clear out a homeless encampment on 149th Street.
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said 60 people in total were living there. Eight were arrested on outstanding warrants, and two were sent to the hospital for various medical conditions.
Jeffery Brown, a resident of the self-titled Wonderland encampment, said he’s experienced homelessness for two months, and when he first heard that he’d have to leave the encampment on 149th Street in Parkland, he didn’t take it seriously.
“A couple of weeks ago, they said they were going to come through and they were going to boot everyone out the next day or give us three-day notices,” Brown said. “Nothing came of it, so for like three weeks, we thought it was just us them coming through and getting our numbers, and then this morning, we got a rude awakening.”
Wednesday morning, Pierce County deputies let the residents of Wonderland know that if they stay, they would be arrested for trespassing.
The sheriff’s department said it’s working with the property owners to help clear out the debris that’s left behind.
Pierce County Councilmember Jani Hitchen said while encampments aren’t new in Parkland, the size and position of the encampment was particularly troubling for residents.
“We were getting a lot of concerned citizens that were just frustrated and upset that something wasn’t being done,” Hitchen said.
The frustration led to calls for a sweep of the area.
But Hitchen isn’t convinced sweeps are the most effective approach.
“The question I still have is: where do they go?” Hitchen asked. “If we continue to sweep without a planned destination, without a place for them to go, they just continue to splinter off into smaller and smaller groups, set up new encampments, and the process starts over.”
Hitchen also said the displaced residents are spread to neighborhoods throughout the county.
“They end up in side streets and neighborhoods, they end up in smaller areas where they’re more visible to individuals, and encroach on neighborhoods and communities, so you’ll hear more from personal property owners as opposed to business owners,” she said.
Brown said he’s already planned his next move and is working with the Tacoma Rescue Mission to get back on his feet after being homeless for two months.
“I’m going to try to get in one of the programs and into a detox facility and maybe some shared living,” he said.
But Brown has also seen how the forced displacement has impacted some of his neighbors.
“A lot of people here go to work every single day, and you wouldn’t even know, because they’re working right beside you,” Brown said. “A lot of people work fast food around here and now that they get displaced and now they have to commute to work. It could be ten minutes or twenty minutes, but that could disrupt their job.”
Brown now wants to see more resources made available in Parkland and that people recognize the humanity in those who live in Wonderland.
“I would just like people to see that homeless people are people too,” Brown said. “We’re not trash.”