City crews moved in on Wednesday to clear a sprawling homeless encampment in West Seattle that had become the scene of repeated violence, drug use, and community complaints, weeks after three men were beaten and robbed in a brutal ambush attack within the camp.
The removal stretched from the West Seattle Golf Course up the hill along 35th Avenue SW, with police officers standing by as cleanup crews gathered belongings left behind and loaded them into trucks. The operation came roughly a month after the violent attack near Rotary Viewpoint Park in late March, in which suspects sprayed a fire extinguisher to force three men out of their tent before beating them with a crowbar, a wrench, and the fire extinguisher cylinder. All three victims sustained head wounds, and two were left in critical condition.
Ethan, one of the campers gathering his belongings during Wednesday’s clearance, reflected on the attack. “It was really messed up. They definitely didn’t deserve what happened,” he said. “Some people just didn’t like the way they were talked to, basically, and so they decided they were going to try to kill them.”
For residents and businesses nearby, the encampment had been a persistent source of fear and disruption. A neighbour who declined to give his name described the situation as “horrific,” saying residents at nearby condominiums had reported shots fired at their windows, rocks thrown at buildings, widespread vandalism of local businesses, and visible drug dealing in the area. Kate Le, who works at a nail salon across from Rotary Viewpoint Park, said homeless individuals would sometimes emerge from the wooded area and approach her shop in distress. “His face had dry blood, and he just came over and was acting crazy in the shop, and we were kind of freaking out,” Le said. “It’s scary, and sometimes we hear some people in the back talking and using drugs too.”
For those being displaced, the experience was one of uncertainty. Ariel, another camper, said residents were given 30 minutes to gather their belongings with little guidance on where to go. “They took our names down, and that’s it. We’ve been swept two other times, and that’s all they’ve done,” Ariel said. “They’ve taken our names down and never gotten back to us.”
The city’s Unified Care Team disputed that account, saying outreach partners had conducted engagement at the site ahead of the clearance and that additional time had been built in to connect individuals to available shelter and services. “UCT and outreach partners conducted engagement at the site in advance of the resolution, and UCT built in additional time to support those efforts and connect individuals to available shelter and services,” a spokesperson said. The UCT said it needed more time to compile data on how many people accepted assistance and expected to release that information on Thursday.
The spokesperson also clarified that Rotary Viewpoint Park had been identified for clearance approximately one month before the violent attack took place, based on concerns about trash accumulation, environmental conditions, and broader community impacts. Plans for maintaining the site and keeping it accessible for public use are being developed in consultation with multiple city departments.
