Concerns of crime, lack of support for neighborhood homeless – Part One
Part one: Ron Williams
This is the first of a three part installment.
by Stephen Miller
- The Capitol Hill Times -
Ron Williams, of the Seattle Action Network, has concerns regarding crime during Capitol Hill Block Party. Stephen Miller / The Capitol Hill Times
We’re walking South on Broadway, under the Vivace umbrellas, past the Rite Aid and across Olive Way. The regulars, the weathered faces behind the tattered cardboard signs, are taking on a whole new meaning. Not because I’ve suddenly tapped into some new understanding of the struggles of the Hill’s homeless community, but because I’m walking with Ron Williams, and he’s giving me the background on every man, woman, nook, and alley we pass.
The spot outside the Rite Aid is a hassle. A man standing motionless with a glazed look and worn-out sign is bipolar. An alley off to the right is a hotspot for heroine use. Williams says he used to set up shop selling clothes against the now defunct Hollywood Video, but the guys out front of Dick’s got too hostile. Now he sells candy from this brick wall out front of Seattle Central Community College, watches the students march each Wednesday, turns away the girls who run up asking to trade stacks of used needles for candy.
Williams knows all this because he is a part of this community. He has lived this reality in Seattle and on the much harder streets of Los Angeles. A sturdy, 60-year-old man with freckles and a greying goatee, he talks quickly, explaining that he is in between places, in large part because he gets caught up in trying to help those around him. Today, he is caught up in the Seattle Action Network, an organization he founded, and of which he is currently the sole member, that is dedicated to working with Seattle’s homeless community to mediate problems and find jobs for the neighborhood’s homeless.
When we met, he carried a stack of papers: flyers, pamphlets, pages printed from the Web. He had pulled all this data to support a concern he’s been harboring: that the Hill is on its way to getting rough, and that little is being done to stop it.
“There’s a lot of anger on Capitol Hill,” he says. “Everyone’s fighting for a spot.”
In January, the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness held its annual count of those it could find living on the streets. It reported 1,898 homeless people in Seattle, a 6 percent increase from the numbers reported last year. Williams’ concern is that many of these people are moving from Belltown up to Capitol Hill, a notoriously more accepting neighborhood, and some are bringing the underbelly of street life with them.
“Go to Cal Anderson right now and someone is going to offer you stolen phones, laptops, meth,” he says as we’re waiting to make our way around the streetcar construction. Of his spot outside SCCC he says, “People walk past me almost every other day with a bike for sale.”
For anyone who has spent any time in Cal Anderson, this may not come as novel information, but Williams says he’s noticed a difference from last year. He sees more violence, theft, drug use, and especially antagonism from beggars for whom the Hill’s philanthropic reputation hasn’t held up.
The key isn’t finding a cure, he tells me, it’s preventing the problem. But “outreach isn’t really there on Capitol Hill,” he says. People on Capitol Hill believe they live in an area where they don’t get robbed, “and then it happens.”
Williams has been at his Broadway post selling water bottles and candy in an attempt to fund a brick and mortar office for the Seattle Action Network. Each morning, he uses pubic computers to check Craigslist for available labor jobs that he can then pass on to those willing to work. He points to a row of garage doors facing the western edge of Cal Anderson and explains how much more effective it would be to have a place where people could drop in to find jobs.
Back in front of Dick’s, he points to the square, metal newspaper boxes that often serve as a podium for those appealing for spare change. The guys who set up shop here are looking for money, not burgers, he explains. Hanging out in that spot, you will get some 30 burgers a day. “Who’s going to eat that many burgers?” he says. Instead they stuff the extra sandwiches into the newspaper boxes and pocket the cash.
I can’t help but laugh nervously. He tells me repeatedly, straight-faced, that he’s not trying to be funny.
The office he envisions would also serve as a headquarters from which he could run outreach programs to CH’s homeless youth and mentally ill. When pressed, however, it is clear that he knows the chances of selling enough Snickers bars and bottled water to rent out a space on the Hill is unlikely.
Smaller steps. Today he’s working to get the week surrounding Block Party recognized as Crime Prevention Week. His fear is that the rowdy energy surrounding the weekend music festival will spill over into the unstable, and often drug-altered homeless and gang communities. His hope is that applying the crime prevention label and encouraging the community to take a more active approach to mediation will keep things from getting out of hand. As of this morning though, he doesn’t have enough cash to blanket the neighborhood in flyers and is still working alone.
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Elaine Simons
July 19, 2012 at 12:22 am
I was interviewed for this article and do not see my comments in part one. This article concerns me greatly & does not shine light on the disportinate of services availible on CH. As the ED of Peace for the Streets by Kids from the Streets which has been on the hill for over 17 years & a CH Chambers Member there is some mis-information in this article. First off homelessness on the hill is not a new thing. What is new is the closing of major resources and services while the demand is high. We provide twice a week outreach on the hill including Cal Anderson Park & Downtown at Westlake. Our outreach workers pull a red wagon with basic survival supplies i.e. socks, handsanitizer, dog food and sack lunches from Operation Sack Lunch.
Elaine Simons
July 19, 2012 at 12:23 am
Pt 2: We also have an Advocacy & Education Center on Denny/ Summit where folks can come in & get a hot lunch, use the phone, computer & access other resources such as shop in our free store, meet with a casemanger or enrolled in our GED program. If there is an increase of crime lets not dismiss that many of our homeless community members are very often victims of crime such as robbery, rape & assault and they are less likly to report this as they fear of being re-victimize by the police. As far as the weekend music festival being negativly impacted by the homeless or gang communities, I have a difficult time wrapping myself around that notion as speaking only of the homeless do not have the funds to be able to attend this community festival, if there is any problems it will come from the patrons and not the homeless community.
Thank-you,
Elaine Simons, Executive Director and Co Founder of PSKS
Stephen Miller
July 19, 2012 at 9:45 am
Elaine, this article does not presume to say that homelessness on Capitol Hill is a new phenomenon, but rather that, in the view of a particular individual with extensive personal experience in the homeless community, there is a perceived change that is cause for concern.
As you point out, there is plenty of information regarding this topic that is not presented here. I urge you to keep reading, as this is only the first of three installments, and is specifically concerned with the story of Mr. Williams.
Samantha Garner
July 19, 2012 at 6:19 am
Hey I really don't appreciate the lack of insight in this article. Do you think putting down the homeless is going to solve homelessness on capitol hill . when the homeless on capitol hill have already been outcast ed by society and the neighborhood has been doing right by taking care of their homeless with Food and MONEY. How dare you. You sound like a neo authoritarian and infact your wrong. This article is really skewed and full of hate. How are you going to help a community that you are showing prejudice toward. You all need to get your head and facts straight.
Peace for the streets by kids from the streets has been the homeless supportive agency on capital hill that has engaged the homeless on the hill with all kinds of supportive services with much success and being homeless on capitol hill has been around for over 3 decades at least.
Love Samantha Garner aka Starr homeless on capitol hill for 9 years.
Samantha Garner
July 19, 2012 at 6:26 am
"The regulars" as you say light heartedly are called the chronic homeless. This is not a joke quit acting like it. They are not waiting in line trying to sneak into the soda bar. The are the undesirable outcast ed by society. Homeless for the chronic homeless is not a choice. Your lack of insight destroys my community and brings negative attention to an already vulnerable community.
Samantha Garner
July 19, 2012 at 6:48 am
The gift given to the homeless at dicks restaurant is a relationship capitol hill community has with thier homeless who are chronically homeless, sick , week, and mentally ill. The capitol hill community understand that the homeless in their neighborhood has been refused service from government supportive and religious agency's downtown in the u districts and do not fit into the shelters systems to receive service they do not qualify because they are to old or to sick and many other reasons. The homeless community business owners and residents who are housed all have a relationship and are very aware of the lack of services for the homeless on capital hill. Please talk about the donut dialogues and the relationships and awareness that capital hill has with all it residents. the homeless have worked their butts off building relationships in thier community especially through peace for the streets by kids from the streets homeless agency on capitol hill, and learning self empowerment and self esteem and life skills don't spread hate and act like the homeless are running a hustle to get over on someone capitol hill residents business owners and police are well aware of its homelessness needs and lack of services it is not the chronic homelessness fault that they are still homeless and in dire need od Everything given to them. the homeless take care of the homeless if customers at dicks restaurant give them 1800 burgers the homeless give it to thier other homeless friends and strangers and feed them too. Money buy blankets clothes shoes. They are a constant need… socks. dry clothes seriously. You are wrong for making this sound like you have. the homeless are vulnerable and accepted by their community. Don't knock them down. They do need all the supportive services they can get! But You are not showing the truth of the dynamics on capitol hill.
Ron Williams
July 19, 2012 at 12:43 pm
Lets all end that word 'Chronic'.
Homelessness should not be FUN. Dont live by it.
Alot of people on Capitol Hill work jobs and they work hard.
One of the BEST things the homeless can do and anyone else who may need a job, is to TRY and get one. I will GUARANTEE to get you a job. Homelessness should not be a 'way of life'. Just relying on the word 'negative' and 'putting them down' to state a case wont cut it. There is still a problem. Others than the homeless commit crime. Anyone should know this.
Data, statistics, community input are facts.
If your homeless make yourself a better person. DONT be homeless. Be productive. We know that what one person does, doesnt apply to another. Come on now. I've helped so many become better individuals than what they were doing. Lets not pretend. Anyone who cares about life, and other people and Capitol Hill, should make sure that all is alright there. Anywhere. We know there are other 'out reach' programs. Make them all work. Hit the streets. But show concern for any issue.
Our Mayor, citizens, the police, etc can clearly see dramatic changes going on in this city, as well as in other areas. Is that 'negative' when a group is pointed to? No one says its only a 'homeless' problem, its everyone's program. Bottom line: lets make any problems in this city evaporate best we can. But it all starts with dealing with 'reality' . I do. –
Ron Williams. The Seattle Action Network.
Samantha Garner
July 19, 2012 at 4:28 pm
MR. Williams I am proud of you and thank you for what your doing to help homeless!
Pingback: Concerns of crime, lack of support for neighborhood homeless – Part One « Seattle Action Network
Ron Williams
July 20, 2012 at 1:05 am
Thank you Samantha.
I'm working very hard to bring the homeless better choices in life. And it is working.
I'm also working to bring Dr.Gary Slutkin founder of CeaseFire, and 'The Interruppters' to Seattle, so that we bring down gang and non-gang shootings as much as possible.
Ron Williams – Seattle Action Network
bob
July 24, 2012 at 5:10 pm
the Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative are doing things similar to "The Interrupters" in South Seattle, and other areas
Elaine Simons
July 21, 2012 at 3:41 pm
Steven Miller, I apologize for jumping the "gun" and just now realized this is a three part series and will wait until I see the next two stories to see how it plays out. I was just thrown off as I took time out to speak with you and was hoping you would shed some light on the issues I shared with you.
Mr. Williams, thank-you for the hard work you are doing, I am surprise our paths have not passed in our common desire to advocate for the homeless.
Cheers,
Elaine Simons
MarciaFS
July 24, 2012 at 1:29 pm
One thing I've always wondered, that maybe you can address in this series: Why does Broadway (particularly the stretch between Pike and Republican streets) attract so many street beggars, buskers, etc.? You don't even see as many downtown or on University Way as you do on Broadway. I would think they would have more success if they spread out a bit instead of all clustering outside Dick's and the QFCs.
Stephen Miller
July 24, 2012 at 2:11 pm
Marcia, thanks for reading and taking an interest.
it's hard to know exactly why that is. From the conversations I've had, there seems to be an understanding among many in the community that Capitol Hill is a more hospitable neighborhood.
It's easy to think that those with homes and those without live in two completely different communities. But, while there are some obvious and drastic differences, the truth is that we do not. That tight-knit sense of community on the Hill seems to be just as attractive to both groups.
As for the numbers on Broadway, I've been told it's as simple as the concentration of people and likelihood of them walking out of QFC or Dick's with some extra change. Also, the demographic and immediate interests of those on their way to the Unicorn or Cha Cha seem to make that area less charitable.