On Wednesday morning, the Seattle Police Department cleared the sidewalks opposite City Hall of homeless encampments, giving the 16 remaining campers two-hour notice. The surprise sweep ended a two-and-a-half-week standoff with advocates and mutual aid volunteers of the Stop The Sweeps coalition who successfully blocked an earlier attempt to remove the encampments by hosting a rally at the site.
The Mayor’s office said the sweep was intended to restore use of sidewalks, but workers soon put up fencing that blocked sidewalks on the Civic Square block just west of City Hall.
By evening, the fencing was pulled back which made most of the sidewalk usable again. Jamie Housen, spokesperson for Mayor Bruce Harrell, said construction will soon commence at a highrise that has long planned for the block — but also long delayed. Bosa Development is building a 58-story tower with 422 high-end condominiums at the site, which used to be the Public Safety Building before the City demolished it in 2005, citing its disrepair. They will also add a public plaza as part of a deal with the City.
