Mora clarifies that constitutionality of camping ordinance will be determined in court, not by the sheriff. Asks Sheriff to enforce the “camping time limit” of the ordinance as it is supports the “safety of our community… and those camping outdoors.”
April 23, 2024, Sheriff Cole-Tindall responded to the Burien community concerns over uncontrolled public camping, blocked sidewalks, and overall lack of public safety by shifting blame back to the Burien City Council. The sheriff directed people to write to their council members, requesting that they “readopt” the previous camping ordinance, prioritize outreach services, and take the $1 million to build pallet shelters. (See original letter from Cole-Tindall below.)
Today, we heard from Deputy Mayor Stephanie Mora. This was her response to Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall:
Hello Sheriff Cole-Tindall,
I appreciate the sentiments expressed in your earlier statement and have included a copy for reference. I’d like to clarify some points. The constitutionality of our recently amended camping ordinance is for a judge to determine, not you or your office.
While I understand your concerns with our ordinance, I question why you’ve decided it would be best not to enforce the ordinance at all, rather than continuing to enforce only the time restrictions, which are the most critical aspect of both ordinances. Therefore, I respectfully request that you authorize our Burien Police Department to enforce the camping time limit for the safety of our community, business owners, employees, and ultimately, those camping outdoors. We’ve already experienced several overdoses, three of which resulted in deaths. We had zero deaths due to overdose when the time restrictions were enforced.
While linking the deaths by overdose to when your office determined it would be best to stop enforcing our camping ordinance is a short study, it’s worth noting. I believe that implementing time restrictions for camping outside in our public spaces provides more safety for everyone involved.
I’d also like you to recognize that many of our deputies have reported countless issues with the lack of presence and progress in helping connect our homeless community to services provided by REACH, the contractor we recently let go. Our contract ending with REACH to find a different service provider was done, in part, at the request of several deputies. Is it your position that we should continue wasting time, resources, and money on a service provider we believe wasn’t meeting our needs? I’d much rather reopen an RFP to see what other providers can offer us and reallocate the limited funds available to a new provider to better suit our needs, which is why I voted in favor of doing just that.
If your position is truly to work with the city of Burien and come to a quick resolution, again, I’m requesting that you allow the Burien Police Department to enforce the time limit on camping as it was previously being enforced while the remainder of our camping ordinance is being resolved in the court, in which you have brought a lawsuit against the city.
Stephanie Mora
Burien Deputy Mayor
Here is the original April 23, 2024 communication from Sheriff Cole-Tindall to Burien community members:
Dear Community Member,
I appreciate the many comments people have sent me to share their concerns about people living unhoused in Burien. I understand the challenges facing Burien and am also concerned. I assure you that our police officers and I are committed to ensuring the safety of everyone in the community, even as we are working through challenges with the City’s recent changes to its public camping ordinance and contracts for social services. The City of Burien could best support the community and officers by readopting its prior ordinance and re-engaging with its social service providers.
Burien’s police officers are committed to ensuring safety of every person living in, doing business in, and visiting the City of Burien. The King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) recently provided information about the work that KCSO has been doing under contract with the City of Burien. Under Chief Boe’s leadership, Burien PD has made 439 arrests, led by 82 arrests for public use or possession of drugs, and 70 arrests for assault this year. Auto theft, residential burglary, vandalism, and assault were all down from last year over the same time period. An increase in robbery was tied to a specific crime spree where the suspects are now in custody. These results were consistent with preliminary 2023 stats, which showed a 7% decrease for Burien in both crimes against persons and crimes against property. KCSO has been responsive to the needs of the Burien community within the scope of the law.
Many people have commented to me about our enforcement of Burien’s public camping ordinance. Before the City recently changed its public camping ordinance, officers enforced the public camping ordinance in partnership with the city’s social service contractors. Unfortunately, the Burien City Council passed a new public camping ordinance in March that police officers cannot enforce because it is unconstitutional. The City of Burien then discontinued social service contracts, which are necessary to have effective enforcement and compliance with public camping ordinances. As a result of these decisions, the City of Burien has taken away those tools which police officers and other community members needed. Burien’s City Council is in the best position to restore these tools.
People have also shared concerns with me about the police enforcing access required under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on city sidewalks. Burien’s police chief provided the city manager options to address access, including for ADA purposes, across sidewalks. Compliance with the ADA is a civil code enforcement process led by other city departments and services; police can provide support when needed or required. Occupying a sidewalk or failing to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act are not criminal offenses that a police officer could arrest someone for.
Your elected representatives on the Burien City Council can correct their action by readopting the previous constitutional camping ordinance, prioritizing outreach services, and utilizing the $1 million and 35 pallet shelters that were offered by the County almost a year ago to help address the challenge of homelessness in Burien. Absent making these changes, the County, the City, the community, and residents who are unhoused will continue to wait for a court to decide the issue.
The County has asked for quick resolution from the court and the City of Burien continues to delay and attempt to redirect blame. People on both sides of this issue want a more immediate resolution from the City Council instead of waiting for a decision from the Federal Court. You can contact the City Councilmembers at their council meetings and by email. The following link is to the council’s meeting calendar City of Burien – Meeting Schedule (civicweb.net) and their email address is council@burienwa.gov.
Respectfully,
Patricia Cole-Tindall
SHERIFF
Original copy of letter:
This letter by Deputy Mayor Mora is crucial in so many ways. First, why does the Sheriff want to make enemies in the Burien community? Some of the Sheriff’s reasoning doesn’t make sense. Not many people want folks sleeping on our streets st night, but for now, a compromise could be reached. If they are off sidewalks and other public areas during the day, citizens could more easily do their daily tasks and businesses could function. Blocking sidewalks and pathways is dangerous and sends a bad message. You, Sheriff, have chosen sides and it isn’t ours. You have made the jobs of the police and security guards more difficult, also. The last time I checked, you are employed to serve us as well.
I totally agree with Deputy Mayor Mora. The refusal of King County deputies and Burien police to continue to enforce the encampment rules in place before Resolution 832 is egregious and totally unacceptable and dangerous to the community. Totally blocking the sidewalk is dangerous for all pedestrians, but it is a special hazard for the mobility impaired who may not be able to navigate around the blocked area. Access to the Burien Library and city hall is completely blocked, drivers who park along the curb must step into the street to bypass the tents. Public property is just that. Property for the use of all of the public, including the tax paying residents of Burien and King County who pay for that property and its maintenance. Why is priority given to a group of people who do not make a contribution to the community as a whole? Their actions, including refusal of relocation services which is documented, is detrimental not only to themselves, but to the businesses and residents of Burien and cannot be tolerated. If this is allowed to continue, so will the slow decline and eventual death of a vibrant downtown Burien.
It doesn’t make sense to me what the sheriff is doing, actually not doing, but I want to applaud Burien Deputy Mayor, Stephanie Mora, for a common sense, reasonable approach to addressing the problem