SEATTLE — The City of Seattle has postponed clearing an encampment near Robert Eagle Staff Middle School in the Licton Springs area due to the excessive heat.
According to city officials, a new 72-hour notice has now been placed in the area.
Despite the pause, neighbors say they are glad the city is finally taking action.
“Fighting, yelling all hours of the night,” said Frankie Barrios.
Barrios says it’s been constant chaos since tents started popping up on Nesbit Avenue off North 90th Street.
“I have to look over my shoulder every time I walk past this place,” said Keith Sibal.
Things came to a head on Sunday, when a fire near the camp completely torched the sidewalk.
“I was just in my apartment and I see a cloud of smoke just kind of rising over, really close to me,” said Sibal.
KIRO 7 first met Barrios back in June when he was walking to the bus stop as a shooting investigation was underway.
“It’s a safety concern,” Barrios said. “I mean there’s a school down the street, there’s been shooting, they have open drug use.”
In the three months this encampment has been here, neighbors say the surroundings have changed so much they don’t feel safe walking down the street.
“As the fire kind of demonstrated, it can be a safety risk,” said Sibal. “I just hope that they put the people who live here in a good place, or offer them some assistance.”
“We do have kids, and parents and kids walk up and down here,” said Barrios.
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