OLYMPIA, Wash. — The owner of an Olympia spice shop was so frustrated with homeless people sleeping in the doorway of her building, she put up a wall to keep them out.
Now, the city has told her it has to come down.
Anne Buck says it’s frustrating. Every morning, she'd find people, sometimes several of them, sleeping in the doorway of her building. When she'd ask them to leave, they sometimes refused until she called for help to get them to move on.
She’s owned the downtown shop for 40 years and started having trouble with people sleeping in the covered doorway area a couple of years ago.
She often finds things they leave behind.
"We have hypodermic needles and we have clothing and pee and poop,” said Buck. “Some guy came in and hung his clothes up in there yesterday. And I said, 'What are you doing?' And he said, 'My clothes are wet.' And I said, 'So? Take them away.'”
So a few days ago, Buck paid a carpenter about $160 to construct a trellis around the opening and install a door with a lock so she could secure the area at night, keeping homeless people looking for shelter out.
“I feel sorry for these people, but I also have to run a business, and I’m going to run a business,” she said.
But a city spokeswoman said that because the building is historic, any changes to its appearance need to be approved. Buck didn't get a permit for the wall, according to the spokeswoman, which is required.
The door also doesn't have mechanical panic hardware that allows people to leave quickly in the event of an emergency.
But Buck says the wall isn't coming down. She’s hired an attorney and intends to fight the city.
“Oh absolutely, absolutely. It’s my right, and it’s my building,” Buck said.
Cox Media Group
