SEATTLE — Homeless encampments can be a common site in some Seattle areas, which appears to have led someone to hang over a sign over one of the "newest neighborhoods" in Ballard -- with the sign "Welcome to Tweakers Junction."
Dozens of Reddit users are taking to a photo's comment thread to leave thoughts about the city's struggle with homelessness and housing.
"I'm in this neighborhood twice a week, about two blocks down in the direction this photo was taken. I've had a couple run-ins with this crowd, including one intruder into our building," one user on Reddit wrote in part. "I've been in this part of Ballard for 6.5 years, in the same location. We've never seen this sort of behavior before the last six to eight months. These guys are belligerent and bold. The city's answer is to do too little or less, based on the population growth of Tweaker's Junction."
It's unclear who hung the sign.
So-called Tweakers Junction is in Ballard toward the Fremont area, and as it’s not near the new encampment set up by the city over the summer near the Locks – some Reddit users still expressed concern on Tuesday.
Many Ballard residents say they were "blindsided" over the plans to put that homeless camp in their neighborhood. It's located in a lot that sits near a bar, Sloop Tavern, and not far from a medical marijuana dispensary and a liquor store.
"This isn't just a Ballard issue. People in Queen Anne, people in West Seattle, people across the city should be worried that the city is actually imposing something like this on a neighborhood, without any public engagement," said Marty McOmber, who spearheaded a petition against the encampment in July. McOmber, who previously worked as a spokesman for former Seattle mayor Greg Nickels, spoke to KIRO 7 for a story earlier this summer.
Camp organizers told KIRO 7 News earlier this year that they screen those who live there at the encampment set up by the city. They said they have a zero-tolerance policy for drug and alcohol rules -- and the camps have their own security.
The city continues to look at other options. Millions of tax dollars helped fund the Ballard apartment building, Nyer Urness House, for the chronically homeless. In addition, a new urban rest stop will be open in Ballard starting Monday to provide hygiene services for homeless people in the area.
KIRO
