Reader photo essay

Among us, but yet apart

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On my daily walks through my West Olympia neighborhood, I encounter the homeless situated among us, part of the neighborhood, but yet apart from it. They come and they go. I decided to record some of the activity with my smartphone camera.

In this instance, I want to show how some people have to live in this wealthy country.

I have not talked to the campers. but merely documented the condition they live in.

Across the street from two large apartment complexes, a few yards off Capital Mall Drive SW, hidden in the bushes, there is a community of a half dozen tents.

Over several weeks I walked back into the bushes and took these pictures. I never seen anyone moving about. Perhaps they were at jobs; or off doing whatever must be done to obtain a daily meal and fulfill other needs. The dog, clearly waiting for someone, was the only living evidence I have seen at the encampment.

The accumulated trash is, of course, unsightly and unsanitary; in such a precarious living situation, they must have no means of removing the trash, or location to dispose of it?

A tent community
A tent community
A tent community
A tent community
A tent community
A tent community
A tent community
A tent community
A tent community
A tent community
A dog living in the tent community
A dog living in the tent community
Up the hill. I walk past the Capital Medical Center, on 9th ave SW, RVs park, some for only a day or two, some for weeks. Most of them appear to be in poor mechanical condition and often unlicensed. Some are good about disposing their trash responsibly; others allow it to spill onto the sidewalk and into the street. At least one of the RVs was formerly parked at the Ensign Road encampment.

RV dwellers on 9th Ave SW
RV dwellers on 9th Ave SW
RV dwellers on 9th Ave SW
RV dwellers on 9th Ave SW
RV dwellers on 9th Ave SW
RV dwellers on 9th Ave SW
A splash of color in the bushes near the highway caught my eye and I followed a path and found a shack that seems to have been there for sometime. A neighbor.

A shack near the highway
A shack near the highway
George P. Hickey’s photography has appeared in Seattle Weekly, Real Change News, The Stranger, and he has donated photographs to the Washington State Historical Society. To read about his work documenting protests, click here.

Comments

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  • JW

    They have the means which consists of free garbage service provided by the city to the tune of hundreds of thousands of tax dollars a year, yet they are still too lazy to use it.

    Monday, March 13, 2023 Report this

  • Fraudguy

    George, you are so incredibly naive. I'm sure they were all at work and I'm sure if they only had a dumpster, the grounds would be spotless.

    Monday, March 13, 2023 Report this

  • JulesJames

    Stolen shopping carts out front. Evil brews of criminals, thieves and addicts preying upon each other and all nearby. Not a community - if “community” involves law-abiding behavior.

    Monday, March 13, 2023 Report this

  • Trcutler1

    Thank you for posting this George. The city has denied that they are living there. Hey OPD are you reading this. The owner of one of those properties has it posted but the city won’t do nothing about it. Meanwhile all my neighbors have constantly had their cars prowled almost nightly. I’ve had one of the owners of one of those cart overdosing in my front yard and OPD did nothing. This went on for a couple hours until he straightened out enough to carry on. Oh well it’s business as usual for the city of Olympia. Party On….

    Tuesday, March 14, 2023 Report this

  • valerie

    For every $100 rent increases, 9% of our population becomes homeless. These people have mental issues & drug & alcohol issues. Many anesthetize themselves w/alcohol or drugs just to help them forget they are homeless and in a horrible situation. Yes, I also feel they could keep their surroundings picked up - surely there are some people in the camps that could get all the residents busy picking up their mess and keeping it picked up. When it rains, there is no way for them to dry out their tents, their sleeping bags, or their jackets, so they tend just to go get new ones from a charity & throw the old ones out.

    It's a situation across the U.S. & no one really knows how to fix the situation, otherwise we wouldn't have the problem. Very sad.

    Tuesday, March 14, 2023 Report this

  • pbaron1902

    Perhaps those of you who are critical of the City of Olympia should attend city council meetings and ask questions about city/OPD response to the problem...

    Tuesday, March 14, 2023 Report this

  • WA_Mojo

    Remember, contrary to what some would like you to think, these people are not our unhoused neighbors, these are drug-addicted transient vagrants and criminals. They have come to Olympia because your city council tolerates (and in some cases promotes) these activities.

    Tuesday, March 14, 2023 Report this

  • Madeline_Bishop

    Volunteer for the annual Point in Time (PIT) census and you will meet people and realize most of them are from Thurston County.

    Wednesday, March 15, 2023 Report this

  • TheVirtualOne

    The property with all the tents and garbage is private land owned by a Spokane developer - Inland Group. The president of the company is Darin Davidson - https://inlandconstruction.com/

    If you want something to change regarding this problem, he's probably the go-to guy. There are several other names listed under the "About Us" menu on their website.

    Wednesday, March 22, 2023 Report this