When he was about seven years old, Darin Edwards enjoyed going with his father to the family’s beach house in Gig Harbor. Built in 1916 by his great, great, great grandfather, the structure - which sits on pilings - was slowly slipping into the water.
“My dad called the work he did ‘beach house construction,’ and it was inspiring for me to watch and work with him build something up,” Edwards began. “This was my first experience in building a house, and I felt a sense of accomplishment, something I still enjoy today.”
He added that he learned as a boy the work ethic he has today as a contractor, that he is passing on to his sons. “I want them to see the value that can be earned by them cutting a neighbor’s lawn as a part of the community, or our neighborhood, by doing a small job.”
But what Edwards has just described is at odds with what is now occurring in his neighborhood and near his home.
He and his family moved into their West Olympia residence in 2016. His property is shrouded in trees and quiet; Percival Creek runs nearby. “My wife and I could walk with the children down by the creek; they could wade in the water,” explained Edwards as he walked down the train tracks along the creek.
But that changed in 2018 when he noticed that homeless individuals began to take up residence along the water’s edge. “And that’s when we began to see stuff like needles and garbage in the water,” he added.
Concerned about the growing problem, Edwards and some of his neighbors called and talked with the city’s code enforcement officials. Those talks centered on bringing a train down the tracks along Percival Creek. Not long after, an engine and work crew did come through and picked up the tents and trash.
“It was great,” explained Edwards. “Olympia’s code enforcement officers helped us and even offered to haul off 30 bags of garbage and needles that we had collected from both railroad and city property.”
But that sense of accomplishment did not last long.
In 2019 and into early 2020, the homeless returned and the creek encampment grew. Edwards again called the city code enforcement office and informed them of the situation. “It was not a huge number … but I just wanted to let them know what was going on.”
Currently, city officials say they have several departments working together to develop an action plan for the Percival Creek area. “This includes code enforcement, but also homeless response, police, and fire, among others … so a phased approach will be needed,” wrote Lead Code Enforcement Officer Dalton Maurer in an email to The JOLT.
This may explain why Edwards thinks his concerns have not been acted upon.
“Code enforcement had worked with us before work on railroad and city property to clean out the trash and tents,” Edwards pointed out, “but now they’re not willing to work with us homeowners to keep homeless people moving and not getting settled in for long periods of time. It’s when they settle in that they seek nothing more for themselves.”
Then there is the issue of public safety. In early 2020 there was an incident involving a handgun.
“I saw a guy from my property down by the tracks wielding a gun and threatening me and my family,” he stated.
Olympia police were dispatched in response to a call from Edwards, but once on scene, they said there was not much they could do.
“The cops came, but they weren’t willing to go down there,” Edwards said.
When asked to comment, Olympia Police Department spokesman Lt. Paul Lower simply stated, “Of course, we service everybody in the community.”
Just before the COVID-19 outbreak in January 2019, Edwards again contacted city officials to voice his concerns about the growing number of homeless on the creek and by his home. He was told to route his concerns through the code enforcement office. “We began to notice that there was very little communication from them; that they were providing us with no information about when the growing number of camps would be cleaned up,” he explained.
“There was a growing presence, and I felt that it was only going to get worse,” continued Edwards. “I asked if we could be put on a schedule for clean-up of Percival Creek during 2020; we didn’t expect them to come out right away, but I got no response.”
Over the past three years, Edwards’ concerns have been realized; the number of homeless living on Percival Creek and beyond has grown. Southwest of the creek, there is a large encampment, and Edwards thinks this is where some of these homeless are moving from to the creek.
“That large camp, which is on private property, is spreading right along here,” he said as he stood on a bridge overlooking the creek.
Edwards then related that he and his neighbors have found homeless individuals in their yards; that some homeless people have batted rocks toward his house; that neighbors occasionally hear what seem to him to be propane-tank explosions; and that he and his wife have heard gunshots at night, screaming and people needing help in the encampments.
“We know people have been killed and women have been raped, and we find ourselves shutting our windows so we can sleep at night,” he added.
But what is now most concerning to Edwards is a fire on August 28.
“I got a call from a neighbor at around 4 or 4:15 in the morning telling me there was a fire working its way up the hill and toward my house,” he continued. “The fire department arrived around 5:30, and they had the fire under control by 6:30.”
But in the intervening time, as his wife and children got ready to evacuate, he was outside in his backyard with a garden house spraying down his deck and the sides of his house as the fire crawled to about 70 feet from where he was standing. “I was frightened, it was scary, and I was – and am - frustrated,” he said.
“That fire was an act of arson,” he continued. “The firefighters knew that an accelerant was poured around a tent at the bottom of the slope and then ignited.”
When Edwards asked if there was going to be an investigation, he was told they would not be one.
“I’d expect the department to investigate a crime in their neighborhoods that same way they should investigate it in our neighborhood,” explained Edwards, “I want equality for all; if someone poured an accelerant around my home there should be an investigation and that person should be brought to justice.”
When asked about this, Interim Fire Chief Todd Carson wrote in an email to The JOLT, “If there was any concern of found play, report of arson, or other suspicious activity, a formal investigation would have been initiated... This incident did not meet any of these thresholds; therefore, a formal investigation was not initiated.”
Carson added that the department has spent time in the Percival Creek area educating the homeless on fire prevention measures.
But Edwards remains frustrated in dealing with city officials for almost five years with little to show for his efforts.
“Crimes have increased around the Percival Creek encampments, and this is due to the growth of the number of people living there. I’m very frustrated with the responses we’ve received; you’d think after all of this that someone would walk down by these encampments and see what we see,” he concluded.
“I’m saddened to think it may take a lot more crime before something is done.”
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Snevets
Darin, I'm sorry you & your family have had to deal with this for so long.
The fire department has been educating the homeless on fire safety....WTH?!
The police won't go in and police?
There is so much illegality thriving in the encampments
Saturday, September 30, 2023 Report this
MowJoe
How do you access this area? Where is the entrance, road access? Why isn't the Dept of Ecology acting to prevent the contamination of the creek and further watershed?
Saturday, September 30, 2023 Report this
AlwaysAlisha
I find it disheartening to learn that, some years ago, I too experienced homelessness and resided in the mentioned area briefly, among other locations. It is truly disheartening to realize that individuals in similar circumstances often seem to lack both logical reasoning and respect for the community and its homeowners.
My sincere apologies go out to the family that has endured this unnecessary stress affecting their lives, homes, and property.
To clarify, in my opinion, the reluctance of law enforcement to enter encampments is primarily due to concerns about potential ambushes. There exists a certain level of uncertainty when entering such camps, with variables like the number of occupants, their mental states, and the possible presence of weapons. I am not suggesting that this serves as a legitimate excuse for limited or no contact with these encampments; it most certainly does not. However, it appears to be used as a justification. It's worth noting that the fire department tends to have more frequent interactions, typically when responding to fires, at which point they usually provide some form of guidance on the circumstances that warrant their intervention.
As for the police and their presence, I cannot provide factual insights into why they do not employ more enforcement or engage with individuals on-site. Personally, I believe there may be procedural flaws and a general lack of duty in this regard. If three different organizations can make regular personal contact with these individuals every week, without proper gear or means of defense, then the police should be capable of doing the same. Perhaps it's a matter of their approach; it's challenging to say for certain. However, the homeowners who have suffered due to these shortcomings in the system deserve better support from their community and city.
Saturday, September 30, 2023 Report this
TheBeaver
I just have to ask: Where does everyone think these unsheltered people should live?
Sunday, October 1, 2023 Report this
FordPrefect
Answer: They need to stay with family, with friends, or in an institution without access to drugs. Those institutions run the range from housing to rehab to jail. Any provided housing must have a no drug policy. Getting off drugs is the first step to getting these people off rock bottom. If they are offered options and refuse all, then involuntary confinement (jail) should be employed to separate these folks from the substances that are killing them.
Hiding behind the concept that ‘homelessness is not a crime’ has created a soft-bottomed trap that people can fall into. Cities and outreach organizations are expending more resources on homeless services than ever. All of this “help” makes living on the street a viable option for those who are hooked on drugs. They need tough love, not a handout.
Sunday, October 1, 2023 Report this
JW
These "unsheltered people" need to be in forced rehab programs or incarcerated...period!
Sunday, October 1, 2023 Report this
Theolympians
It’s incredibly disappointing that the city virtually refuses to protect or care for its responsible, tax paying, functioning citizens. It’s not ok to suffer at the hands of someone else’s irresponsible ineptitude. You and your neighbors property and lives were and continue to be in danger and yet the city averts their eyes. Shame, shame, shame.
Thursday, October 5, 2023 Report this