Seattle officials have quietly ordered a sweep of homeless encampments Thursday from a 15-block area of First Hill surrounding the planned home of the future Broadway Crisis Care Center and just blocks from the sites of two recent deadly Capitol Hill shootings.
“Materials in this area are an obstruction of the intended use of this property, are in a hazardous location or present an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) obstruction,” the boilerplate text for the frequently used City of Seattle clearance order reads.
Unlike most orders that pertain to a specific park or parking strip, the October 30th order covers a wide swath of city streets covering “E Union to Madison St and from Broadway to Minor Ave.”
The flyer shared with CHS was dated October 28th and posted in the area where the clearance was slated to begin at 9 AM Thursday.
CHS has asked city officials including the offices of Mayor Bruce Harrell and District 3 representative Joy Hollingsworth to confirm the clearance plans and for more information on the sweep.
The apparent sweep follows bursts of deadly gun violence in the area in recent weeks. In September, 26-year-old Robert Fleeks was shot to death in his vehicle at 10th and Pike. On October 9th, 18-year-old Jaydon Jameson died of multiple gunshot wounds in a shooting at Broadway and Pike.
Meanwhile, the 10/30 sweep area includes the Broadway and Union property planned to be the future home of the county’s Broadway Crisis Care Clinic emergency mental health facility. In approving the plan, officials pledged to support public safety initiatives around the planned facility including a “Good Neighbor Policy,” Seattle Police-led “Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design” recommendations, and formation of a new citizen advisory committee to oversee the center.
Thursday’s sweep area also includes the streets around where the city’s CARE Department located its area headquarters for crisis responders on Madison and where the Broadway Whole Foods was suddenly shuttered by Amazon this summer.
At the recent First Hill/Capitol Hill mayoral candidate debate, both Harrell and challenger Katie Wilson said they would support public safety and Seattle Police initiatives around the planned Crisis Care Center but Wilson said Harrell’s plan did not go far enough and that the mayor’s office must make sure SPD is a “productive partner” and active in the area even after the center opens in 2027.
In response to the public safety concerns in the area, Hollingsworth has released a five-point plan of “immediate actions” she says are needed to address the shootings and the ongoing safety issues. They include initiatives first sparked a year ago when 25-year-old Breanna Simmons was shot and killed on 11th Ave plus a request that county officials double down on their planned public safety spending around the Crisis Care Clinic.
Hollingsworth has also called for increased spending on public safety initiatives in the area as the Seattle City Council finalizes the city’s 2026 budget. On the agenda for Thursday’s budget deliberations are spending requests for the city’s Human Services Department, its CARE crisis responders, and SPD.
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