From Aaron Scott, Diocesan Missioner for Anti-Poverty Organizing and Organizer with Chaplains on the Harbor
Dear friends,
Yesterday the City of Aberdeen began demolition of people’s shacks, cabins and homesteads at the Chehalis River encampment. While the city stated they would only target vacant and unused structures, at least one of the cabins they bulldozed was still being used. Fortunately, the home was empty at the time of its destruction. Unfortunately, the new city-hosted homeless camping site is already completely full and will not take in anyone else. The city’s site, in the parking lot of City Hall (right next to the police station), hosts 43 tents and all are full. There were still about 34 people living at the River Camp as of this morning. There are around 1,000 people homeless in Aberdeen overall.
This is a video of yesterday’s demolition, and this is local news coverage of it– both via The Daily World. Earlier this week, at the request of camp residents (accompanied by clergy from around The Diocese of Olympia and the Washington State Poor People’s Campaign), we consecrated, dismantled and relocated the memorials erected to the camp’s deceased members and moved them to our sanctuary 20 miles away.
We will continue to accompany camp residents through the final stages of this eviction. People will be permanently evicted by next week. Any who don’t leave face arrest and the charge of misdemeanor criminal trespassing. Please keep folks in your prayers: this is an extremely traumatic displacement which uproots folks from their only home of several years, with no other place for them to turn.
We will keep you updated.
Blessings,
Chaplains on the Harbor
