“It’s about time,” says Gretchen Taylor of Neighborhood Safety Alliance, standing aside the pungent detritus of so many scattered lives. “Overwhelming. There’s no other word for it. The stench is something I will never forget.”
Taylor wasn’t the only Magnolian left shocked by the squalid conditions under the east side of the Magnolia Bridge. Today, the Seattle Department of Transportation and other agencies began to remove the mess after so many complaints. Some area residents came to observe the much anticipated activity.
“It was like a scene from a horror movie,” said Cindy Pierce, who has worked to organize opposition to these illegal camps. “The smell was so bad. It was unbelievable. A police officer said it was one of the worst camp sites he’d ever seen.”
A small crew from the Department of Corrections, working off their community service sentences, seemed like a tiny effort when the task of removing tons of garbage came into full view. A Department of Transportation backhoe was brought in, along with an industrial-sized dumpster to hold it all. The project looked like ants vs. mountains.
No one would estimate the time this massive effort might take to complete. Some said it could be accomplished in a day.
The biggest question on many minds: Will the illegal squatters just return once it’s clean again? Not according to Sgt. Paul Gracy of the Seattle Police Department. “They’re going to put up a fence to surround it all,” he said. “It will be clearly posted. Anyone entering will be breaking the law.”
To give the point some credence, a fencing company vehicle was parked near the site. The cost for the enclosure was placed at around $20,000, according to sources.
Magnolia Voice spoke to a few of the campers left in the area about their new situation. One man told a surprising fact about the origin of all the trash.
“It’s the work of one guy. He was a dumpster-diver,” said a camper who was on his way out of the area. “He collected garbage. When we tried to clean it up, he would say, ‘Hey, that’s mine.’ There was nothing we could do.”
Police sources report many of the illegal squatters, who were all asked to leave before clean up began, were seen setting up shop east of the bridge in the green belt area of Queen Anne. Others were witnessed crossing the railroad tracks heading west under the Magnolia bridge. At first it was thought to be Port of Seattle land until reports from Port sources showed the property was actually owned by Seattle Parks.
Now a bit of news unrelated to the clean up – the Interbay QFC has closed their public restroom for good. Customers quote the manager as saying drug use inside the facility took the issue over the top.