Do you work or live in Tukwila?
Your city councilmembers need to hear from you NOW to stop a bad bill that would punish and banish people experiencing homelessness. The city council is poised to vote on this dangerous bill this Monday, July 20 at 7 p.m.
The proposed new ordinance would make it a crime to “camp” on public property, punishable by up to 90 days in jail or a $1,000 fine. We know laws like these are designed to punish and banish people experiencing homelessness.
Please SPEAK UP TODAY! Send your message to Tukwila elected officials and Interim Tukwila Police Chief Eric Lund using the sample message below.
Let them know that when thousands of people in King County communities lack basic shelter every night, it makes no sense to punish people who have no place to stay, or to push them out of their community. This proposal is cruel, shortsighted, costly, counterproductive, and it will NOT help people experiencing homelessness in Tukwila.
Speak up before Monday at 7pm to stop this bad bill!
- Email your Tukwila city councilmembers and Mayor McLeod using the easy template below – it only takes 2 minutes
- Give public comment at Monday’s 7pm city council meeting remotely or in person using the instructions below
- Spread the word with others who live and work in Tukwila
Email Template
Note: It’s great to personalize the subject line and the message if you have time. If you don’t have time, that’s OK! Just copy, paste, and hit send – numbers matter!
TO: verna.seal@tukwilawa.gov; armen.papyan@tukwilawa.gov; hannah.hedrick@tukwilawa.gov; dennis.martinez@tukwilawa.gov; kate.kruller@tukwilawa.gov; joe.camacho@tukwilawa.gov; jane.ho@tukwilawa.gov; Mayor@tukwilawa.gov; E.Lund@TukwilaWA.gov
SUBJECT: No Tukwila Banishment Law
Dear Tukwila City Councilmembers, Mayor McLeod, and Chief Lund,
As a Tukwila resident, I want all my neighbors to have a safe place to sleep at night, and I want our community to help people when they don’t. I’m glad that we have some shelter in our city but right now, we don’t have nearly enough affordable homes or shelter. As a result, too many people must try and survive outside. We should use our public resources to help people meet their basic needs, not punish them when they have nowhere else to go.
The camping restriction ordinance up for a vote on Monday does nothing to help people get housing or shelter. It is cruel, shortsighted, costly, counterproductive, and would banish people into even more dangerous and isolated situations – I urge you to vote NO.
Banishment ordinances like this do nothing to help people experiencing homelessness. Instead, they make it even harder for people to survive and get housing because they:
- Saddle people with jail time and fines they can’t pay
- Repeatedly force people to move into more secluded and dangerous places
- Break people off from services and systems of support
- Cause the loss of needed belongings like IDs
- Waste city resources
Instead of banishing and punishing people experiencing homelessness in Tukwila, I want you to focus on getting more resources and real solutions for people in Tukwila who need them. We need more affordable housing, shelter, and supportive services that meet people’s needs, not harmful laws like this.
Sincerely,
—
How to give public comment at the Tukwila City Council
Meeting day/time: Monday, July 20 at 7 p.m.
In-Person: Go to Tukwila City Hall and go to Council Chambers. Register to speak on the public comment sign-up sheet provided by the City Clerk. Try to arrive 20-30 minutes early if you can.
Virtual: Email CityCouncil@TukwilaWa.gov by 5pm on 7/20. Please clearly indicate that your message is for public comment during the meeting, and include your name and topic. To join virtually via Teams, use this meeting link or the telephone audio option by calling 253-292-9750 and inputting Access Code 670077847#. Public comment is usually 2-3 minutes long. It is always a good idea to write your comments in advance, and you can use the draft email above for talking points. Personalize your message and tell your city councilmembers why this matters to you! Please reach out to Hali if you have any questions, or you’d like help with your testimony!