Councilmember Tammy J. Morales (District 2 – South Seattle and C/ID) issued the following statement in reaction to an announcement on Tuesday by the City’s Human Services Department signaling their intention to stop all removals of any personal property during the COVID-19 public health emergency:
“After years of advocating for an end to sweeps, the City chose today to end the practice of removing personal property of homeless individuals during the #COVID19 crisis. I’m going to fight to stop this practice for good,” Morales said.
“I have always shared the perspective of my constituents believing that all people deserve to live with dignity and not have their homes or possessions in jeopardy. This is especially true in a time of crisis, when taking a humane and practical approach to survival is of paramount importance.
“This policy change has been among my highest priorities. From the start, we’ve fought to pause 72-hour removals and pause obstruction operations, too. Today would not have happened without the unwavering advocacy of our community year in and year out. Thank you District 2 and all who helped make this change possible.”