Police, WSDOT Assist Homeless, Clear "Sprawling" Encampment in Fife

A homeless encampment in Fife, Wash., whose peak population was estimated to be 200-250, has been cleared, marking the end of a multi-jurisdictional operation that lasted several months from 2021 to January 2022. 

By November 2021, the encampment on Eighth St. E. and 62nd Ave. E., whose origins on Washington State Department of Transportation property go back to 2015, had become a hotspot for crime. The Fife Police Department received frequent reports of shots fired, stolen vehicles and property, robbery, and trespassing. 

Police onsite at the homeless encampment at Eighth St. E and 62nd Ave. E. in Fife, Wash., prior to clearing the property in November, 2021. (Photo/Fife Digital Newsletter February 2022)

Fife Assistant Chief of Police Aaron Gardner said the crimes were linked back to the camp by a nexus of geography and an increase in the area's crime rate. Police often came up empty-handed when attempting to investigate the reported crimes. 

"We would have people driving by just in their vehicles, and they would hear the shots fired, and they call us," Gardner said. "Officers will respond, but oftentimes we wouldn't have any cooperating witnesses. We wouldn't have any cooperating victims." 

The impact on the community was not limited to an increase in crime. Fife's interim City Manager, Russ Blount, said there was talk of businesses shutting down due to trespassing and theft. One of the most heated debates surrounded the desire of some residents to construct tall fences surrounding their entire property, which is against Fife's zoning laws. 

"It's a bad look," Blount said. "If someone is traveling in an urban area and they see [fences] right up to the sidewalk… you're basically advertising to the world that this is a high crime area. I mean, once you put up the fence, you stop caring about what's happening in the area." 

WSDOT purchased the parcel of land as part of the extension of State Route 167 from Puyallup through Fife. Once construction had a firm date to begin in 2022, so too did the clearing of the property. 

Outreach to the property's occupants began weeks before the first operation to clear it was underway. The Fife Police Department worked in conjunction with Greater Lakes Mental Healthcare to provide drug and alcohol counseling, mental health resources, and medical treatment as the date of eviction approached. WSDOT undertook storing private property such as running RVs and other automobiles to be reclaimed by owners. An RV Park in Lewis County was secured for those willing to go, and a tiny house village was constructed in Tacoma. 

In November 2021, several governmental organizations assisted in the first major operation to clear the land. It was led by the Fife Police Department and WSDOT, with substantial help from the Pierce County Sheriff Department and involvement from organizations ranging from Child Protective Services to Animal Control. 

Despite the impending construction, many of the occupants chose not to leave. Though the population decreased, the Fife Police Department, hand in hand with WSDOT, again undertook a major operation to clear the parcel in January 2022. Eviction notices were posted around the property, giving a final 72-hour notice to vacate. 

"We talked to the same people multiple times," Gardner said. "That's the hard deadline. You gotta leave. That's the construction workers - were literally right behind us to come in and start the cleanup work to get ready for construction." 

WSDOT has removed approximately 110 tons of debris and garbage from the area.

The site of the encampment in Fife after it had been cleared on Thursday, January 27, 2022
(Photo/Fife Digital Newsletter February 2022)

Gardner said the clearing of the encampment is not the real highlight of the story.

"The numbers of people who did accept resources and services I think are the success story," he said. "...you know, giving them at least the opportunity to get themselves out of the hole that they're in and maybe not have to resort to living in those type of conditions, moving forward is obviously a big win." 

Blount and Gardner were both quick to point out that not all of the occupants of the land were engaged in criminal activities. Many of the homeless found themselves in a perfect storm of circumstance. Rising housing costs, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and, Gardner said, a ballooning mental health crisis were all significant contributors to the encampment's growth in Fife. 

"You know, where are they gonna go? Yeah, they might not be on that property in Fife anymore, but they're gonna end up someplace," said Gardner. "And how do we overcome that? And that's the $1 million question."

Keeping the area clear will be an ongoing effort on the part of the Fife Police Department until the extension of SR167 is complete.