Residents tell Bremerton planning commission to provide toilets and shelter, accuse city of favoring developers

Speakers representing Friends of Smith Cove told the Bremerton Planning Commission during public comment on Dec. 16, 2024, that the city should provide basic sanitation and shelter options for unhoused residents and should stop criminalizing people for seeking a place to use the bathroom.

Jose Camacho said he represents the Friends of Smith's Cove and Rock the Block and accused local officials of favoring developers, saying "the city is completely dominated by developer interests." He urged the city to provide rudimentary public bathrooms and said he had submitted records he believes show an appearance-of-fairness violation involving a commissioner allied with Sound West Group.

Robin Weldon, also speaking for Friends of Smith Cove, said she documented the city's Nov. 4, 2023 no-camping sweep and described it as destructive to residents' survival property: "I filmed the 1st November 4th, 2023 no camping sweep... city workers were given the, horrific task of crushing tent after tent, full of the residents' survival gear," she said. Weldon cited UN General Assembly Resolution 64/292 on the human right to water and sanitation and argued that removing tents without providing alternatives infringes basic needs for vulnerable residents.

Both speakers urged the commission and the city to provide at least portable restroom facilities and to prioritize humanitarian responses rather than fines and criminalization. The commission closed public comment and did not take specific action on these requests at the Dec. 16 workshop; staff noted the meeting would proceed to DEIS discussion and later business items.

The comments are part of the public record and were submitted to the DEIS comment matrix where applicable; speakers said they would continue to pursue evidence and public-record requests related to their allegations.