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Unhoused residents press Olympia council on policing and housing; council pledges to listen
Summary
Multiple public commenters, including unhoused residents and advocates, told the council they face harassment, police enforcement and loss of shelter; councilmembers said they will continue to seek housing options and to review public-safety responses.
Public testimony at Olympia’s April 28 council meeting focused heavily on housing insecurity, alleged police harassment of people living in vehicles or on the street, and calls for a change in enforcement practices.
Cece Coates, who said she is disabled and lives in a van, told the council that subsidy programs are no longer issuing new supports and characterized enforcement as punitive: "You've basically legislated me out of existence," she said. Several speakers recounted encounters they described as…
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