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Resident criticizes county practice and urges humane responses to homelessness
Summary
During public comment John Redmond told the council the county is moving homeless people into cities and urged local measures (portable toilets, trash receptacles, tents) to make living conditions safer, saying "These folks, these are not animals."
John Redmond, a Port Angeles resident, used public comment to urge the council to consider more humane, practical responses to homelessness and to push back against rhetoric that stigmatizes people living outside. "Our County Sheriff is driving homeless folks out of County property into the cities," Redmond said, adding that those experiencing homelessness are "just people" who need basic services such as toilets and waste removal.
Redmond warned against punitive optics and urged the city to provide pragmatic amenities that reduce public-health hazards. In response from an online commenter later in the meeting, Susie Blake disputed the characterization of the sheriff, saying, "the sheriff is not driving homeless into PA," and recommended that anyone alleging misconduct make formal reports rather than assert the claim in public comment.
