These community groups condemn Bellingham homeless camp removal, demand no more 'sweeps' The Bellingham Herald 2/5/2021 Denver Pratt, The Bellingham Herald (Bellingham, Wash.) Feb. 5—More than a dozen local community organizations have come together to condemn the way the city of Bellingham handled the removal of a downtown homeless tent encampment late last week. The group has also asked that the city create a permanent policy banning homeless encampment clean-ups and offer residents of the previous downtown camp services and options for temporary and permanent housing. The city on Feb. 2 posted a deadline of 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 5, for people to remove themselves and their belongings from a new homeless encampment in the lower parking lot of Frank Geri Softball Fields off of Puget Street. The city's legal notice said "As of the date below this property will be subject to clean up efforts by the city. Remaining on this property could subject you to being arrested for trespassing ... and could subject you to a civil citation for littering."