Washington protesters break into city hall over homeless encampment Updated Jan 23, 2021; Posted Jan 23, 2021 People have been living on the lawn of Bellingham City Hall since November to protest the lack of shelter in the area.City of Bellingham Facebook Share BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Protesters and advocates for dozens of people living in a temporary tent encampment on the lawn of Bellingham City Hall on Friday created a human barrier and some later broke into the building in an effort to stop city officials from trying to clean up the site. The city notified campers earlier this week that the encampment needed to move a short distance away from City Hall for fire and other safety reasons, The Bellingham Herald reported. People have been living there since November to protest the lack of shelter in the area.