Police arrest twelve activists demanding housing for the homeless in Olympia, Washington
On Sunday, Olympia police forcibly evicted 45 homeless activists from the Red Lion Hotel, and 12 people were arrested on burglary and trespassing charges. According to the police, the homeless activists had “forcibly occupied” and attempted to “take over the hotel” and an employee was said to have been assaulted when they tried to close the door.
The activist group Oly Housing Now (OHN) had booked 17 rooms for the homeless and said they would stay there until Thurston County arranged for permanent housing. The activist group demanded that Thurston County Health Department apply for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding to shelter the county’s homeless.
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City officials in Olympia, Wash., on Tuesday condemned the actions of activists aligned with the group Oly Housing Now, after the forcible occupation of a hotel over the weekend to demand pandemic housing for the homeless, according to a report. I’m calling this crime an act of domestic terrorism, Olympia Mayor Cheryl Selby said at a city council meeting on Tuesday, according to the Olympian.
The group of approximately 45 people barged into the Downtown Olympia Red Lion Hotel around 11 a.m. local time Sunday armed with items such as hatchets, batons, knives and had gasmasks, helmets, and goggles apparently in preparation for a confrontation, the city announced in a press release.
Mayor calls Olympia hotel occupation domestic terrorism
The Olympian 2/3/2021 Brandon Block, The Olympian (Olympia, Wash.)
Feb. 3 Olympia city officials on Tuesday roundly condemned the actions of the group Oly Housing Now, which staged an occupation of the Red Lion Inn hotel on Sunday afternoon that ended in seven arrests.
Council member Dani Madrone said she was appalled. Mayor Pro Tem Clark Gilman said he was disappointed and confused.
Other adjectives included reckless, uninformed, and infuriating.
The latter term came from council member Renata Rollins, who co-founded a homelessness advocacy group and has been vocal about supporting harm reduction approaches to homelessness. She called the group s actions short-sighted, ego-driven, and counterproductive.