well the story of nickelsville is definitely one that has it’s up’s and down’s… mostly downs it seems from the perspective of the media and mayor Nickels, who’s continuing threat and personal agenda to put an end to Nickelsville once and for all, has been chasing them out of every location they have popped up in.
What is Nickelsville? http://www.nickelsvilleseattle.org/nickelsvillefordummies
Well it is much more than a ‘tent city’ as some would call it. On the contrary it is a vision… a vision to make a better living for many who have no place to go and can’t afford housing in the area. the idea started because of the 15% increase in the number of homeless people in Seattle, along side of the mayor making it illegal to sleep out in public and coming through and sweeping homeless camps out of the city. There are not enough beds for all the homeless, and there is no affordable housing, so the homeless have no place to go and the vicious cycle that they find themselves in, when trying to sleep in shelters, keeps them from ever moving forward… it perpetuates their dilemma.
Think of how difficult it would be to hold a steady job with a steady income, when your living situation changes regularly, or when you have to struggle to find food or water, or find a bed or shower. Even the tent-cities, which give them a little more stability, have to move very 2-3 months and so keeps them from establishing any real consistency where they can start to get a footing and make a change in their situations. And the mayor is not exactly excited about tent-cities either, it’s just that there is not really anything he can do about them.
There is a great ‘speech’ on the matter of homelessness in the city and the need for Nickelsville here!
Also check this out for more info on why Nickelsville should happen!
So Nickelsville is now at its fourth location, after being chased from it’s prior three in the last four weeks by the city. It is currently in a parking lot in the University District of UW, owned by Universtiy Christian church. They hope to stay there until the first of the year. Since being there, the church has been threatened with fines for allowing them to stay yet they have ignored the cities threats. It is still uncertain how long they will be able to stay there and may have to move again soon.
I have had numerous opportunities to hang out with my friends in Nickelsville, sharing my music and my words with them and have been quite moved by their sense of community, love for each other, and how organized they are and such a diverse group of people. They have one over-arching commonality… they have no home. No one understands what they go through like themselves. The mayor doesn’t know, I don’t know, most of you who may be reading this don’t know. What amazes me is that those who are completely outside of their situation are the ones judging their situation and making rules against their situation without ever experiencing or participating in their situation.
I am humbled when I am with them. My experiences with them has made me ever aware of how much I have prioritized the want in my life for things which have no significance. I have pursued the ‘finer things in life’ and completely taken for granted my warm home, my warm bed and blankets, my hot food, my cold water… all at my disposal… while my brothers and sisters go hungry, thirsty, cold and bed-less on the streets. Yet we are the ones who think we can judge them and their situation… we are the ones who think we have all the answers to their problems.
So I stand up for Nickelsville, because I see the grand vision… to build a safe, self-sustaining community where people in need can live without fear, and begin to build a life for themselves, with the help of a community of others who want to do the same help others do the same as well.
I stand up for Nickelsville because I know their names and their stories. They are my friends… they care for me and I for them. They have welcomed me with open arms into their community. I have shared my music with them, and they have shared their lives with me and I am changed because of it
I stand up for Nickelsville because I am awed by the sense of love and community that many others only dream of. Sure they have problems, sure they have issues… who doesn’t? We just have so much stuff to cover up our issues and our problems… they don’t have that… they are laid bare, on display for the world to see, and so we judge them because of it.
Yet, we ourselves are just like them… we have the same basic human needs. Will you stand with me to support Nickelsville? Please join the support Nickelsville group and cause on Facebook!
www.nickelsvilleseattle.org
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