100-tent Occupy Olympia has become haven for homeless

To the outside world, Occupy Olympia is a two-week-old political protest designed to make a point – spotlighting the growing income disparity of 1 percent of the wealthiest compared with everyone else.

But inside the village of about 100 tents, the camp has taken on another role, serving as a harbor for the poor and homeless, a place to get food and shelter and connect with social services.

Camp resident Audrey Daye told the Olympia City Council this week that the camp is “probably at this point two-thirds houseless community members and one-third combination of young activists and older progressives.” She has been staying there with her husband, Alex, and two children.

Mary Spokane, another camp resident, told the Olympia City Council on Tuesday that the state agreeing to open restrooms 24 hours a day “is what attracted many homeless to our camp.” She estimated 50 homeless people have come in.

“There’s an equality that’s happening,” she said. “There’s immense love that’s happening.”

Steve Valandra, spokesman for state Enterprise Services, said the camp is allowed there as an expression of free speech. But the rules might change if it is deemed a homeless encampment, he said.

“It’s not meant to be a homeless camp,” he said. “It’s not meant to be a place for people to have all the amenities of home.”

One of the homeless residents is Jones Cunningham, an Inuit native who has been in town for about eight months. He said work has been hard to come by. But he just got a job and is working on getting housing.

“This (Occupy Olympia) has been a support network I needed really bad,” said Cunningham, better known to camp residents as Jonesey.

Linda Oosterman, a licensed mental health professional who has visited the camp, said she would like the camp to support legislators to make decisions to help the poorest. Thus far, the group has no specific demands.

Occupy Olympia began in Sylvester Park on Oct. 15, but a majority of participants agreed a day later to move to Heritage Park, because the grass is hardier there and there are restrooms. It’s in solidarity with the original Occupy Wall Street movement in New York, which began in September and since has sparked similar protests in hundreds of cities worldwide.

The sea of tents is visible from state Capitol buildings on the hill.

“This is a great location,” said Danny Kelly, a camp organizer who has been a liaison with the state Department of Enterprise Services, which manages Heritage Park. “It’s a very, very powerful image.”

Kelly said fewer than one-fifth of the camp’s residents are homeless.

The camp is a hive of activity. In addition to sleeping quarters, huge tents shelter food-preparation and dishwashing areas. Another tent is for first aid. Alex Daye, who works at the first-aid tent, told the Olympia City Council on Tuesday that a woman was treated there for hypothermia, saving an ambulance trip.

The people are young and old, homeless and housed. Some, such as Rod Tharp of Olympia, go home for the night.

“Overall, I would say we’re just kind of a microcosm, small microcosm of people in general, lacking maybe the rich people,” said Tharp. At 63, he’s no stranger to protest. He was a conscientious objector in the Vietnam War and is known as one of the group’s elders.

Food is prepared off-site and brought in, he said; no cooking is allowed. The rules of the camp are posted: no illicit drugs, alcohol, dogs off leash or violence and aggressive behavior.

Several camp residents said the camp has no leaders. Decisions are made by consensus at a “general assembly” twice daily, where residents use a series of hand signals to make their thoughts known.

Unlike other Occupy movements, such as one Oakland, Calif., local authorities have not moved to evict the protest for camping overnight. Trooper Guy Gill, a spokesman for Washington State Patrol, said police haven’t responded to any incidents at the camp.

Valandra said the state reassesses the situation daily and is nudging the protest group to get a 14-day permit to be there, but the group has been reluctant.

Kelly, who has worked with Valandra, said the group’s general assembly would not approve a permit.

The campers drew support from the Olympia City Council.

“I agree completely with what you’re doing,” Councilwoman Rhenda Strub said.

“I hope that you’re treated gently and if the day should come that you’re not, I would be on your side.”

Councilman Karen Rogers said, “I’m a populist, so of course I’m for this, a redistribution of wealth.”

Kelly said the group isn’t going anywhere, and he doesn’t know when the encampment will end.

“We’re changing the conversation,” he said. “We’re pulling the conversation back where it belongs.”

Matt Batcheldor: 360-704-6869

mbatcheldor@theolympian.com