Man hospitalized after Tacoma authorities towed his trailer while he was sleeping in it
Homeless outreach workers say an elderly man was hospitalized after Tacoma authorities towed away a trailer the man was sleeping in.
“The City received a complaint regarding this incident, and is taking this matter very seriously. A review of the details is already underway,” Maria Lee, a spokesperson for the City of Tacoma, told The News Tribune in an email on March 17.
Jake Nau is the outreach manager for St. Vincent De Paul’s Community Resource Center in South Tacoma.
In an interview with The News Tribune, Nau said clients came “running” into the Community Resource Center on March 7, “screaming” about how the city had towed away their friend near the intersection of South 54th Street and South Washington Street.
He said someone at the Community Resource Center called the towing company to let it know they it accidentally towed someone away with a vehicle.
“They were not receptive of that attempted intervention and our guy remained locked in the vehicle until about 7pm that night,” Nau wrote in an email to Caleb Carbone, homeless strategy, systems and services manager for the city, on March 13.
Nau told The News Tribune outreach workers at the Community Resource Center were familiar with the person who was towed in the vehicle. He described him as a 79-year-old man who is not a fluent English speaker.
After being hospitalized at St. Clare Hospital in Lakewood, Nau said, the individual came to the Community Resource Center for help. On March 17, Nau told The News Tribune the man was living on the streets after his shelter was towed away. The extent of the man’s injuries was not immediately available.
Nau said the incident is an example of how Tacoma’s encampment-removal policies harm rather than help.
“Y’all cleared a site with no notice, no services and in the process towed away a trailer with a 79-year-old man still in the back of it, bouncing around and having shit fall on him,” Nau wrote to Carbone in an email on March 13.
The HEAL team is a group of outreach workers who make contact with people at reported encampments. The HEAL team offers resources to those living at encampments and gives notice to leave before encampment removals occur.
According to the city’s policy, people living at encampments scheduled for removal are given a minimum of 72 hours notice before the removal begins.
Lee said removals of inhabited vehicles have their own guidelines. She said vehicles in violation of parking code are issued a ticket and given 24 hours to correct the violation before they can be impounded by the Tacoma Police Department (TPD).
“TPD is responsible for enforcement, including the authorization and execution of vehicle removals,” Lee wrote to The News Tribune in an email. “When TPD believes that a vehicle is being used for habitation, TPD works with the HEAL Team which offers individuals essential services.”
TPD declined The News Tribune’s request for additional details related to the incident on March 17. On March 20, TPD spokesperson Shelbie Boyd said the department would provide more details on the incident in the coming week.
When asked about what kind of notice period was given to the individual before he was towed away in the trailer, Lee said the city is still reviewing the incident.
“We will have additional information on the notice process when the City’s review is complete,” she told The News Tribune.
