Homeless: Puyallup children are on alert

Garbage, tents, drugs all over. Who put them here and why are they here?

Recently, there has been a spike in the homeless population in Puyallup and it has vastly changed the dynamics of the locals.

I started to notice it when I went into 7th grade because I walked to school every day. I slowly started to realize that more homeless people were sitting at the Domino’s pizza restaurant.

It started to get darker when I walked to school in the morning. I had to pass the homeless people when it was dark, which terrified me. Sometimes they would try to talk to me and I would just try ignoring them, but sometimes they would walk closer to me and yell.

I also wasn’t allowed to walk on the riverfront trail anymore or ride my bike. Before, we would take family bike rides down there and go fishing.

These are just a few ways my family has been affected by the homeless population and why I think something has to change.