SEATTLE — Neighbors in South Lake Union are growing concerned about a homeless encampment that has been repopulated after the city of Seattle kept the area clear for more than two years.
The encampment sits at the corner of Mercer Street and Fairview Avenue North, and it has a history of violence and serious fires prior to the city clearing the area and locking it down. The site is owned by the city of Seattle and sits directly next to the on-ramp for I-5 at Mercer Street.
In 2022, a woman was raped in the encampment. In 2023, a 66-year-old woman was strangled to death, and her body was wrapped in a tarp at the encampment for at least four days. There were also repeat large fires that burned the area multiple times…