Health Department Report Nov. 11 2011
Health Department Report Nov. 15 2011
As you know from my previous communications about the Occupy Seattle encampment, my primary concern remains the safety and security of our students, faculty and staff, and the surrounding Capitol Hill community. I take these concerns very seriously. And we have clearly expressed our concerns in our scheduled meetings with representatives of Occupy Seattle.
Since Occupy Seattle moved their base of operations to our campus on October 29, the encampment has nearly doubled in size, and now numbers an estimated 150 residents and a dozen large dogs in 2,000 square feet on the South Plaza lawn.
This week we received two reports (attached) from the Seattle-King County Health Department after we requested that the Department investigate health risks in response to complaints and concerns received by our college. The first report made after visits on Wednesday and Thursday, November 10 and 11 cited "multiple issues," including accumulations of garbage, poor food handling, discarded syringes and needles, fire safety hazards, dog feces, and disposal of wastewater.
On Wednesday, November 16, I received a second report, following a November 15 site visit. This report states that "issues remain mostly unaddressed" and further notes, "Overall there seemed to be a lack of communication and organization within the group regarding health and safety issues that may concern the encampment as a whole and the community that they are impacting by their occupation."
Following the second report, we presented copies of both letters to a representative of the Occupy Seattle camp. We also stated that the deficiencies cited by the Health Department in the first report had not been corrected. We again clearly stated that these concerns must be remedied before any subsequent Health Department visit, which could occur at any time. We also suggested that the two reports be shared at the next meeting of the Occupy Seattle General Assembly.
We will continue to monitor the situation regularly and will keep the college community informed with further updates.