Businesses and the homeless at odds over Everett ordinance
EVERETT The signs declaring private property and no trespassing are seemingly everywhere along Smith Avenue and the surrounding neighborhood in downtown Everett. They are just one indication of a larger clash between commerce and homelessness.
The area is industrial home to auto shops, wholesale suppliers and specialty services, as well as Everett Station, the Everett Gospel Mission and, often, a visible population of people living on the streets.
Tents, tarps and shopping carts have gradually become part of the landscape on the sidewalks and under an I-5 overpass. Dozens of people take refuge in the corridor.
On Wednesday, the Everett City Council is scheduled to vote on an ordinance that would prohibit sitting or lying on the streets and sidewalks in a 10-block area perceived to have borne the brunt of Everetts homelessness crisis.
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