On Dec. 27, the CSRT (Community Safety & Resource Team) coordinated the Lakewood Municipal Court work crew, Parks staff and Lakewood Police officers to remove a homeless camp and clean up the garbage left over.
The camp was located underneath the 75th St W Bridge just off of Bridgeport Way. The location came to the City’s attention from the Pierce County Conservation District. They have a water quality study that is ongoing and they noticed both the existence of at least one tent and a lot of garbage underneath the bridge and the elevated levels of fecal coli form bacteria found in Flett Creek in that area.
There were two tents located under the bridge and both were tagged with a message from the City of Lakewood with notification to vacate the area within three days or they would be removed by the City and property disposed of. There was also a stabbing there on December 20th, related to a dispute between two homeless men who wanted the same tent. When the team arrived on the 27th, one tent was gone and the other had apparently been abandoned.
The large amount of garbage was cleaned up thanks to the work crew and the area will be watched by patrol to prevent others from setting up camp there.
-City Manager Andrew Neiditz
