Pen & Eye # 10 – The Story Of K
By David Stoesz and Marie Bouassi September 30, 2023
This article originally appeared in the September/October 2023 issue of Seattle magazine.
Page 1
Image One:
Text: “Pen & Eye recently accompanied Real Change Associate Editor Tobias Coughlin-Bogue on a visit to his friend K, who was living in a tent in North Seattle with her dogs.”
ALT Text: A woman stands outside a tent with her dogs while two people approach her, smiling, “I’ve done some writing, too. I wrote an essay in school called ‘How to End Up in Juvie Hall.’ Step one, have messed-up parents,” as others laughed in response.
Image Two:
Text: “She’d been given the boot from a nearby tiny home village, for seemingly trivial and made-up violations, as chronicled by Coughlin-Bogue in Real Change. She was given 3 days to get out.”
ALT Text: A woman in a red shirt holds her small dog while another dog stands nearby, and she says: “Reesie has been through everything with me. Buddy joined us more recently.”.
Image Three:
Text: “Life in a tiny home village comes with the same petty authority, cliquishness, and bureaucratic hurdles that are common in many organizations. Only in this case, there are life-and-death consequences.”
ALT Text: A woman walks through a row of small houses in a tiny home village, as others stand outside their units, illustrating the sense of community and bureaucracy within these spaces.
Image Four:
Text: “Chief Si’ahl, one of the first people displaced by the city.”
ALT Text: A historical reference is made about Chief Si’ahl, connecting past and present displacement. A close-up of a City of Seattle Notice/Aviso sign posted to a pole, ordering the removal of personal property from the area. “Two days after our visit to her tent, K got one of these, the dreaded notice of a sweep—a bland harbinger of displacement familiar to anyone who lives on the street. This time she has less than 24 hours to get out.”
Page 2
Image One:
Text: “A sweep is a devastating blow in any unhoused person’s quest to simply survive. The Harrell administration swept our unhoused neighbors a record 900+ times last year. More than 300 of them died, also a record.”
ALT Text: An illustration shows a small island with different types of housing—home, tiny home, and tent—gradually sinking into the water labeled exposure, illness, and death. A figure is being swept away, symbolizing the deadly consequences of encampment sweeps.
Image Two:
Text: “But, in an improbable turn of events, K was placed in a dorm-style shelter a day after being swept. The number of available shelter beds is a tiny fraction of the unhoused population.”
ALT Text: K is seen walking toward a modern shelter building with her dogs, representing a rare moment of stability after displacement.
Image Three:
Text: “He gives me a reason to keep going.”
ALT Text: K, a woman in a red shirt, holds and smiles at her small dog, expressing the comfort her pet brings her.
Image Four:
Text: “But for now, K is safer than the day before.”
ALT Text: A close-up of a second dog, looking up with a questioning expression, showing curiosity and emotion.
Image Five:
Text: “Yes, you too!”
ALT Text: K crouches down, smiling while petting the second dog alongside her first pet.
Image Six:
Text: “Thank you: Tobias Coughlin-Bogue, and K.”
ALT Text: A concluding panel acknowledges the contributors, wrapping up the story with gratitude.
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