Page 1
Image One:
Text: “The Supreme Court recently ruled, in Grants Pass vs. Johnson, that cities may criminalize “public camping” aka attempting to survive while unhoused.”
ALT Text: A large hand holding a tiny, homeless individual is shown in front of the Supreme Court building. A red stamp labeled “A-OK” is pressed against the courthouse steps.
Image two:
Text:“The ruling contained a falsehood that originated here. The City of Seattle, for example, reports that roughly 60% of its offers of shelter have been rejected in a recent year.”
ALT Text: A portrait of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch is displayed alongside the quoted statement about Seattle’s rejected shelter offers.
Image three:
Text: The city’s claim to offer shelter to everyone they sweep is clearly false for multiple reasons including that adequate shelter simply doesn’t exist. King County has 5,300 shelter beds and 16,000+ unhoused people,” as reported by KOMO on 10/27/2023 and again by Seattle Times on 5/15/2024.
ALT Text: A small shelter bed with two figures waiting in line is depicted. A separate panel shows a homeless encampment with tents and people gathered around.
Image four:
Text: “And when shelter is offered, it is often inaccessibly located, dangerous, or requires separation from community, partners, pets and belongings.”
ALT Text: There is an officer showing the exit to a couple and their dog from a camping settlement for unhoused people
Image five:
Text: “An analysis by reporter Guy Oron shows that the outreach workers offering this largely imaginary or unviable shelter account for only a fraction of the sweeps budget, as reported by gossipguy.net.”
ALT Text: A two-headed figure, representing a politician, is seen throwing money away. Below, a banner labeled “2024 Budget” displays the contrast: “$26 million for sweeps” vs. “$1.66 million for outreach workers.”
Image six:
Text: “Meanwhile, Mayor Harrel is pushing an austerity budget while constructing a private gym in City Hall for himself and the SPD bodyguards. ‘The city faces significant fiscal challenges in 2024,’ as seen in the Office of the Major website on 1/22/2024 and PubliCola on 7/18/2024.”
ALT Text: Mayor Harrell is depicted lifting weights in a personal gym, while police officers stand in the background.
Page 2
Image One:
Text: “Seattle’s role in the ruling was no accident. City Attorney Ann Davison—a Republican who supported a pro-Trump campaign led by a January 6 insurrectionist—filed a brief in favor of the ruling with a starkly anti-humanitarian argument: ‘The ‘shelter availability’ test is unworkable.’”
ALT Text: A caricature of Ann Davison, wearing a red hat, is shown leaning over former President Donald Trump, who appears indifferent. A ghostly figure of a January 6 rioter looms in the background.
Image Two:
Text: “Though we don’t have a camping ban, Seattle’s relentless sweeps are another form of the same criminalization strategy, one that study after study has shown to be a non-solution that brings only death and suffering. Caption: 25% increase with deaths with sweeps. E.g. studies by the American Public Health Association, 11/14/2023 and the University of Colorado, 4/10/2023.
ALT Text: A large broom is sweeping away a skeleton, illustrating the deadly consequences of these policies. A caption notes a “25% increase in deaths with sweeps,” citing studies from public health organizations.
Image Three:
Text: “Community members have sounded the alarm about the damage this ruling will cause locally and beyond. “ Ann Davison… has embraced this opportunity to further punish the most vulnerable people in our community for their struggles with poverty, their mental illness, and behavioral health conditions. — Anita Khandelwal, Director of the King County Department of Public Defense.”
Alt text: A portrait of a woman with curly hair, identified as Anita Khandelwal, Director of the King County Department of Public Defense, appears. She warns that Ann Davison has embraced this ruling to punish vulnerable people, particularly those struggling with poverty, mental illness, and behavioral health conditions.
Image Four:
Text: “By contrast, cities like Houston have shown how extraordinarily effective housing-first solutions are.”
ALT Text: A small, simple house with a sign reading “25,000 people moved inside” is shown. A caption states, “Homelessness down by 63%,” highlighting the success of housing-first policies, per the NY Times, 6/14/2022.
Image Five:
Text: But we can’t get there if we continue to lie to ourselves, and Mayor Harrell denies the very existence of his own policy. “No, we don’t sweep.” as it was stated during a mayoral press conference on 9/7/2022.
ALT text: A police officer is spotting Mayor Harrell while he lifts weights and says “”No, we don’t sweep.” The caption notes that this was stated during a mayoral press conference on 9/7/22.
