An unhoused camper died outside the Burien Town Square condos at SW 152nd Street & 5th Lane SW in Burien on Thursday morning, Mar. 14, 2024.

According to the 911 dispatch (see below), the call came in at 5:24 a.m., and multiple units responded.

Burien Police responded Thursday morning for a 911 call about a person “not conscious or alert.”

“We are sad to say the fire department was not able to revive the person and the person was pronounced deceased at the scene,” Sgt. Eric White of the King County Sheriff’s Office told The B-Town Blog.

The King County Medical Examiner (M.E.) took custody of the victim’s body, but it is far too soon to speculate on their cause of death, as the M.E. has yet to perform an autopsy.

As this is an active and open investigation, no other information – including the victim’s identity – was released.

This tragic incident happened at the encampment that the Burien Community Support Coalition, led by Cydney Moore, helped bring homeless into downtown to camp in.

“The truth of the matter is, homelessness is deadly,” Moore told The B-Town Blog. “Some folks may contend that offering aid to people is ‘enabling’ or that people should be swept to make their lives difficult until they ‘hit rock bottom,’ but today we are seeing the stark reality: for those who are homeless, Hitting Rock Bottom means dying.”

Mayor Schilling Responds

“This is a direct result of the irresponsibility of Moore and her organization, as well as a direct result of the Sheriff’s Department and the County Executive suing us so they don’t have to enforce our common sense tent regulating measure, as well as not enforcing drug laws in the Downtown core.”

“These overdoses are incredibly sad. And King County has had a record year for overdoses last year. Do-Nothing government at the County level has led to this death and the hundreds of others. Burien will continue to push for our common sense measures to get folks off the streets and into shelter and services. I sure hope the Sheriff and County Executive staff taking their roles seriously, and stop wasting taxpayer time and money with their stunts that are leading to deaths.”

Cydney Moore Responds

“The death that occurred this morning in downtown Burien is a profound loss to our community. My deepest sympathy goes out to the friends, family, and loved ones of the person who passed away today. 

“Every single person that dies on the streets is a mark against a society that chooses not to address the public health crisis of poverty and homelessness. Last year, 7 people experiencing homelessness died in Burien – a record number, and a sizable increase from years prior. This is mirrored in the record number of deaths of unhoused people in King County as a whole, and reflective of the data that shows people experiencing homelessness in our region statistically on average die decades earlier (28 years, to be exact) than those with housing.

“The truth of the matter is, homelessness is deadly. Some folks may contend that offering aid to people is “enabling” or that people should be swept to make their lives difficult until they “hit rock bottom,” but today we are seeing the stark reality: for those who are homeless, hitting rock bottom means dying. 

“There is not one person to blame for the tragedy of these deaths, but rather a systemic problem of ignoring and villainizing the homeless, resulting in underinvestment in housing and support services, and an increase in laws that seek to punish and criminalize people for being poor, unhoused, and/or experiencing mental or behavioral health challenges. While no one person is responsible for this system, every single person has a choice – to work to dismantle this system and minimize the harm it does, or to perpetuate this system and deem the resulting victimization of vulnerable people as acceptable.

“It is easy to point fingers and try to assign blame; it is much harder to work with people you may disagree with, or even hold animosity towards, to find real solutions that address the root causes of these issues, and improves circumstances in the community for all. I would ask that our leaders do just that: instead of trying to deflect responsibility, or using strife in our community to stoke divisiveness, step up and do the hard work of helping our city heal, and finding ways to keep all of our people safe (particularly those who are so incredibly vulnerable and at risk). I, and so many others, stand ready to partner with anyone who shares these goals.”

The post Unhoused camper dies in encampment at Burien Town Square Thursday morning appeared first on The B-Town (Burien) Blog.