Homeowners in the Highland Park neighborhood of Seattle are furious after
a large homeless encampment installed a blow-up swimming pool and engaged
in open drug use.

"All of this is ludicrous," Herb Egge, a man who lives in a senior
apartment across from the encampment, said. "These people come in and
totally trash the place. Someone told me they hooked up a hose and filled
a swimming pool with it."

Footage obtained by KOMO News shows one woman sitting on a couch next to
the large inflatable pool and smoking what appears to be fentanyl.

Neighbors suggested the new pool is just another insult to residents who
have voiced concerns about the encampment for months.

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Seniors who live in the apartment complex with Egge said they are
regularly startled by gunfire erupting from the encampment. Others
admitted they keep their curtains drawn closed because they fear a stray
bullet may enter their homes.

"When I hear the shooting, I stay down and away from the windows. There
are times I've had to get on the floor in the middle of the night. It's
not safe," Cheryl Galyeam told KOMO News.

"I never dreamed I would have to worry about things like this when I was
72, but times have changed. As elderly people, especially, we should not
have to worry about our possessions or our lives," Egge chimed in.

He also revealed that since the encampment began, his car has been broken
into several times. On one occasion, someone had drilled a hole into his
gas tank.

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In the spring, the encampment only included a handful of RVs. Now, that
number has grown to at least 15 vehicles.

In May, just days after residents of Arrowhead Gardens apartments first
spoke with the media about their safety concerns, a man was killed in the
encampment. Police at the time said the body had obvious signs of trauma
and was being investigated as a homicide. Those who lived near the
encampment said they were not "surprised" by the news but rather angry.

Diane Radischat, an Arrowhead Gardens resident, hoped the incident would
lead the city to make changes.

"We thought, 'Oh wow, there's been a homicide there. They are going to
give us some attention now.' They didn't. We want the solutions, and we
know what the problems are. When you've had the same problem repeatedly in
different locations, you know what needs to be done," she said.

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On Wednesday, Radischat received a letter from the Seattle Mayor's Office,
the Washington State Department of Transportation and the King County
Regional Homeless Authority that promised a plan was being coordinated to
deal with the situation.

"We recognize that this has been a long and often frustrating process for
residents at Arrowhead Gardens, and we are pleased that we are moving
closer to a site resolution. The Unified Care Team is also discussing with
WSDOT possible short-term activation strategies following site resolution
to help prevent repopulation," the letter said in part.

Last month, the Seattle City Council failed to pass legislation that would
have allowed the City Attorney's Office to prosecute public drug use cases
as a misdemeanor. The bill died in a 5-4 vote.

Seattle's government offices and officials did not return a request for
comment.

https://www.foxnews.com/media/seattle-neighborhood-outraged-homeless-
install-swimming-pool-puff-fentanyl-broad-daylight