Encampment returns to previously-damaged Jose Rizal Park
A homeless encampment has returned to Dr. Jose Rizal Park. This comes after the city of Seattle spent $15,000 on repairing damage to the Beacon Hill neighborhood park after a man stole and drove an excavator through the park back in October.
Now it appears the same man is back and chopping down trees to clear new space for the expanding encampment.
“He spent 10 days in jail and now he’s back out here,” said park volunteer Genevieve Courtney. “He has a nice little setup to happily do meth.”
FOX 13’s cameras saw tools in the woods, at least one chopped-down tree and a power cord running through the area.
Neighbors identified the man as the same individual who was arrested by Seattle Police for stealing and driving an excavator through the park back in October.
According to a police report, 41-year-old Steven Michael Irwin told people he was going to use the excavator to build a cabin in the park. He was charged in municipal court with property destruction and possession of auto theft tools.
“Our taxpayer dollars funded repairs to something that should never have happened in the first place,” said We Heart Seattle’s Andrea Suarez. “It’s all been undone again on the back of thousands of dollars and on the backs of our volunteers.”
“Citywide, this is an issue,” said Suarez. “Parks in every corner of our city are being repopulated with criminal activity, destroying the slopes, eroding green spaces that are intended for all to enjoy. Not to mention drug use.”
