At least seven people were detained late Sunday after homeless activists, some armed with axes and knives, “forcibly” occupied the lobby and 17 rooms of the Red Lion Hotel in Olympia, Wash, officials said.
The activists were with a group called Oly Housing Now. They occupied the hotel in an apparent takeover attempt to demand pandemic housing, reports said.
City officials said in a release that Olympia Police (OPD) received reports that workers felt threatened by the group and that at least one worker was allegedly attacked.
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Law enforcement and SWAT teams have closed the nearby roadway, moving through the hotel floor by floor, The Olympian reported. A group of hotel workers, who fled into the basement after activists entered the hotel, were safely removed from the building, authorities said.
Shauna Sowersby, a reporter, tweeted that a loud bang could be heard in the hotel just before 11pm local time. She said flashes went off as officers attempted to evacuate the building.
A crowd across the street from the hotel was later seen chanting and harassing local law enforcement officials, according to videos on social media.
WARNING: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE
The group bought a night at the hotel on Saturday night and brought in 33 homeless people, reports said. Mid-day Sunday, at least 35 members of the group gathered in the lobby and outside the hotel.
OPD later estimated about 45 members of the group inside and outside the hotel.
Oly Housing Now released a list of requirements and planned to stay indefinitely until Thurston County made funds available for permanent housing.
The group wants the county to apply for funding offered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to pay for “non-municipal” shelter, the paper said.
In particular, homeless people over the age of 65 or with pre-existing health problems, which put them at increased risk during the pandemic.
At around 11 a.m., officials said people inside the Red Lion called 911 to report that a group was attempting to take over the hotel by force.
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“Employees reported that some members of the activist group at the hotel were armed with items such as axes, clubs, knives and apparently had gas masks, helmets and safety glasses in preparation for a confrontation,” the press release said.
The city’s crisis response unit is on site and will put people who are not housed in contact with “services,” officials said. Residents are not allowed to stay in the hotel.
“Ensuring that our unhoused residents have access to safe and affordable housing has been a priority at Olympia for over a decade,” said Mayor Cheryl Selby. “Olympia has led to tackling homelessness, coordinating shelter and other basic needs. The tactics used by Oly Housing Now today are unproductive and will not make the mission more feasible.”
The OPD expects more arrests to take place in connection with the occupation, reports said.
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The investigation is ongoing.