My father gave me a good talking to when I was 12 years old. He was upset that I had thought of a brilliant idea to see what would happen if I shot a portable propane canister using a.22-caliber rifle. The Old Man caught me before I fired the shot, but I lost my beloved.22 caliber summer companion for a month.
In case you didn’t already know, propane tanks can explode. The Old Man didn’t want to find out the hard way. (I don’t even know what would have happened if I had shot the propane canister.) You can chalk that up to a sudden rush to the brain.
You can imagine how concerned some Seattle volunteers were when they discovered several propane tanks among five tons of garbage while cleaning an encampment for homeless people:
Over the Labor Day Weekend, volunteers cleaning up an encampment of homeless people in Seattle made a shocking discovery. They found nearly 80 propane tanks. Of these, 20 still contained flammable materials.
We see many camps on fire every day. The propane tanks are causing explosions in our greenspaces. Tim Emerson told KOMO 4 News that it’s a “ticking timebomb”.
We Heart Seattle is one of three groups that helped with the cleanup. Emerson stated that the group cleared approximately 5.6 tonnes of debris, without the weight of the tank.
It’s not shocking or, at least, shouldn’t surprise you. This is not at all surprising. The “encampments”, or as I would like to call them, “Bidenvilles”, are full of garbage. Much of it is hazardous. Garbage is everywhere. Human waste, drug paraphernalia, and garbage are all present. It is well-known that:
Andrea Suarez, a reporter for We Heart Seattle, told the outlet in a recent article that the same cleaning that revealed 80 propane tanks, also revealed other dangerous materials such as guns, machetes, and blades.
Not just guns and propane tanks. For almost a decade, there has been a disturbing increase in the number of diseases associated with this area, such as typhus, TB, and others. Not to mention the discarded syringes and human waste.
The propane tanks do pose a serious concern due to the possibility of an explosion. The people living in these encampments are not very concerned about the environment, and they don’t take care to use their possessions responsibly. It is only surprising that there aren’t more fires and explosions.
It’s not a case of forced eviction. It’s not just a few people who are struggling on the street. Many people are living in these encampments who have mental illness and drug or alcohol addictions. They prey on local businesses to fund their different habits. It’s a crime problem, it’s a property issue, it’s trespassing. It’s also a matter of public health. It’s a public health issue.
The problem is not limited to the West Coast, or even the Lower 48. Anchorage, in the Great Land, is plagued by an increasing number of these encampments. Aside from the issues listed above, there’s the possibility that the Bidenvilles, with their trash-strewn strewn, will also attract bears. Already, it’s happening. It’s important to note that bears in Alaska are not to be taken lightly. Even in Alaska’s biggest city, you can find both black bears as well as grizzlies.
We Heart Seattle is doing a great job. Our cities need help, and this helps. The problem will not be solved until people who live on the streets are removed from the streets and moved into a structured barracks setting to be cleaned, dried, and made useful for themselves and society.
It’s a harsh solution. But this simply can’t go on. Not in Anchorage, not in Seattle, not anywhere.
