Protesters break into Bellingham city hall over homeless encampment
BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) — Protesters and advocates for dozens of people living in a temporary tent encampment on the lawn of Bellingham City Hall on Friday created a human barrier and some later broke into the building in an effort to stop city officials from trying to clean up the site.
The city notified campers earlier this week that the encampment needed to move a short distance away from City Hall for fire and other safety reasons, The Bellingham Herald reported. People have been living there since November to protest the lack of shelter in the area.
Mayor Seth Fleetwood was escorted out of the building Friday when protesters broke a lock at City Hall, KIRO-TV reported. Fleetwood said he wasn't certain if protestors caused any damage, other than a broken lock.
Several protesters held signs saying, “Do not sweep” and “Provide an actual solution for the homeless.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/protesters-break-into-city-hall-over-homeless-encampment/ar-BB1d1Gea?ocid=hplocalnews