10 arrested in Olympia hotel takeover demanding pandemic housing for homeless

Ten people were arrested on Sunday in Olympia, Wash., after members of a housing advocacy group allegedly stormed and “forcibly” occupied a hotel in the city.

The city of Olympia said in a Sunday statement that at approximately 11 a.m., police began receiving reports that a group “was attempting to forcibly take over” the Red Lion Hotel. Employees at the hotel “felt under threat from the group,” and one employee was allegedly assaulted.

Approximately 45 members of the group identified as Oly Housing Now, a homeless activist group, were estimated to be inside and outside of the hotel during the hours-long incident, according to city officials.

Employees claimed that members of the group “were armed with items such as hatchets, batons, knives and had gas masks, helmets and goggles apparently in preparation for a confrontation.”

The group had on Saturday paid for 17 rooms for one night, with over 30 homeless individuals staying in the rooms as of Sunday, police confirmed on Monday.

Over several hours, representatives from the group called for the individuals to stay indefinitely and called on Thurston County, Washington, to use Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds to pay for the rooms. 

Police said during a Monday press conference that 10 people were arrested and that law enforcement officers searched the hotel room by room. 

Employees who were sheltering in the hotel’s basement for over six hours were escorted out by police, according to multiple reports.

The activist group on Sunday called on the Thurston County Health Department to apply for the FEMA funding and use it to shelter people who are over 65 or have preexisting health conditions, according to multiple reports.

“It’s too cold for people to be sleeping on the streets — especially during a pandemic,” the group said in a list of demands, urging the the city of Olympia to provide homeless encampments with resources to “meet the COVID-19 CDC hygiene recommendations” among other housing requirements.

“Not only would this save lives by getting people off the streets, but it would also support local businesses by giving hotels money during challenging economic times. It’s a win-win for Olympia and all of Thurston County,” the group said.

Approximately 40 rooms at the hotel were booked with guests not associated with the group at the time of the Sunday incident. The guests were sheltered in their rooms, according to the city’s statement.

The homeless individuals staying at the hotel were not allowed to stay, but officials connected them to services following the incident, according to the city.  

“Making sure our unhoused residents have access to safe and affordable housing has been Olympia’s priority for more than a decade,” Mayor Cheryl Selby said in the Sunday statement. “Olympia has led on responding to homelessness, on coordinating shelter and other basic needs. The tactics used today by Oly Housing Now are unproductive and won’t make the mission more attainable.”