Homeless man erects White House encampment in Seattle
Homeless man built replica White House encampment in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A homeless man in Seattle has constructed an encampment that resembles the White House to make a statement against the city’s homeless policies, according to a report.
Jason Rantz, host of the Jason Rantz Show on Seattle’s KTTH Radio, wrote an op-ed about meeting the homeless man, named Danny, and learning what inspired him to build a replica of one of the country’s most famous residences in Seattle’s SoDo neighborhood.
Danny told Rantz that he was handy and previously worked on structures around the city, including the Space Needle. He said he could no longer work and lost his residence after developing carpal tunnel syndrome in his hands.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I kind of feel embarrassed about being down here to a point, but it’s hard to get out of here for the fact of the situation I’m in," Danny said. "My hands are screwed up, I lost my vehicle…"
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A homeless man named Danny built a replica White House to serve as his homeless encampment on the streets of Seattle. (@JasonRantz/KTTH Radio)
Danny told Rantz that he built the replica White House for several reasons, including to show that homeless encampments can look nice. He also revealed that he doesn't place much hope in the services that Seattle provides to the homeless.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The city runs a Tiny House Village system that aims to provide shelter for those experiencing homelessness and keep them off the streets. But Danny claimed that the money meant to help the homeless is instead going to those that are in charge.
"I think that the people that are there to try to help out the homeless and get people off the streets … that’s where all the money’s going because it’s not going to the people that are homeless down here," Danny claimed.
Danny, who used to work with his hands, said that carpal tunnel syndrome prevented him from working, which caused him to lose his residence and car. (@JasonRantz/KTTH Radio)
He also criticized the city’s tiny homes system.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"And everybody I know that’s been any tiny home, except a few people, they’re all back down here," Danny said. "They’ve been kicked out because they didn’t sign in or out one day or something stupid."
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After speaking with Danny, Rantz said that the builder of the replica White House "epitomizes the homeless problem," speaking in disjointed, hard-to-follow sentences and blaming someone or something else for his current situation.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"He seems to always have an excuse, but doesn’t appear to realize he’s part of the problem," Rantz wrote in the op-ed. "He’s shown no indication that he actually wants to become a functioning member of society again."
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In May, the Seattle Times reported that federal data showed more than 16,000 people were experiencing homelessness on a given day in King County in 2024, a 23% increase in homelessness from 2022, when the data was last collected.