A section of Bremerton’s 7th Street was renamed Dr. Martin Luther King Way a few years ago in a neighborhood that former Bremerton mayor Patty Lent once said “embraced (King’s) peaceful vision of a better community and a brighter future for people of color.”

Today, the street is becoming the hub of a large homeless encampment, creating an uncertain path for nearby businesses and residents as well as shedding light on a rapidly increasing drug epidemic that has led to such dangerous living conditions.

The encampment is made up primarily of tents and tarps, as well as a couple of RV’s and vehicles, and has grown in size along mainly the north-side sidewalk of the road between Warren and Park avenues. The encampment sits on the same block as the Marvin Williams Recreation Center, a regular host for youth programs.

Dealing with the negative effects of the homeless is not a new thing for business owners such as Paul Meigs of Discount Tire and Wheel, who said he’s had to close off parts of his business to prevent their use as a bathroom among, other precautions. However, the jump in the site’s population, partially attributed to the closing of the Salvation Army’s emergency shelter on May 1 this year, has him more concerned than ever.

“I want to say it was around February, March it started getting real big,” Meigs said. “Forever, there’d be three or four tents, the city would come down and clean them up, they’d be gone for two weeks, they’d come back.”

Now, he said he’s taken additional steps to keep his customers safe as the homeless population has grown. “Not too long ago, I had this gal, probably in her 30s, drop her car off and was gonna walk up to Starbucks. I’m like, ‘Nope. I’ll give you a ride. I’ll give you my truck to drive, but I don’t want you walking up there from here.’”

On the encampment’s other side, South Court Apartments is struggling to appeal to tentative residents. Zane K, an employee of 11 Residential, which owns the building, said a consistent part of his routine has been asking people to move off the property. It’s been a tolerable but nowhere near-ideal situation for him, and it’s becoming more necessary for the safety of employees and tenants.

“(The homeless) are respectful to the point where they’ll move if you ask them, but they won’t pick up after themselves unless you hound them,” he said.

Nearby residents are experiencing similar difficulties. While none agreed to be interviewed, the outside of their houses all hold common themes of added security, such as doorbell cameras, “No Trespassing” signs and plenty of fencing.

The encampment’s population is made up of the chronically homeless and those who have recently fallen on hard times. Jackie Baird, 63, finds herself in the latter category, having been evicted with her son a month ago after he came up short on his part of the rent. A day in her life now comes down to “getting up in the morning, people are out and smoking and talking, and you just get involved. It feels like home, but it doesn’t.”

Many of those living in the camp said they’re simply waiting for the city to provide a safe place to live. One man, Derick, said their patience about finding affordable housing or a shelter is beginning to run out. “The mayor and them don’t give a **** about us,” he said. “They’re getting tired of us.”

Continuing, he claimed the residents live as they are directed but are unfairly treated as less than equal by those more fortunate. “We keep all our trash in a neat pile right next to that pole, and we’ve been doing that, but the mayor is complaining there’s too much trash,” he said. “People also act like they’re going to hit our tents as they drive by.”

Business owners like Meigs just can’t bring themselves to sympathize with them anymore as their lifestyle continues to affect them negatively. The level of trash, land destruction, a noticeable odor and hard drug use occurring within the camp has him admitting there is some level of hopelessness in the situation.

“My daughter takes pictures and emails the mayor and stuff,” he said about the camp in general. “We get nothing. It’s just unfortunate.”

Just observing the homeless camp people can see heavy drug use, individuals putting pipes containing meth, heroin and fentanyl among others to their lips. This reporter called 911 after cries for Narcan were made after a man suffered a fentanyl overdose. Medical responders arrived within minutes and revived him.

“I understand decriminalizing marijuana and all this other stuff, but the legalization of every narcotic is not the answer. It doesn’t fix the problem. It just puts a band-aid over it,” Zane said, adding aspects of the camp have him considering future employment options.

A resident of the encampment smokes a controlled substance out of a pipe.

Officials say six or more Narcan treatments were used to save the life of a homeless man in the encampment.