Homeless man who dug up Seattle park with an excavator has now built a cabin there
SEATTLE (KOMO) — The man who is facing criminal charges for digging up the hillside of a Seattle city park with an excavator has now returned to the site to build a cabin and claims to be carving out a 'mine’ to search for gold.
Seattle Parks and Recreation recently paid $15,000 to repair the damage done by Steven Irwin, who was charged with property destruction for the excavator incident.
Irwin allowed KOMO News to tour his new sprawling encampment in Dr. Jose Rizal Park Friday morning.
Irwin claims he has permission to build the cabin, which now has multiple generators, fireplaces, propane heaters, a washing machine, and even a treadmill.
RELATED: Seattle park restoration complete after destructive rampage with stolen excavator
“He is digging into the slopes, building structures, tearing down trees, undoing thousands of dollars in repairs,” said Andrea Suarez of We Heart Seattle, a homeless outreach group that has offered assistance to Irwin. “There’s also a risk for him being in that environment. There are smells of kerosene, propane, and gasoline - there are three different forms of fuel down here, wires everywhere. It’s a ticking timebomb.”
Park stewards and neighbors have been trying to get the city’s attention to the issues Irwin is causing for months.
“This guy is just getting away with it, and I don’t understand that. We are absolutely frustrated. We need some civility here, we need police action," said neighbor Brian Hartman.
The stewards have expressed concern about Irwin cutting down trees on the slope in the park as well.
“He’s dreaming up that this is a gold mine, that he’s mining for diamonds, and that he is going to find gold and strike it rich," Suarez said.
In October, Seattle police responded to Rizal Park after neighbors called 911 to report Irwin was driving an excavator into a grove of trees. Police arrested him, and he was taken to jail and then released.
Irwin admitted he was trying to clear space for his cabin with the excavator, but now he is using power and hand tools to clear away areas for his camp.
“This is a call to action by law enforcement and to Seattle Parks and Recreation to do something. I’ve even offered to pay for his first six months of housing, and he said, ‘That’s great. I’m still going to keep my cabin in the woods,” Suarez said.
