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The same day Mayor Bruce Harrell announced the first 鈥淥ne Seattle Day of Service鈥� 鈥� inviting volunteers to a clean-city-streets-for-a-day campaign 鈥� one local organization is pretty heated after their offer to help was rejected.

Andrea Suarez, Ballard-area founder of the state-register non-profit 鈥溾�� told The Dori Monson Show her group鈥檚 offer for the event was 鈥渞ejected because we go within 20 feet of a (homeless) encampment.鈥�

Mayor Harrell unveils sweeping volunteer initiative as part of One Seattle vision

In announcing the May 21 event on Monday, Harrell promoted 鈥渕ore than 2,200 volunteer opportunities across more than 80 different activities throughout all seven City Council Districts.鈥� The day also allows anyone who owes fines to 聽to pay them off.

Ready with her group鈥檚 approximately 5,000 volunteers, Suarez told Dori鈥檚 listeners that she submitted her event through the city鈥檚 registration portal.

This is what Suarez heard back from the mayor鈥檚 office:

Unfortunately, we have to respectfully decline your current offer to assist. We have a policy of not engaging in litter pickup within 20 feet of encampments and your offer does just that. Again, thank you so much for your offer.

鈥淲e do litter picks and serve every single day, picking up trash around the unhouse at the request of the unhoused while involving our unhoused,鈥� Suarez told Dori鈥檚 listeners Tuesday. 鈥淭his (city-sponsored event) is one day. We鈥檝e been doing this every day.鈥�

Cleanups and welfare checks are crucial to save those living on the streets, she continued.

鈥淚f I stayed back, I would have double the amount of overdoses.鈥�

The second reason the city campaign refuses offer to allow WeHeartSeattle volunteers to pick up litter is because much of it is on hillside slopes.

“City agencies can鈥檛 go on slopes,聽which is precisely where the trash is,鈥� Suarez added.

This infuriates Suarez, who says WeHeartSeattle.org is the only local city or volunteer organization willing to take on this task, Suarez told Dori鈥檚 listeners, which has resulted in collecting about 鈥�500,000 pounds of trash.鈥�

It鈥檚 particularly insulting, she adds, that 鈥渨e are not even validated by our city leadership 鈥� not even once.鈥�

Even with the rejection, Dori asked, what鈥檚 preventing WeHeartSeattle from volunteering on May 21 anyway?

鈥淲e鈥檙e not going to stop,鈥� Suarez told him. 鈥淲e鈥檝e never been deterred. We will concurrently run an event and do it our way.鈥�

King County moving forward with plan to convert Kirkland hotel into homeless shelter

Still, Dori wondered, what does Suarez believe is the real underlying reason for the rejection?

鈥淓ither you鈥檙e doing your job better than the city and they鈥檙e embarrassed,鈥� he posited, or it鈥檚 a conflict with local unions that don鈥檛 want to see volunteers take jobs, he considered.

鈥淥r, three: they want the trash and the squalor as a necessary step toward destroying the region because they want to rebuild it in a Marxist [fashion],鈥� Dori offered.

鈥淭he third is the most likely,鈥� Suarez said.

鈥淵our motivation sounds so pure,鈥� Dori told Suarez. 鈥淲hy are you so disliked?鈥�

鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 make any sense,鈥� she agreed. The Ballard activist then told Dori鈥檚 listeners about recently meeting with Cecile Hansen, leader of Seattle鈥檚 Duwamish Tribe. Suarez says the great-great grand-niece of Chief Si 鈥� ahl told her, 鈥渁nd you can quote me: `We have to work together. We have to stop this divisiveness.鈥欌��

Listen to Dori鈥檚 entire interview with WeHeartSeattle organizer Andrea Suarez below.

Listen to Dori Monson weekday afternoons from noon 鈥� 3 p.m. on 成人X站 Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the聽podcast here.