Here’s how we can make tonight’s community meeting with city officials matter: 1. Show up. 2. Say something. 3. Be constructive. Grab neighbors, friends and family and make your way down to the VFW Post next door to the proposed encampment site by 6:30 p.m. If you do nothing else, just showing up tonight will demonstrate that Ballard deserves an open, transparent, public process on this homeless encampment site. Got something to say? Then sign up to speak and share your thoughts on why the city should work with the neighborhood to find the right solution for Ballard. There have been too many closed-door decisions. Our city officials shouldn’t ignore community members who have a clear stake in decisions that affect our neighborhood. Keep the focus on city officials. Advocates for tent encampments want to dismiss your concerns as NIMBYism and say you are stereotyping the homeless. You know that isn’t true. The failure of the city to work with the community is the root of our frustration. Take a few minutes to jot down a couple of key points. Tell city officials that we deserve to know why no one in the neighborhood was informed about this. We deserve an opportunity to fully consider better locations. We deserve to be heard and to be treated fairly. See you tonight. Speak Up Ballard!