It looked pretty simple at first. An apartment complex in Burien named Lora Lake was to be demolished by its owner, the Port of Seattle, because some of the units were in the way of the new third SeaTac International Airport runway, and other units would be too noisy to be livable once the runway was built. That seemed to make sense.

Then some people started asking questions, and the answers were disturbing. We learned that the 162 units which the Port claimed would be uninhabitable wouldn’t be any noisier than nearby single-family housing. We learned that the Port wanted part of the Lora Lake property for a warehouse. We learned that the City of Burien wanted to plant a big-box store on part of the property. We learned that the King County Housing Authority, which had leased the property, offered to buy the property from the Port for $15 million in order to save that valuable housing stock, and the Port had said, “No, thanks.”

More voices joined in. King County Executive Ron Sims and the City of Seattle (which controlled a small amount of the property) argued that housing units should be a priority. Bill Block of the Committee to End Homelessness pointed out that in demolishing 162 apartments, we would be losing more net units than King County had gained two years into the 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness. The Church Council of Greater Seattle held a Service of Lamentation, causing a Port manager to claim that the Church Council was calling down “the wrath of God” on the Port (a claim not immediately denied). Burien proclaimed itself as the community with the most affordable housing units in King County, in apparent justification for approving the destruction of 162 of those units. Port Chair John Creighton e-flamed fellow-Commissioner Bob Edwards after Edwards asked for more study before demolition, Creighton threatening Edwards with dire consequences in his bid for re-election and stating that he “would not tolerate any bullshit” in an August vote on demolition. At that meeting, after lengthy public testimony which included that of some Tent City residents who said that they’d be happy to be living in Lora Lake units instead of in tents, the commissioners voted 3 to 2 for demolition.

Enter the cavalry— in the person of King County Superior Court Judge Deborah Fleck. The day after the Port meeting, Fleck granted an injunction in the court case condemning the property, stopping demolition until trial in March 2008. In addition, a separate court case has been filed by a newly-formed nonprofit, the Association for the Defense of Affordable Housing, charging that the Port ignored the requirements of the environmental impact statement it was required to file regarding Lora Lake. Whatever happens in either court case, the wrecking ball won’t swing before 2008.

Should we be appalled by the behavior of the Port and the City of Burien, or hopeful because of the public reaction to that behavior? Appalled, definitely— but I vote for being hopeful also. In previous years, the demolition of Lora Lake might have happened quietly, in a vacuum, with no media attention and no packed hearing rooms. That’s how we’ve already lost so many units. But already, encouraged by the Lora Lake case, a group of Ballard renters have declared their intention to fight the conversion of their building to condos. The fact that those two situations may not be factually comparable isn’t important. What is important is the growing sense of solidarity among people who are losing their housing, and the growing recognition on the part of the general public that every single unit is important, every single person who needs a roof is important, and every single moment of time is important when you’re behind in the game. Lora Lake helped turn on the spotlight. Our job is to keep our eyes open, and make our voices heard about what we see.

Sally Kinney is co-chair of the Interfaith Task Force on Homelessness.