A flush of blown-about cherry blossom tints Gilman Playground, petals clinging to shoes and lining the bottoms of tents. Doug C., a volunteer with Homeless Organizing Community, starts walking across the dewy, bright green field and says, “I’m going to check on tents and see if anyone is asleep.”
HOC, a leaderless Facebook advocacy group of Seattle community members, has shown up to the park early to limit the loss of belongings for campers and foster a less jolting transition. ...