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A July 4 parade in a Washington state city had to be re-routed to avoid a fentanyl-riddled homeless encampment for 'everyone's safety'.

The 100th anniversary July 4 parade route in Burien, just south of Seattle, was altered to avoid a homeless encampment of up to 20 tents, according to local media.

It comes as Burien cannot remove the encampment due to not having the authority to stop people living on city land - as it does not have a law that prohibits camping on public property.

Debra George, who leads Discover Burien, a coalition of business owners who made the decision to reroute, said it was best just to 'err on caution' and the encampment shouldn't be in the city's 'commercial area'.

And some business owners added they had lost customers because they did not feel 'safe' anymore.

The 100th anniversary July 4 parade route in Burien, Washington, was altered to avoid a homeless encampment of up to 20 tents, according to local media

It comes as Burien is refusing to remove the encampment due to not having the authority to stop people living on city land

Why can't Burien remove the encampment?

The City of Burien does not have a law that prohibits camping on public property, with the narrow exception of dedicated park spaces. 

This land the encampment is on is not park property and therefore is not subject to the park policy banning overnight camping.

Source: City of Burien

In June, a blaze tore through two tents in the encampment after a man using a fire pit left his tent unattended.

And men were seen 'brazenly' smoking fentanyl on the day of the parade, which attracts families and young children, according to the Discovery Institute.

Burien Mayor Sophia Aragon said the situation was a 'crisis moment' but it would be difficult to pass legislation to remove the homeless because it is such a divided issue.

She told the Discovery Institute: 'There are better ways to work together in the community and not have people pointing fingers.'

Progressive members of the council believe they have to allow the situation to continue until the city can find housing for everyone or find a space for a sanctioned encampment.

Council Member Stephanie Mora warned that the homeless need to be moved immediately because they have already rejected help, and others from outside the city are moving into the encampment.

In June, a blaze tore through two tents in the encampment after a man using a fire pit left his tent unattended

Men were seen 'brazenly' smoking fentanyl on the day of the parade, which attracts families and young children, according to the Discovery Institute

Council Member Stephanie Mora warned that the homeless need to be moved immediately because they have already rejected help

READ MORE: Woke Seattle health official says its GOOD 'folks' are smoking FENTANYL in public because it means people can help them if they OD

It is the latest disturbing development in ultra-liberal Washington State, with Seattle City Council voting not to pass legislation that would have allowed the City Attorney's Office to prosecute public drug use cases.

The move would have brought Seattle into compliance with the state's new drug possession law, which makes the crime a gross misdemeanor.

But photos soon emerged showing homeless people openly abusing drugs on the streets of the city.

In one, a man can be seen using a hypodermic needle to inject drugs into his hand while propped outside a liquor store.

Others show people spaced out and hunched over on the sidewalks, with paraphernalia strewn around them. 

The council bill failed to pass in a 5-4 vote with councilmembers Alex Pedersen, Sara Nelson, Debora Juarez and Dan Strauss voting in favor of the bill. 

Seattle: one man can be seen here openly using a hypodermic needle as he lays on the sidewalk 

Seattle: another person is seen here completely spaced out as citizens go about their regular day

READ MORE: Is Seattle finished? Crime-ridden woke city's dying downtown loses flagship Nike store and multiplex cinema

Councilmembers Lisa Herbold, Kshama Sawant, Teresa Mosqueda, Andrew Lewis and Tammy Morales voted in opposition to the bill. 

Pedersen told King5: 'State law without the local law is like a train without tracks, a car without keys, it's a pen without ink.

'You have to have them together or else it's basically tantamount to decriminalizing.'

Councilmember Nelson told the news channel: 'We have to do something or the alternative is doing nothing new and that is just unacceptable.' 

According to the Seattle City Attorney’s Office, there were 589 overdose deaths in Seattle in 2022, up 72 percent from 2021. 

Seattle Police Officers Guild opposed Seattle City Council’s move, with President Mike Solan saying: 'It's going to put our city's public safety crisis that much more in a dire circumstance.

And in January, Seattle lost its downtown Nike flagship store and multiplex movie theater as crime ran rampant and the number of homeless people dying soared.

Overall violent crime has remained persistently high in the city, with 2022 marking the deadliest year for the homeless population in King County, which encompasses Seattle. 

The year saw 310 deaths in the homeless community, a 65 percent spike from 2021, including at least 18 homicides and 160 fentanyl-related overdoses, according to the King County Medical Examiner's Office.

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