A hacky sack flies between five young men on the street corner outside of Everyday Music in downtown Bellingham. Most of the men are dressed in baggy pants and T-shirts that hang past their knees.  When approached, the group is friendly.

The people that can be found on this corner vary by day, but there is always someone there. According to Everyday Music employee David Atteberry, people have been there at least 20 years.

Not everyone from the group is quite so friendly, though. Several refuse to talk at all, and nobody wants to give their names.

One of the men, who goes by the nickname Kamakazi, said he doesn’t want to give his name for personal safety reasons. He said a man raped his ex-girlfriend while he was still dating her and he beat the man up, only to have the man come back and strike Kamakazi in the head with a brick.  He then pulled back his hair to reveal a large scar on his forehead.

So instead, the corner crowd go by nicknames. Kamakazi said he got his nickname from an incident in which he was angered and dove through someone’s windshield. Another man who goes by the name of Mauss (the German word for mouse) said his nickname has connections with white supremacy.

“You get a lot of different kinds of opinions out here,” said Zoe, one of the hacky sack players.

To locals, the group is known as the “corner kids,” although the word “kids” isn’t accurate. Most are young adults, but people both much older and younger can be seen there as well.

Officer Mark Young of the Bellingham Police Department said the corner kids have caused a variety of different problems throughout the years. Much of the time their only disruption is pedestrian interference, he said. Other days the police are called to break up fights and drug incidents, he said.

There has been one drug arrest since Feb. 1, at 1400 Railroad Ave. where the corner kids dwell, according to police records. A 26-year-old man was arrested on Feb. 4 for drinking in public and when searched, marijuana was found, according to police records. The records showed the most common violations in the area this month have been for alcohol charges and for urinating in a public place.

Esme Dutcher works at the Taco Del Mar on the opposite corner. She said she sees the corner kids frequently while working. She said they come in often to use the bathroom or to ask for water or leftovers. They smoke cigarettes and marijuana in the bathroom and she has had to clean up their blood and broken glass in there, she said.  She said she has also had problems with them stealing her tips.

Everyday Music employee Nick Dillon said police involvement in incidents caused by the corner kids is lacking.  He said he sees the group harassing people on the street on a daily basis.

Dillon said he has even kicked a man out who appeared to be doing a drug deal right inside the store.  He said he feels the first measure in cleaning up Bellingham would be to get rid of the corner kids.

The group is difficult to do away with because Bellingham doesn’t have a loitering law, Young said.

Instead of a loitering law, Bellingham has a pedestrian interference law. The Bellingham Municipal Code says pedestrian interference includes blocking the sidewalks or begging for money or other items.

Everyday Music employee Ben King doesn’t consider the lack of a loitering law an excuse.

“They could be cracking down every time one of them drops a cigarette butt,” he said.

Young said that although he is sympathetic to King’s feelings on the matter, monitoring the group closely just isn’t possible. The police department lacks the resources to do so, he said.

The Bellingham Police Department is about 20 officers short of where it should be, Young said.  He said Bellingham is lucky to have the bicycle cops patrolling downtown.

Officers will take care of a crime if they see it, but the police department can’t place all its focus on just one area, he said.

Young said he believes the close proximity to the bus station is what draws the corner kids to their location.

Kamakazi said he likes that a lot of people walk by while they are there, especially the pretty girls.  Mauss said it’s been the place to hang out for years and the street corner is his home.

“When we have nowhere else to go, we go here,” Kamakazi said.  

Kamakazi said much of the group is homeless, so not having anywhere else to go is pretty common.

There are many factors that contribute to the continued presence of the corner kids, including insufficient police staffing, a lack of homeless resources and nonexistant loitering laws, to name a few. Nothing appears to be indicating a change is coming.

Zoe said he's made a lot of great friends on the corner and they've had good times together. Like Mauss, he considers the place home.

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