(The Center Square) – With a roundtable discussion slated for next week, several Spokane officials hosted a Thursday press conference to give more insight into the city council’s deferred homelessness ordinances.
Council President Betsy Wilkerson said the upcoming meeting(s) are intended “to dispel some of the misinformation and miscommunication that is circulating in our community.” However, the city’s press release said the meetings are “to gather input on our current policies and create suggestions for enhancing them.”
The roundtable discussion(s) will follow months of criticism from the business community and others over the city’s handling of its homelessness crisis.
Many business owners, developers and real estate professionals have called into question an ordinance that would make “housing status” a protected class. While the policy is intended to protect homeless individuals from discrimination, some say its unintended consequences will only perpetuate the crisis and safeguard vagrants from prosecution.
At the same time, the community is fed up with properties being vandalized and livelihoods destroyed. They want to see the city enforce its illegal camping provisions and other laws to the full extent, a bleak reality given staffing and budget constraints within the Spokane Police Department.
“Prop 1 is Prop 1; we’re not discussing that,” Wilkerson said, regarding an illegal camping provision that many called on the city to enforce, “but the ordinances that are on the books in Spokane, that address the people that were trying to serve, we want your input.”
The business community and some of the council, such as Councilmembers Michael Cathcart and Jonathan Bingle, have pushed for more enforcement; they’ve even proposed ordinances and resolutions that would strengthen Proposition 1, only to be sidelined by the progressive majority.
Many believe that the state of homelessness and public safety in Spokane is pushing business to Idaho and turning the city into another Seattle.
“The quickest way to not be happy is to always compare yourself to someone else,” Wilkerson said. “We are not Seattle; we are not Boise; we are not Portland; we are not San Francisco; we are Spokane; we do things differently here.”
Anwar Peace, chair of the Spokane Human Rights Commission, spoke briefly, followed by Councilmember Lili Navarrete, who proposed the new protected class ordinance. They both briefed the audience on what led to their “Homeless Bill of Rights” ordinance.
Peace said other areas, including Illinois, Rhode Island and Connecticut, have passed similar laws. It’s intended to protect and support the city’s “homeless neighbors,” not criminal activity. He confirmed that the ordinance has been done through the proper legal channels and is lawful.
“The business community’s approach to this,” Peace said, “it has been very striking that they are basically saying that our homeless neighbors should be treated as third-class citizens.”
The first roundtable discussion will take place on Sept. 10, and more will follow every three weeks after. Wilkerson said they would inform those participating of the ordinances on the books and what those laws do and do not do.
“Don’t drink the Kool-aid,” Wilkerson said. “If it’s misinformation, call them out.”
