(The Center Square) – The Spokane City Council released a draft proposal on Friday that could amend the mayor’s camping ban as soon as Monday so that police can enforce the law at their own discretion.
Police Chief Kevin Hall recently described Mayor Lisa Brown’s policy as unenforceable after officers hadn’t issued any citations or service referrals for months. The administration designed it with help from the council majority to emphasize referrals to housing services, but ultimately failed to achieve its goals.
The officials passed Brown’s camping ban on June 30 after the Washington Supreme Court invalidated another one in April, which nearly 75% of voters approved in 2023. The justices said the council could reinstate it themselves, but the progressive majority refused to support the conservatives in doing so.
Now, both sides of the dais plan to offer a compromise following calls from the community to act fast.
“I don’t comment on saying how I’m going to vote in general,” Councilmember Zack Zappone told The Center Square during an interview on Friday. “But I’m sponsoring this and supportive of where it’s at.”
The council will officially propose the amendments as an emergency ordinance at a special committee meeting on Monday. Zappone said he hopes to put it up for a vote during their legislative session that night, subverting the typical process, which can take weeks to months before something becomes law.
Brown’s version allowed individuals to avoid citations if they accepted services or at least complied by moving down the street. Hall said that was the primary issue and that the Spokane Police Department couldn’t even track who they were contacting over the last few months because of how it was written.
The draft obtained by The Center Square on Friday does away with that language and grants SPD the discretion to issue citations without offering services, even if the person walks away. Officers are still supposed to offer service referrals, but it’s up to them to issue citations if the council passes the law.
“What we are seeing on the streets is unacceptable,” Councilmember Michael Cathcart wrote Friday in a statement. “I’m grateful that my council colleagues are embracing a number of the recommendations that I and others have advocated for. This approach reflects a shared commitment to accountability.”
Notably, the amendments allow officers to initiate proactive contacts and enforcement and expand the obstruction language to specifically include ingress and egress points on private property. SPD would also be able to track whether officers are repeatedly encountering the same people or high utilizers.
According to a letter obtained by The Center Square that Brown and Hall sent to the council, the mayor has “significant concerns.” She said the administration offered an alternate version that council staff replaced with their own draft on Friday afternoon; however, she did offer support for “many revisions.”
Zappone said there are a few areas he would like clarity on before voting Monday, but offered support without explicitly saying how he would decide. Council President Betsy Wilkerson declined to state her position on Friday when asked by The Center Square and said that she would like to wait until Monday.
The Center Square called other council members for comment, but didn’t receive a response before publishing. Brown and much of the council majority are currently facing an ethics investigation over how they passed her version in June, with a report on that probe due by Monday, ahead of a potential vote.
“I personally would like a vote Monday at committee,” Zappone said, “and then we vote on it that night.”
