(The Center Square) – Conservatives on the Spokane City Council hope that the third time’s the charm as they plan to reintroduce a popular camping ban this month that the state’s highest court struck down.
Nearly 75% of voters approved Proposition 1 in 2023 to outlaw camping within 1,000 feet of a school, park or daycare. The law only applied to certain parts of the area at specific times due to a lower court ruling, which had prohibited enforcement unless cities provided enough shelter beds for the homeless.
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned that ruling in June 2024, allowing the Spokane Police Department to finally begin enforcing Prop 1; however, the Washington Supreme Court invalidated that law earlier this year, ruling that the ballot measure ultimately fell outside the scope of the citizen initiative process.
The court allowed Spokane to restore the will of the people via the council, but the majority refused two attempts from Councilmembers Jonathan Bingle and Michael Cathcart. Both represent downtown and the council’s conservative minority, frequently butting heads with their peers over homelessness policies.
“This is something that 75% of the voters wanted,” Bingle told The Center Square on Friday, ahead of him reintroducing Prop 1 later this month. “I have heard there are a number of council members who are out there and realizing, ‘Okay, this just is a pile of hot garbage, and what are we going to do about it?’”
Bingle noted that none of the majority had told him specifically that they wanted something different than the new camping ban that the council passed this summer. That law applies citywide, but allows individuals to avoid citations if they comply with SPD by leaving the area or accepting various services.
Mayor Lisa Brown and the majority are currently facing an investigation regarding how the council passed the law.
Cathcart told The Center Square that he also plans to reintroduce another version of Prop 1 this month. Bingle hopes to replicate the initiative word for word, while Cathcart wants to implement a graduated, yet strengthened, enforcement policy that prevents people from avoiding citations as they currently do.
Both expressed support for each other and plan to release copies of the ordinances next week or soon after, with the intention of reintroducing Prop 1 at a committee meeting on Oct. 20. Cathcart said that he has had conversations with SPD leadership, who allegedly told him that the new ban is unenforceable.
“I will say I have not heard SPD leadership publicly say that,” Cathcart told The Center Square,” but I’ve absolutely had conversations with leadership in private where that is definitely the attitude … and it’s twofold, I mean, essentially all we are allowing our officers to do is to play social worker.”
Police Chief Kevin Hall told the council in September, months after it passed the new camping ban, that SPD hadn’t issued any citations related to the camping ban yet. Like Bingle, Cathcart said he had spoken to multiple peers who expressed support for modifying it, but he couldn’t say to what extent.
Councilmember Kitty Klitzke told The Center Square that she also believes the camping ban needs to be adjusted, but called Bingle’s approach “lazy.” Klitzke mentioned speaking to Cathcart about changes, but she said that she hadn’t seen his ordinance yet, so she declined to take a stance about her support for it.
Klitzke emphasized the need for a nuanced approach and said she and her seatmate, Councilmember Zack Zappone, attempted to provide that discretion to SPD so officers aren’t citing everyone in sight.
“There’s definitely folks that cause trouble downtown, and then there’s folks that just need help,” she said. “We were trying to craft an ordinance that allows them to respond appropriately to those things, but the way that it was actually implemented … sounds like they’re responding much less than we had hoped.”
She acknowledged that the council needs to make changes so SPD can cite bad actors, but Klitzke also believes that Spokane needs more behavioral health resources to take care of them. Klitzke said she just doesn’t want to “recycle past failed solutions,” or to continue “beating the dead horse of Prop 1.”
“If you put anything about homelessness and camping and, you know, stuff like that, that people can visibly see as a problem, on the ballot, it would have passed,” Klitzke said. “Does that mean it would be effective? Well, clearly, no, we have to also do the things that allow something like that to work.”
Regional officials launched a public safety task force earlier this week, tasked with identifying funding to potentially replace the downtown jail and support behavioral health services. Klitzke cited this as part of the solution. Zappone did not respond to requests for his stance before publishing on Friday.
Interim Councilmember Sheldby Lambdin also didn’t respond to requests for her stance on Friday.
Councilmember Paul Dillon was brief in his statements, noting that the council has an upcoming review of the new camping ban, but added that he is “very open to modifying” it to clarify how officers can enforce.
Council President Betsy Wilkerson told The Center Square that she wants to wait until after the review, but isn’t in favor of eliminating provisions that allow individuals to avoid citations if they comply with SPD.
She said that Hall would give his review of the new camping ban by Oct. 17, and if it isn’t working, Wilkerson is willing to readjust to “give the chief and his officers what other necessary tools they need.”
“I am interested in doing an amendment to help the officers, but doing away with it totally with all the engagement we’ve had, no, currently I’m not,” Wilkerson told The Center Square. “Spokane will never be Disneyland. We will encounter unhoused people. We will encounter folks who have substance abuse, and we’re working towards that, but at the same time, we’re working for somewhere for them to go.”
Spokane Communications Director Erin Hut told The Center Square that an announcement regarding camping enforcement will be made early next week, but added, “That’s all I can share at this moment.”
When asked what that means, Wilkerson said, “I’ll just say I think there’s some things in the works, but really the path we proceed down will be based on Chief Hall’s report on Monday.” Hall provides an update to the council every month on SPD’s activity, so Wilkerson said he may have more to say then.
The Center Square contacted Hall about whether he planned to present the camping ban review next week or on Oct. 17, but didn’t receive a response before publishing. Cathcart said he heard from City Administrator Alex Scott about a potential upcoming announcement, but didn’t have any details.
“There was absolutely no preview or hint or anything of what it was,” Cathcart said, “but I do know that there is something for sure coming, and it sounds like it’s a potential change to the ordinance.”
“I think it would be one of two things. It’s either going to be a proposed change to the ordinance, or it’s going to be a proposed change to the policies of implementation,” Cathcart continued.
