SPOKANE, Wash. – Less than a month ago, the Spokane City Council unanimously passed an emergency ordinance called the Safe and Accessible Places Act. This act gives police officers the authority to issue citations to individuals who do not comply with law enforcement instructions regarding illegal camping downtown. In its first week, Spokane Police Department issued 125 citations and over 200 warnings.
Some local business owners have been closely monitoring the effects of this new ordinance. Kathy Castillo and Jessie Hoch, owners of The Tuxedo Gallery on 2nd and Bernard, have witnessed significant changes. They noted that before the ordinance, their area was a hot spot for drug, sex, and vandalism crimes.
“We’re always scrubbing graffiti off or painting the walls and stuff and trying to clean up after human feces, drug paraphernalia. All of that stuff that we’re constantly cleaning up on a daily basis,” Castillo said.
Both Castillo and Hoch have been actively engaged with city leaders to address the situation, hosting meetings with elected officials and other small business owners.
“If people don’t start rising up in the space that they’re in and don’t start protecting their own corners, and don’t start asking for change in the space they’re in, we will lose downtown Spokane,” Hoch said.
Since the ordinance’s implementation, Castillo and Hoch have noticed a reduction in crime-related calls.
“I think we’ve gone from calling Crime Check daily, sometimes multiple times a day to maybe once a week, if that,” Castillo said.
Despite their positive experiences, not all downtown businesses have seen the same results. Some businesses continue to close their doors due to ongoing issues.
“The percentage of businesses that are closing in Spokane, that’s sad. And I don’t want to just settle for that. I won’t settle for that. And neither will Kathy,” Hoch said.
The business owners remain committed to advocating for the community and addressing illegal camping downtown.
“I don’t care what your political view is, you all need to be working for the right direction. And until they do that, we cannot move forward as a community,” Hoch said.
The conversation will continue at an event hosted at the Tuxedo Gallery on December 6. This black-tie evening will be a ticketed event that aims to support other downtown businesses that are working towards a cleaner and safer shopping environment for the upcoming holiday season.
