SPOKANE, Wash. – A recent ordinance proposed by the Spokane City Council aims to reinstate the intent of Proposition 1, which the Washington Supreme Court repealed earlier this year.
This ordinance could significantly affect the homeless community in Spokane. Proposition 1, which was previously overturned, sought to prevent camping within 1,000 feet of homes, schools, and child care centers.
Spokane City Council’s agenda on June 16 indicated they are not restricted by the court’s previous ruling and could pass ordinance 0320 to reinstate these regulations.
Founder of Jewel’s Helping Hand, the group responsible for the original lawsuit which ended in Proposition 1’s repeal, Julia Garcia voiced concerns about the implications of reinstating Proposition 1.
“Here’s the problem with Prop One…If we don’t tell them where they can go, then we’re telling them they can’t be here and we are denying them the right to exist, and therefore criminalizing the existence of homelessness,” she said.
Garcia emphasized the challenge this presents for aiding the homeless. “We can’t just say ‘Well, because you’re poor and you can’t afford a house, you cannot exist in our city,’ it kind of contradicts the ‘In Spokane, we all belong.'”
Conversely, Emilie Cameron, President of the Downtown Spokane Partnership, sees benefits in restricting public camping but acknowledges additional needs must be addressed. “The set of circumstances that we have in downtown are unique because we have lots of public sidewalks that don’t have the traditional buffer of private property that you might find,” Cameron stated.
Cameron highlighted the importance of keeping sidewalks clear for public safety. “People shouldn’t have to be concerned about how they will access their place of employment or their residence,” she said.
She also mentioned a letter of concern sent last week, emphasizing that “We recognize the unique conditions of a very concentrated set of commercial activities and see the amount of pedestrian activity downtown and ask that we look at that differently.”
Some members of Jewel’s Helping Hands will be at the meeting on June 16 to oppose the ordinance.
“I just think there needs to be a place for people to go if we’re going to tell them they can’t exist in most of our city,” Garcia said.
Jewel’s Helping Hand operates several homeless shelters, which Garcia said are usually full.
