SPOKANE, Wash. — A proposition overwhelmingly approved by Spokane voters two years ago is no longer being enforced.
The Spokane City Council voted yesterday not to reinstate Proposition 1, which banned camping within 1,000 feet of schools, parks, and daycare centers.
Last week, the State Supreme Court ruled against Proposition 1. A state judge argued this initiative should not have been left up to the decision of voters, leaving The City Council with the final say on the matter.
Almost 75% of voters in Spokane approved Proposition 1 in 2023, effectively prohibiting homeless camping near parks, schools, and daycare facilities, which covers the majority of the city.
Spokane police officers on the front lines of enforcing Proposition 1 warn overturning the measure could impact neighborhood safety and also lead to an increase of garbage and drug paraphernalia.
The decision has raised concerns among local business leaders who warn that delaying enforcement could have serious consequences for downtown Spokane.
Brad Barnett, President of the Spokane Business Association, expressed disappointment that action on reinforcing Proposition 1 is not being taken quicker.
“It’s disappointing that the action isn’t being taken the quicker, to get this on the books as an ordinance so that this can be legal,” Barnett said.
The Spokane Business Association has spoken openly about its support of Proposition 1. Barnett warns that downtown Spokane could soon lose more business now that the initiative is not being enforced.
“If your business in downtown goes away, it’s like an apple rotting from the inside out,” Barnett said. “So if we don’t do something about this, you could look at it and go, well, the businesses will just find somewhere on the south side or north side to go to. We can’t sustain a strong Spokane business community without that strong core downtown.”
Council Member Paul Dillon, one of the four who voted against reinstating Proposition 1 at this time, argued more time is needed to create a better version of the original proposition.
“We have to look at how all these different laws intersect. So Spokane has about four different laws related to camping and homeless response. And so how do we come up with something that is more holistic?” Dillon said.
However, other city leaders feel this is the time to act.
“If there are concerns from the council and they want to amend it now that we have the ability to amend that ordinance, we can always amended at a later date,” said City Council Member Jonathan Bingle.
Sergeant Dale Wells, with the Spokane Police Department, told KXLY over the phone the department would like to see City Council use their legislative authority, and “enact the law through the legislative branch.”
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