Spokane City Council to hold Executive Session to discuss law enforcement’s actions at Camp Hope

56 minutes ago

Posted: December 7, 2022 10:06 PM

Spokane City Council

SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane City Council President Breean Beggs called an Executive Session for Thursday after law enforcement began warning Camp Hope residents about the site’s closure.

The Executive Session, followed by a special meeting, will discuss the legalities of the police and Sheriff’s Office handing out closure notices, and future action with City Legal.

“The City of Spokane’s understanding of the law has consistently been that our employees cannot participate in a forcible entry into the fenced campground without the consent of the owners or operators of the property or a signed judicial order,” said Beggs. “I want to protect our officers from the personal legal risk of being dragged into lawsuits, preserve the Constitution for all community members, and focus our efforts on solving this housing crisis with permanently affordable housing and services so that Camp Hope quickly becomes a distant memory .”

Beggs contacted City Legal for clarification on the legality of the police and Sheriff’s Office handing out these closure notices.

Washington’s Department of Commerce, Transportation, the Empire Health Foundation, Jewels Helping Hands, and other organizations have been working to decrease the population at Camp Hope for many months.

Several other Council Members provided statements regarding the situation at Camp Hope:

“The millions of dollars being spent thus far on transitioning people out of homelessness and into stable and safe housing options will be wasted if this population is disbursed to resume life on the streets throughout the city,” said Councilmember Kinnear.

“Our neighborhoods are calling 911 when actual crimes occur, and there is not adequate response,” said Councilmember Stratton. “It’s disappointing to see those law enforcement resources wasted here at Camp Hope.”

“We all want Camp Hope to close as quickly as possible,” said Councilmember Zappone. “It’s disturbing to see Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich waste law enforcement resources to use tactics of intimidation and antagonization going against our community values of treating everyone with basic human dignity.”

READ: Law enforcement hands out closure notices at Camp Hope second day in a row

READ: Washington DOT calls law enforcement presence at Camp Hope ‘disappointing and harmful’