Don’t move Blessings

Not even two weeks since the city’s annual “Spokane Gives” campaign ends and the city demands Blessings Under the Bridge stops serving homeless people at the location they’ve done so for years. Apparently Spokane is only supposed to care during April when it’s politically expedient to do so and boosts statistics to promote the city’s image on the national stage? This is at the same time we learn several facilities and services for the homeless and vulnerable are closing?

Under the freeway is one of the only places homeless people can get cover from the weather in our community. People have always congregated there for that reason. Benches have been removed, the skate park fenced off, no sit/lie laws enforced, and private security threatens any homeless who dare exist there. Now BUTB is being blamed? Ridiculous.

Please contact the city council and mayor’s office and demand that the city immediately stop disrupting BUTB’s critical and compassionate work for the homeless and disenfranchised people of our community. Don’t make BUTB move, they already operate in the strategically best spot possible. Downtown Spokane needs to check their NIMBY attitudes at the door.

Joan Medina

Spokane