What’s her plan?

My colleague’s spouse was assaulted last week while passing a homeless camp near our Spokane River around 3PM. He went out for an afternoon walk and ended up being punched and then kicked several times after falling to the ground.

As soon as he was able to get up, he ran up a hill, bloody and bruised and in shock, where a nursing home called 911 for him and he reported his assault. The police arrived 6 hours later and told the victim that there was nothing that could be done. It appears Mayor Woodward has discovered, despite her earlier ridiculously simplistic view of the problem, that homelessness is more devastating and complex with solutions that can’t be easily worked into election soundbites.

I live by the Spokane River. I too walk on its public access trails daily. Although I’ve been beyond fortunate to have never been assaulted, I do watch with sadness and astonishment and confusion as the homeless camps and their horrifying piles of garbage seem to grow in number daily; unregulated by the tough-talking mayoral candidate and her “hand up not a hand out” slogan.

I get that she wants us to be “patient” now, having realized there are no easy solutions to this multi-faceted societal breakdown. But while I have no idea what, or if anything, is being done by the city to combat homeless camps, I do know all about her snow removal plan … having seen the big press conference regarding this important issue.

Karen White

Spokane