Clean and safe Spokane

Close your eyes and think about driving into Spokane for the first time. You leave I-90 and what do you first see? If you’ve visualized the homeless encampments, blue tarps, garbage on the sidewalks and streets, panhandling, drugs and even sex on a sidewalk, you’d be right. This isn’t the Spokane I grew up with.

There are two “views” on the homeless situation. One is charity for all; free food, free clothes, free shelter, free social services, free, free, free. Catholic Charities proudly put several homeless buildings up on either side of Division south of the railroad tracks, but due to HUD restrictions cannot enforce any rules on residents. One would have been enough there, and other buildings individually placed around the city all with social services. I don’t see Catholic Charities taking the level of responsibility for the mess they have created downtown over the objections of the city and businesses.

A second “view” comes from businesses that are leaving downtown because of the homeless problem. We are already at 25% vacancy and growing, and downtown generates most of the tax revenue for the city. How many businesses do we have to lose before Mayor Woodward and the City Council have a joint strategy and plan to reverse this trend with action … NOW! Given the many staff vacancies in the mayor’s administration, I don’t expect anything soon. This “view” recognizes that not all “homeless” are the same, just like humanity is not all the same. What is left downtown are largely criminal vagrants that don’t want shelter, don’t want social services, steal from other homeless, but enjoy the free food, free clothes, and begging for money to purchase alcohol and drugs.

We need to work together, NOW, to get a “Clean and Safe” city so we can enjoy our downtown again and guests don’t turn away.

Doug Engle

Spokane