East Central deserves to determine its own destiny

By Betsy Wilkerson

Take a moment to imagine a “safe community.” Close your eyes and picture it. What does it look like – the streets, the homes, the neighborhoods? How does it feel? No matter what comes to mind, everyone deserves to have a say in their community, including the people of East Central.

Last fall, a world of possibilities opened when the Spokane Public Library at East Central vacated the building it occupied to open a new branch at Liberty Park. We began exploring options for bringing much needed healthcare services to East Central.

These possibilities were cut short on June 30, when Mayor Nadine Woodward disregarded the community outreach process the City Council had already begun and issued a unilateral decision to move Spokane Police Department officers into the 6,000-square-foot space.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time East Central residents have been excluded from neighborhood planning. In the 1960s, Interstate 90 barreled through East Central and bisected the neighborhood, displacing hundreds of people. In the early 2000s, more displacement ensured to make way for the North-South Freeway, and another 600 homes were torn down. The Washington state Department of Transportation now acknowledges that was not totally necessary.

City officials have said they are serious about righting these past wrongs and the chronic disinvestment East Central has experienced. Yet, that is hard to believe when Mayor Woodward decided to use the library building as a power play to assert her authority rather than her commitment to rebuilding trust with East Central residents.

I am not paraphrasing here. In Mayor Woodward’s words she said, “I just decided to make an executive decision, which is within my purview as a strong mayor.” She cares more about appearing strong than she does about the process she agreed to and – most importantly – what the people of East Central deserve.

The mayor claims East Central residents want a precinct in the building more than anything else; however, the online survey results that the mayor used to justify this decision were collected from people across Spokane, not solely from the East Central residents most affected.

Supposedly, uniformed officers went door-to-door in East Central asking residents’ opinions on what to do with the former library. I am told this was an informal process; therefore, these officers did not collect information about how many people they spoke to, data on what questions they asked or what responses they received. Unsurprisingly, they assure me that what they heard people wanted was a precinct.

Yet, a precinct already existed in East Central. In fact, this move does not add any new officers in East Central or new resources. It moved seven officers less than a mile across the freeway. Woodward would like us to believe that somehow situating a precinct in a residential area is the same as community policing. The precinct is not open to the public and the doors remain locked.

Contrast that with the library building that shares a parking lot with a day care and community center. The mayor is now floating the idea of moving correctional officers into the library and having people on parole report there for drug testing. This puts our day care, teen center, seniors and residents near convicted criminals on parole.

I ran for City Council because I love East Central and want to uplift my neighbors’ voices. I believe the power to decide what goes into the former Eastside Library building belongs to the community, not the mayor. That is why on Monday, I voted in favor of an ordinance limiting the mayor’s ability to choose the location of “essential services” without community input.

We would do well to remember East Central’s storied history, learn from past mistakes and lean into the opportunities we can create together. The library building should not be a precinct or a corrections office. If Mayor Woodward is serious about rebuilding community trust, she will do the right thing and listen to community voices and move the precinct elsewhere.

Finally, ask yourself: Would the Mayor unilaterally decide what is suitable for one of Spokane’s wealthier communities or is it only East Central where she knows best? And if she did, would the expectation be that the residents affected sit down and be quiet?

East Central resident and City Councilwoman Betsy Wilkerson represents Spokane’s District 2.