Letters to the Editor for Friday, Oct. 31

Homeless need more help

The city and schools came up with a clever idea for improving Spokane, something for everybody. I wish that the city could come up with a clever improvement for our homeless population. While I have no solution, I suspect it would take a large amount of money to place people, offer help with mental illnesses, drug addiction, hopelessness, job training. I am ready to be taxed for such.

Jane Yarwood

Spokane

Dismay at our borders

I’ve tried to stick to the local focus requirements for letters submitted now. So, I just want to tell you how national issues affect me right here in River City.

I got a call from my Canadian friend a few weeks ago. We had a great conversation, and after a while I asked him when he was going to make his annual trip to see Spokane family and friends. He expressed absolute reluctance to come to the U.S. right now. He and his wife are offended at all the rhetoric spewed toward Canada and Canadians … Who would have thunk that being constantly told that they would soon be a part of the U.S., that Canadians wouldn’t appreciate it?

Not long after that, my son called from his home in Mexico. I was hoping they would make a trip north to visit family who misses him and his wife. Well … apparently, it ain’t gonna happen. Not only are they offended by all the masked marauders and ethnic slights, but she’s kind of worried about her safety, even though she’s become an American citizen.

This all affects me right here in Spokane. It means at my age, I have to get on a plane to see friends and relatives.

Who could have imagined that our congressmen and senators would allow one person to not only embarrass us constantly, but treat us like vassals? Not me.

J. Bruce Embrey

Spokane

Drug use should be highest priority

There was a time when Spokane’s biggest civic gripe was potholes. Today, the challenge is far more serious: Downtown is caught in a destructive cycle of open drug use, addiction and homelessness that erodes public safety and drives people away. Businesses lose customers, tax revenues shrink and confidence in our city center declines.

Breaking this cycle requires more than half‑measures. Spokane needs a full‑court press against the drug crisis, treating it as the highest funding priority – even if that means reallocating resources from other services. Without decisive action, every other investment downtown is undermined. Street beautification, new events, or infrastructure projects cannot succeed if vandalism and addiction remain unchecked.

The path forward is clear. Consistent enforcement with consequences, paired with real access to treatment and recovery, can flip the dominoes in the right direction: fewer people trapped in addiction, fewer chronically homeless on the streets, safer sidewalks, stronger businesses and renewed civic pride.

This is not only about compassion for those struggling with addiction, though compassion matters. It is about restoring Spokane’s economic and cultural heart. A downtown where families feel safe, businesses thrive, and recovery is possible is a downtown worth fighting for.

Spokane deserves to be the kind of city where the loudest complaint is about a pothole – not about open drug use, homelessness, vandalism and public safety.

Andrew Walker

Spokane