8/14/2022
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The Spokesman-Review
KREM
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The Spokesman-Review - Letters to the Editor
Homelessness in West Hills
The article “Project for homeless draws ire of West Hill Neighbors” (Aug. 7) misses the main point. This is not your typical NIMBY opposition. The West Hills has been supportive of housing for the disadvantaged. We registered no objection to the proposal for two large apartment complexes for recovering addicts by Ascenda and for multiple units of (currently under construction) low- income housing by Catholic Charities at the bottom of Sunset Hill. The problem is that having agreed to multiple low-income housing complexes in the rapidly developing West Hills Neighborhood, we now find ourselves in the immediate planning stage for one low-restriction motel at the top of the hill (1½ miles up the same road) and one large (low-restriction) pallet living space at the bottom of the hill. Another hotel may soon be for sale at the top of the hill. These projects have stopped at least two commercial projects (one apartment complex and one retail/ apartment complex). West Hills is a vibrant neighborhood, but has an increasing crime rate due to the many homeless living in the woods within our neighborhood.
Placing between two and five additional buildings with well over 200 new homeless on a 1½-mile stretch of road, which already has a large unserved homeless population, does nothing to improve the plight of the existing homeless in the area while creating many of the same problems that exist in the Camp Hope complex.
Rick Clapp
Spokane
In response to: “Alternative to Camp Hope,” July 22.
Wow, that was fast! The Spokesman-Review article dated July 22, “Alternative to Camp Hope” states that plans were being fast tracked to open a low-barrier shelter in the West Hills neighborhood. News to residents of West Hills.
Exactly two weeks later and money has been turned over to purchase the Quality Inn on Sunset Highway, changing it from a tax-paying, for-profit hotel to a nonprofit property run by Catholic Charities.
Making these impactful changes to the neighborhood in secret has put residents on the defensive and created a reactive environment, raising concerns about a sudden influx of hundreds of new neighbors, not to mention safety, zoning, environmental impact, etc.
This area is already short of essential services, businesses and transportation. The last City Council meeting (Aug. 2) revealed there has been a slow growth in the works with local developers planning to build taxable, affordable units, some with retail in West Hills, yet if a low-barrier shelter arrives those plans and tax dollars will go away.
The fact that these neighborhood- altering plans are being pushed through and funded quickly and in the shadows isn’t ethical, acceptable or neighborly.
Thanks to The Spokesman- Review for shining a light and breaking the story. It’ll be interesting to see if the media or the neighborhood can keep up with the changes being made in secret.
Elizabeth Oakes
Spokane
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KREM
Police say a person in a tent launched their own drone and tried to take down SPD's.
SPOKANE, Wash. — Drones have soared in popularity over the years and they've proven to be a useful tool for the Spokane Police Department (SPD).
"The community benefits because we're able to find these people, officers benefit because we're not walking into an ambush and the suspect benefits because we're able to use other tools and tactics to come up with a peaceful resolution," SPD Cpl. Nick Briggs said.
They also help officers see in the dark when an armed suspect tried to hide in someone's backyard. Officers knew exactly where he was.
"Found the suspect hiding, was able to position the officers in a way that they could protect the public but then also begin de-escalation," Briggs said.
Back in July, Spokane police were on the trail of a burglar who stole a laptop from a business on South Freya. The suspect darted into the homeless camp and eventually into a tent.
Police launched a drone and within minutes, a person living at the camp decided to launch his own to try and take down SPD's. The camper's drone flew right toward the SPD drone and rammed it, breaking off a propeller.
"Anytime law enforcement is deploying a relatively new technique or tool, there are people that have the opposite interest," Briggs said. "They are trying to avoid being apprehended. They are trying to hinder investigations."
Officer were able to arrest the burglary suspect, but now they have an entirely different investigation. Witnesses at the camp told police they knew who was responsible and that he had several drones in his tent. But, when officers searched it, they couldn't find any.
The investigation is still ongoing. Cpl. Briggs says to his knowledge, this is the first time anyone has targeted a SPD drone.