9/23/2022
Look - I made it into the S-R!! Very proud to be up there with Shawn Vestal’s powerful piece - Dan
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The Spokesman-Review
Shawn Vestal: If dumb, angry responses to homelessness worked, we’d have solved it already
Dan Simonson: A view of hope at Camp Hope
KREM
KHQ
KXLY
The Center Square
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The Spokesman-Review
Shawn Vestal: If dumb, angry responses to homelessness worked, we’d have solved it already
The community is desperate for effective, unified leadership on homelessness.
Instead, we’re being treated to “The Ozzie and Nadine Show” – a hacky farce of grandiose proportions, in which local officials who could make a real difference instead lash out, politicize, undermine, threaten and obstruct progress in bringing an end to Camp Hope.
If they get their way, the camp’s residents will not be housed, and they won’t magically disappear. They’ll move around to other places in town, and the problem will continue to worsen, no matter how many misdemeanor citations the police department rains down on them.
This is the chief accomplishment of Nadine Woodward’s administration on homelessness, after all – a steep rise in the ineffective shuffling-about of homeless people. As feverishly as she tries to spread the blame, there is no single official in our community who bears more responsibility for what’s gone wrong.
As the state-funded effort to clear the encampment proceeds, the community desperately needs to see it work. We desperately need leaders pulling together behind real efforts to achieve real results, at Camp Hope and with the many other corners of this emergency as well.
Instead, we’re getting an unproductive game of chicken that raises a ton of questions.
Whose authority prevails in these conflicts? Might the city actually sue the agencies that are spending $24 million to address homelessness? Could there be a standoff at the camp between sheriff’s deputies and state patrolmen? How far will the rash, impetuous sheriff go to prove that the state is not the boss of him?
Dumb questions, political posturing, failures of leadership.
It’s “The Ozzie and Nadine Show.”
The state, which owns the land inside the city limits on which Camp Hope sits, is spending millions to find housing for the camp’s residents. You might think local officials who have failed to make a dent in this problem would have a very simple response: Thank you!
Right now, Empire Health Foundation is spearheading an outreach effort to connect each camp resident to a place to live.
The foundation is doing this because our local governments are not.
This is not a project based on fantasies or wishful thinking, but on the reality that each person there will have different needs and that finding everyone a place to go – in a city that does not have enough places for them to go – will take more than a couple of weeks.
It is based not on a simplistic desire to judge those people’s level of deserving, but to recognize that whatever their circumstances, it is better for them and better for everyone else if they are living indoors – ideally with access to the services that would help them improve their lives.
Does everyone wish all of this could happen instantly? Of course. But what will happen if the campers are just disbursed and driven off – if the cops are sent in swinging their billy clubs, which is so clearly the dream of some? How does that story end?
Those who dream this dream think it ends with homeless people moving … away. Not into other neighborhoods. Not onto riverbanks or under train tracks or in parks.
Just … away. Away, away! Shown the stern hand of a no-nonsense sheriff and pro-accountability mayor, the hundreds and hundreds of homeless people throughout ourcommunity will just vanish.
Such wishful thinking animates “The Ozzie and Nadine Show,” with the lead actors blaming the state for the problem entirely, attempting to establish a wildly unrealistic deadline for the camp’s removal, and threatening actions that may satisfy the pro-cruelty crowd in the short term, but which would be disastrous.
Woodward has done this by attempting to fine the state under the city’s nuisance laws, demanding reimbursement of the city’s costs associated with the encampment and removal of a cooling/ warming tent, as well as setting a mid-October deadline to have the camp cleared.
The heads of the three state agencies responded earlier this week with an utter broadside – sharply rebuking the city, making it clear they would not honor the “completely unrealistic” deadline, refusing the attempt to extort nuisance payments, and accurately noting that the problem of homelessness in Spokane has been exacerbated by the failures of the mayor herself.
In a particularly apt poke, the letter – signed by Commerce Secretary Lisa Brown, state patrol Chief John Batiste, and Transportation Secretary Roger Millar – calls out the mayor for being “more preoccupied with optics than action.”
Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich followed with more optics, firing off a scabrous letter Thursday to the Department of Transportation that displays all the hallmarks of lame-duck Knezovichism: personal smears, authoritarian bluster, ignorance about the problem, political cheap shots, boundless arrogance.
Knezovich claims he will personally clear the camp in a few weeks. The great leader will fix things and it will be quick, thank you very much. He claims he will buy bus tickets for the camp residents, partner with churches to provide drug and mental health treatment – because everyone knows how ample the drug treatment resources in this community are – and voila!
Away, away! More darkly, the sheriff hints at malfeasance and criminal allegations involving supporters of camp, calling for audits and investigations of everyone in sight. This line of thought – that those helping homeless people are actually crafty profiteers and fraudsters – is common slander among the fans of “The Ozzie and Nadine Show,” but slinging vague allegations of fraud like some Facebook troll is scummy behavior for a public official.
It is all beyond absurd. A sheriff on a white horse with a handful of bus tickets, riding to the mayor’s rescue! Huzzah!
Unfortunately, we can’t solve this problem with the dumb ideas and misdirected anger of “The Ozzie and Nadine Show.”
If we could, it would already be solved. Shawn Vestal can be reached at (509) 459-5431 or at shawnv@spokesman.com.
SHAWN VESTAL
SPOKESMAN COLUMNIST
By Dan Simonson
Earlier this month, I visited Camp Hope to drop off some stuff for the residents. The cooling (and probably soon to be warming) tent was functioning well, an oasis of ordered cots next to the jumble of tents and tarps across the street.
I visited with Julie and Allie and Maurice, all working hard to help our neighbors. As I was done and wandering back to my car, a young woman (I’ll guess in her 30s) chatted me up and thanked me for bringing the stuff in.
She mentioned that she was headed to her job, at the Interstate Fair. She and her husband were Camp Hope residents. I noticed she was walking and asked if she would like a ride to the fairgrounds; she gladly accepted.
On our short ride over, she told me a lot. “My husband and I hate it here – the drugs, the fights, the crime – but we are determined to stay until we can save enough to move into an apartment. Don’t get me wrong – there are lots of good people here, but we really want to move out.”
She then explained that she was working two jobs to help them move to their goal – a more regular job taking shifts at a nearby fast food restaurant, and the temporary job at the fairgrounds.
I asked if the fast food place (a national chain) was helping her out, and she said they knew she was homeless and living in Camp Hope, yet were supportive. Her lifeline to both of these jobs was her phone, where they could reach her to tell her about shift changes, etc. I thought it interesting that we hear so much about the crime associated with Camp Hope – but little about this odd benefit: Local minimum- wage businesses within walking distance have a captive work force! This woman had no car, and as long as she could find work within walking distance, she wasn’t going to waste money on buses or cars – housing first for her. I bet she would love to get “connected with services.”
I dropped her off, and she joined the group of employees waiting to get into the fair – all smiles and waves. As I drove off, my heart swelled so much at how this little effort of mine – a mile car ride to this lovely lady – had helped her out a bit and absolutely made my day.
To all those who wish to vilify the Camp Hope residents: Please remember this dear person and her husband, using the “free” shelter offered at Camp Hope to try to get to a better life. Not an addict, not a criminal, not mentally ill, not laying on the street corner – just a couple down on their luck working to get out.
If there is only one person like this at Camp Hope – and with this lady and her husband and the couple highlighted in the new video from Housing and Help, we now know of at least four – then we cannot “clear” Camp Hope until we have found somewhere for them to go.
Mayor Woodward, please do not forget them. You are the mayor of my city. Please help.
Dan Simonson is a retired nurse anesthetist who has lived in Spokane for the past 38 years.
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KREM
John Hall spoke exclusively with KREM 2 about his time with the city and his next steps in his new position.
SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane's Director of Neighborhood, Housing and Human Services (NHHS) John Hall announced his resignation Wednesday. His resignation comes approximately three months after he was appointed to the position by Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward.
Hall let the city know he accepted another position on the East Coast, according to Spokane city spokesperson Brian Coddington.
On Thursday, Hall spoke exclusively with KREM 2 about his time with the city and his next steps in his new position.
Channing Curtis
So, John, you announced your resignation, or your resignation was announced yesterday. It seemed a little sudden to a lot of people, especially those of us in the media. Was it actually a sudden move, or was it something that you've been thinking about for a while?
John Hall
Well, I'm not sure how you want to define it as sudden or not, but I had been looking for a job just basically this whole year, and I accepted this position. And I was, you know, 100% committed. I did have some residual applications that actually go all the way back to January that I started hearing from in August. And so I, you know, listened. And as I was working through and adjusting here in Spokane, and so when I had my self inventory, at the end of the day, I decided it would probably be in the best interest for my career. The opportunity to actually start a new department, set the office culture, do most of the recruitment that for staff, it would be an easier lift in a leadership capacity to get things done.
Channing Curtis
And now, your predecessor also wasn't here for a very long amount of time. Is that something that you're aware of? Are you aware of that situation at all?
John Hall
When I did my research before I took the position, I read a couple of articles, but I don't see our scenarios, our dilemmas being in the same. I'm basically given an opportunity for my career to start a new agency, and I am choosing to take that opportunity.
Channing Curtis
So then to be clear, the allegations that your predecessor made regarding racial discrimination and unfair treatment, that's not what you're saying, in this case?
John Hall
That has not been my experience here at all. Mayor Woodward and her entire team have been welcoming, they've been more than nice. And actually, the citizens of Spokane, nearly everyone has been nice. And that's what made the decision a little bit more difficult because so many people have been nice. For me, it came down to, you know, the opportunity to start something new. I could stay here and reform agencies, I have the mental toughness to do that. But what I didn't have to do here is the political capital. And so I think it would be in my better interest to start something fresh and new and chart its own course.
Channing Curtis
Would there have been anything that the city could have done to make you stay?
John Hall
Well, I don't think so because the opportunity... it was timing. The opportunity to actually, I'm not sure how well your viewers follow affordable housing and community development, but it's very difficult. Change, management is very difficult. And so to have the opportunity to start something new and fresh with a lot of those challenges and barriers. Not to say that they won't be there, but that you can get more things done, than the stalemate that happens in most places. And so for me that that's what it came down to.
Channing Curtis
And I mean, exactly to that point here. Affordable housing seems to be it's a very, not necessarily partisan, but it does seem to be a very contentious issue with a lot of the people here in the community, with many people saying that they don't want it or that they don't want homeless shelters in their area. Is that one of the challenges that impacted, say, your decision to take this other position is some of the difficulties that maybe you face?
John Hall
The short answer is no. I definitely was looking forward and was already working with a lot of the neighborhood associations and councils participated and was looking forward to helping them solve the the dilemmas of the day and. I think you're referencing West Hills neighborhood. I had participated with them in August. I went on a tour and was trying to you know, find ways to live in harmony or create, you know, equitable treatment for West Hills. And so I'm a reformer, I love challenges. The thing about it was just the timing of my job search this whole entire year. It just came that this opportunity starts at a department anew, it puts me back in a network that I'm familiar with, and I just didn't have the political capital here. And I had to make that the decision that I want to actually try to build that political capital, knowing the changes that needed to be made. And for me, it was, it was just a decision I made to go with something new, a new agency.
Channing Curtis
In referencing some of those changes that need to be made, what do you think are some of the changes that, whether it's a city thing, whether it is even the community at large, that needs to change in order for us to move forward and to start solving some of these problems that we're having?
John Hall
Well, I'm in no position, you know, to have, you know, the magic crystal ball. But I will be putting together some observations, but some of the things that I think are things that any city should look at is, of course, collaboration, regional approach. Collaboration builds institutional capacity, so it makes things stick so that when administrations change, the good work can still stay intact. And so collaboration is key in keeping everybody at the table. I know there have been conversations as late as yesterday, for example, with the Washington Department of Transportation right away site. And I'm encouraged by that, because as long as we are at the table, everyone is at the table, sooner or later something will get hammered out. And that's community development. It's slow, it's very slow, and to look at the state of homelessness across the country, and here specifically, it didn't get this way overnight. This homelessness issue has been growing since probably the 1970s when housing funding was significantly cut. And it has always been cut. We had a previous administration that zeroed out HUDs budgets. And so when you have policies that are trying to get in place like that, you don't have sustainable funding for programs that are needed for housing stability. At the same time, we also need to do a better job helping our neighbors and our fellow citizens, leverage programs that are available, whether it's job training, education, things of that nature, that help with self sufficiency. And so we, in the housing arena, we have a lot of those tools and we just need to bundle those resources to yield greater productivity and output for citizens, which will in turn, help stabilize our communities, and also build our economic strength.
Channing Curtis
Now, I have to admit the optics aren't great. I mean, you're leaving after three months. Your predecessor also left rather suddenly and, for lack of a better term, just in a firestorm. It seems like one of the one of the lines that stuck out to me was, and I'm not sure if it was from a statement or where it was from but saying it was something regarding your treatment here. Can you talk about that or elaborate some on that?
John Hall
I'm not exactly sure what he may have been referencing. I actually, I spoke to Council President Beggs in June as part of my interview. We had a very good, or I would actually say a great conversation. I was excited to get here and to meet them. It was virtual. So I was still in Indianapolis at the time. But since then, I have not met with Council President Beggs. I have spoken to him from the Dyess presentations and exchanged emails on various topics. But so I'm not sure exactly the context or the other connotation. What I will tell you, in my own words, is that, you know, I am grateful for the opportunity to be here and to work with everyone. Did I have some bad days? Yes. Did I have some challenges adjusting? Yes. Was the culture different? Yes. But it's like that everywhere. As I had the opportunity to come in August, and I had more than one, I had three. And as I analyze those, you know, do I stay? Or do I go? I had to do my own self inventory and figure out, you know, here, I'm an outsider, I don't have the political capital, meaning I don't have the relationships, I'm not local. Do I want to be here to build those relationships, to fight those battles to ensure I have support, meaning for change management, things that have to get done, those heavy decisions that will become institutionalized. And I'm not talking about the mayor or the executive side. I'm talking about the legislative side, the community side, I'm talking about everyone. So I had to take those things into consideration for myself. I know you did your research on me. And so I'm sure you know that I have been shell shocked, traumatized from Tacoma to Indianapolis. And for me, it was like, how deep do I want to go with this opportunity? In my observations of knowing that things that needed to change. And so I thought for the sake of my career, and my sanity, is that to start a new department, where I could set the culture, I could do most of the recruitment and I could have a little bit less stress. That's my story.
Channing Curtis
I can respect that. Is there anything else that you'd like to add or that you'd like to mention? Maybe clarify, while you have the time?
John Hall
I just want to express to the city. I have enjoyed my short time here. I regret if you feel that I let you down. I know a lot of people have faith in me to use my expertise and to take the city higher and I think you are still in capable hands of doing that without me. You know, I just encourage everyone to stay professional, work in a collaborative manner, stay at the table and the deals will get done. You know, and compromise is going to be needed, and fair and equitable treatment. I know there are, you know, the West Hill neighborhoods, there's the right away site, that there are a lot of points of contention throughout the city. But we are all human, and we have to come together. It's as simple as that. We've got to follow where the resources are, and leverage them. Again, I say bundle those resources that get the greater impact and output for the citizens. It can be done with the team that's here. And so don't feel that I was the only hope that the city had because one person can't do it all. It takes a team, it takes collaboration to make things work. So I would just encourage your viewers to be engaged, but also to allow, you know, the mayor and the city staff to do their jobs. For the most part, they know exactly what needs to be done and how it should be. And if, you know, the public doesn't believe that or see the results, then hold us all accountable. That's part of our our great government system. And so those are the things I would like to just leave with the city. And I'll be watching the great things that you do, because I know there are great things coming out of Spokane.
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KHQ
SPOKANE, Wash. - The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has responded to Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich vowing to clear out Camp Hope in mid-October.
"The Sheriff’s proposal doesn’t capture the spirit of those conversations and we will continue to work in good faith with willing partners at all levels of government," WSDOT said in the response. "Initial plans to secure the site with fencing are already underway, and while it will take time to fully resolve the encampment, the community will begin to see visible improvements in just the next couple months."
On Wednesday, state and local leaders met to discuss future plans to find a solution for Camp Hope.
"Yesterday's meeting with city officials was a start to productive, much needed discussion to successfully resolve Camp Hope and work together to provide safe, secure housing and service solutions for those living homeless at the encampment," the WSDOT statement said.
Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich released a letter on Wednesday, vowing he will clear out Camp Hope in mid-October.
In the letter, Knezovich accused the state of Washington of creating an environment for Camp Hope.
"This tragic situation has continued for more than nine months without any action on your part. And to be clear, this is not a crisis of an economic nature; the residents of the camp did not lose their jobs due to the economy. There are plenty of jobs available to camp residents that continue to go unfilled," Knezovich wrote.
Knezovich also threatened to seek an audit of WSDOT, the State of Washington, and City of Spokane in funding the camp.
To read the state's response to the meeting, click here.
You can see the Sheriff's full statement here: Download PDF file
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KXLY
September 22, 2022 6:02 PM
Updated: September 22, 2022 7:44 PM
SPOKANE, Wash. — The sheriff vowed to clear Camp Hope. Now, public health agencies are worried the plan will only create more trauma for the community.
Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich sent a letter to Washington’s Secretary of Transportation on Thursday. In it, he said he would start clearing the camp in mid-October because of the department’s inaction. It’s a move some involved in Camp Hope solutions aren’t convinced will work.
Simply put, there’s no easy way to move 600 people off a plot of land, and numerous local and state agencies are already working on it including the Department of Commerce, City of Spokane, Washington State Patrol and the Department of Transportation.
“The immediate next step is to get together again next week and continue the conversation,” said Brian Coddington. He’s the director of communications for the city of Spokane.
Now, a new voice is joining the conversation. In the new letter, Sheriff Knezovich called out the Department of Transportation and Washington state for inaction and allowing this camp to grow for nine months. He says the community can no longer stand by and allow the conditions to continue.
Knezovich says, he’ll start clearing it by the middle of next month if nothing is done before then.
“The letter from the sheriff is disappointing,” said Zeke Smith. He’s the president of Empire Health Foundation.
His team is now connecting with the people living there to see what they need. He says that work takes time, and the sheriff’s deadline creates trauma.
“All it does is increase people’s anxieties,” he added. “I think it actually is a safety challenge when he says something like that.”
Empire says they want to see a fence surrounding Camp Hope, ID’s for those living there and a possible curfew to add security.
“None of us believe that it’s a permanent housing solution for anybody, including the residents that are there,” Zeke said.
In response to the sheriff’s letter, the Department of Transportation says his proposal “doesn’t capture the spirit” of the goals for the camp.
Those already involved say the sheriff is more than welcome to offer ideas and meaningful solutions.
“If the sheriff wants to be a part of collaborating to how we can actually address Camp Hope and make sure those folks can get into better housing, there’s a seat at the table for him at any moment,” Zeke concluded.
The sheriff will hold a press conference about his new plan and proposal on Friday.
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The Center Square
Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich is leaving for his home state of Wyoming at the end of the year. He plans to continue wearing the badge -- and maybe one day run for an executive or legislative office.
Photo courtesy of Spokane County Sheriff's Office
(The Center Square) – Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich has written a scathing letter to the Washington Department of Transportation about the agency's failure to clear a homeless camp from being established on its local property.
“Consider this letter notice to WSDOT that I plan to clear this camp by mid-October,” he wrote. “WSDOT's dereliction of their duties to address this matter must not continue.”
State officials have responded to Knezovich’s stated plans to clear Camp Hope of its more than 650 residents with criticism.
“Our agencies know all too well from past experience that clearing the encampment will simply make things worse for the entire city. Hundreds of people will spread across county, city, state and private property and the issues connected with unsanctioned encampments – from safety to litter – will be dispersed as well. This action will not make anyone’s life better or safer,” reads a statement published by the heads of WSDOT, the Department of Commerce and Washington State Patrol.
Representatives from all three agencies met yesterday with Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward and other city leaders to discuss issues related to Camp Hope, the state’s largest homeless camp in a right-of-way.
“I hope you note that I do not refer to this encampment as ‘Camp Hope.’ It represents anything but that,” stated Knezovich.
Although his Sept. 22 letter was addressed to Roger Millar, director of WSDOT, as the landowner agency, Knezovich referenced the two other agencies in a plan to audit taxpayer investments into homeless encampments within the county.
“I intend to conduct a full investigation into potential fraud related to this funding,” wrote the sheriff. “I will also be contacting the FBI with respect to possible public corruption, the misuse of public funds, and the circumstances surrounding the formation of this camp. It appears the formation of this camp was merely an effort to 'pass the buck' to the citizens of our county and the City of Spokane.”
Knezovich said lawlessness and public health problems at the camp, which was founded in December at Third and Freya streets, are adversely affecting an area already beset with crime and poverty problems.
“If this camp were located in your neighborhood, or the Secretary of Commerce's backyard, this issue would have been resolved long ago. I have spent countless hours speaking with residents who have been greatly impacted by the state's inaction and assure you these citizens have lost all hope for resolution,” stated Knezovich.
He referenced a request from state officials that he come up with a plan to ensure that each resident of the camp has access to safe and secure housing options.
“My plan is to provide bus tickets to the location of each residents' choice, allowing them to reunite with family and to assist them in recovery. I will also engage the faith community to help with drug, alcohol, and mental health treatment,” he said.
With Commerce offering $24.3 million to relocate people at the camp, Knezovich said a year’s worth of rent could be paid for each person. He sees that as a better option than allowing the current situation to continue.
“However, without implementing treatment for the drug, alcohol, and mental health needs, any investment would likely prove unsuccessful and fall far short of helping those at the camp out of poverty,” he noted.
People living at the camp are not there because they lost jobs due to the economy because there are plenty of work opportunities available, he said.
What draws people to Camp Hope, said Knezovich, is addiction and mental health issues that are often fueled by drug and alcohol abuse.
“At this point I have to ask how WSDOT plans to prevent future injury with respect to those camp residents who have so far experienced rape, beatings, brandings, thefts, shootings, stabbings, and other similar crimes which are repeatedly being committed at the camp and in nearby neighborhoods, businesses, and communities,” wrote Knezovich. “WSDOT's inaction serves to condone these criminal acts.”
He also briefly addressed concerns about the health hazards brought by having raw sewage and human waste dumped in and around the camp.
“By allowing these conditions to continue, WSDOT is complicit in the wretched conditions at the camp,” stated the sheriff.
It is his intent to restore order and safety in and around the camp, said Knezovich.
“If you disagree, please feel free to take action that will timely resolve this matter. However, my position is steadfast in that this community can no longer stand idly by and allow the residents of the camp and the surrounding neighborhood to experience these inhumane conditions created by WSDOT's inaction.”
The sheriff concludes his letter by inviting state officials to demonstrate their compassion for Camp Hope residents by opening their own homes to guests, which he said is consistent with the agency’s suggestion to East Side neighborhoods.
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RangeMedia
Carl Segerstrom
It’s unclear why Knezovich feels he has authority to sweep a camp that SPD has said it does not have the authority to clear.
The political melodrama surrounding the future of Camp Hope and its more than 600 residents got an unexpected guest star and plot twist today, with Spokane Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich pledging to “clear this camp by mid-October.”
Knezovich hadn’t previously had much to say about the camp to this point, but over the course of a two-page letter, the sheriff made personal attacks on local elected officials and nonprofits, threatened investigations into corruption regarding Camp Hope projects, and proposed that everyone at Camp Hope could be relocated through a combination of bus tickets, services provided by the faith community and paying a year’s rent for everyone at the encampment.
He even suggested getting the FBI involved.
It is unclear what prompted Knezovich to jump into the conflict. City communications director Brian Coddington said the city did not request the Sheriff to intervene, but that they were alerted earlier this week by Sheriff Knezovich that he was drafting a letter to the state in conjunction with the county legal department.
Coddington said that any immediate moves by the Sheriff to disband the camp would be the Sheriff’s decision, not the city’s. “We're having a conversation with the state right now about a timeline and trying to come to an agreement about how to approach moving individuals out of the camp and into alternative housing options,” Coddington said.
Knezovich’s threat to clear the camp was first issued during a phone call to Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) eastern region director Mike Gribner on Tuesday morning, according to WSDOT spokesman Joe McHale. Today’s letter from the sheriff increases pressure on an already tense situation at a time when the city and state agencies are trying to patch up their differences and move forward on solutions for moving people on from Camp Hope.
Just yesterday, the city and state came to the table to outline next steps for transitioning the camp’s residents into housing. In a press release this morning, WSDOT and Commerce described that meeting as a useful starting point towards progress. However, the state did express frustration about Knezovich’s threat to Gribner to sweep the camp. “Our agencies know all too well from past experience that clearing the encampment will simply make things worse for the entire city. Hundreds of people will spread across county, city, state and private property and the issues connected with unsanctioned encampments – from safety to litter – will be dispersed as well. This action will not make anyone’s life better or safer,” the release read, in part.
Knezovich’s formal letter to Transportation Secretary Roger Millar was delivered soon after the press release went out.
The WSDOT/Commerce release also took issue with the city for disinviting Empire Health Foundation (EHF) from the meeting. EHF has been awarded more than $500,000 in state Commerce funding to help Camp Hope residents get into housing and access mental health and substance use treatment.
Zeke Smith, the president of EHF, responded to the Sheriff’s threats with disappointment, and said this escalation was a distraction from the work being done to start moving people out of the camp. “[The Sheriff’s] threats and mis-statements about the population there only exacerbate the tensions, anxieties, and confusion of everyone involved, thereby decreasing the effectiveness of efforts to improve safety at the camp and move folks to better housing options,” Smith wrote in a statement to RANGE Media.
“The residents at Camp Hope, the service providers working with them, the state agencies involved, and even the East Central Neighborhood Council all are ready to contribute to a collaborative effort to address this issue and this is where EHF will continue to focus our energy and attention,” Smith said. “If the Sheriff wants to positively contribute to moving the residents of Camp Hope to better housing and the services they need, there will be a seat at the table for him.”
RANGE asked whether EHF would consider filing a restraining order against the sheriff’s department. In California, which is also governed by the Ninth Circuit’s Boise v. Martin decision that prevents localities from criminalizing homelessness when shelters aren’t available, homeless encampments have won temporary restraining orders to delay sweeps. Smith said, “For now, we are focused on getting this work done and supporting the residents at Camp Hope, we don’t have time to deal with distractions.”
Sheriff's response to WSDOT by RANGE on Scribd
This afternoon, WSDOT, the Commerce Department and Washington State Patrol issued a response to the public release of Knezovich’s letter, side-stepping the imminent sweep threats while focusing on the ongoing process and need for patience. It reads, in part:
The Sheriff’s proposal doesn’t capture the spirit of those conversations and we will continue to work in good faith with willing partners at all levels of government. Initial plans to secure the site with fencing are already underway, and while it will take time to fully resolve the encampment, the community will begin to see visible improvements in just the next couple months. State agencies know from experience that partnership is key to the successful resolution of large encampments.
As we shared earlier today, Spokane’s residents deserve thoughtful leadership on this issue, and the people living in Camp Hope need safe, supportive housing. It is not realistic to move people from the camp until we have viable housing solutions for them.
Aside from challenging the state’s role at Camp Hope, Knezovich also called out service providers and former Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart, who now serves as the Executive Director of the Spokane Low Income Housing Consortium. The sheriff insinuated that there had been fraud and public corruption associated with the camp.
Joint statement on state meeting with city yesterday about Camp Hope by RANGE on Scribd
Stuckart expressed surprise to be called out by name, saying he has nothing to do with the operations of Camp Hope nor with the decision to move the encampment onto that piece of land in the first place. Stuckart took strong issue with Knezovich’s assertion that he has a role in operating the encampment and that he has committed fraud related to housing funding.
Stuckart did say last time he was at Camp Hope, he met a Ukrainian couple. Neither struggled with addiction or mental health issues, and both were gainfully employed, despite living at the camp. “They both have full-time jobs,” he said, “a rent increase priced them out of their house and now they’re homeless. Because they don’t speak English, they weren’t able to access services like the Way Out Shelter and they ended up at Camp Hope.”
For people like that couple, “it is 100% a rent issue,” Stuckart said. “It’s the housing crisis that has caused this." Even for those who struggle with addiction or mental health, housing is still the answer, Stuckart continued. “All the data shows that mental health and substance abuse programs only work when you have a roof over your head.”
Stuckart reserved special irritation for the idea that giving the entire camp bus tickets would solve the problem for Spokane County. Citing data from Spokane’s 2022 point-in-time homeless count that approximately four out of five residents surveyed had their last known address within Spokane County, Stuckart said, “So for 80 percent of people, the bus ticket Ozzie is going to buy would be an STA pass to a neighborhood in Spokane County.”
Council President Breean Beggs said he did not know under what circumstances Sheriff Knezovich could order a sweep within what is normally the jurisdiction of the Spokane Police Department.
“In general, we don’t see the Sheriff doing work in Spokane unless they’re invited by the Spokane Police Department,” Beggs said.
Spokane Police Department spokesman Nick Briggs explained that it was within the Sheriff's authority to conduct law enforcement actions within Spokane city limits. “Washington is a general authority peace officer state, meaning all certified peace officers in the State of Washington carry law enforcement powers within the territorial limits of Washington. So the short answer is yes, Sheriff Knezovich has the same law enforcement authority within the City of Spokane that SPD does.”
One scenario outlined by the city earlier this month that could provide justification for a sweep is the city declaring the WSDOT property a chronic nuisance. Knezovich’s timeline to clear the camp seems to be premised on a September 8 letter from the citythat gave October 14 as a deadline for the removal of the encampment.
Despite the wording of that letter, Coddington said that the city is working with the state on a plan to move forward and that the timeline set forth in that letter has been misconstrued as a cutoff date for the removal of the encampment. For now, Coddington said, “we're going to continue the conversation with the state and stay focused there and see how far we can get with a timeline and a plan. We'll see whether that meets the needs of the Sheriff as well.”
A chronic nuisance property declaration hasn't been issued, and absent that, it’s unclear why Knezovich feels he has authority to sweep a camp that SPD has said it does not have authority to clear.
Council President Beggs said one out-of-the-box possibility would be if the Spokane Regional Health District (SRHD) authorized a public health emergency. “My understanding is that if the Health Officer declares a public health emergency, then Ozzie might have some [special] power,” Beggs said, “but otherwise, no.”
Matters of public health in the county are overseen by SRHD, and decisions like declaring a public health emergency are ultimately up to the discretion of Health Officer Francisco Velázquez.
According to the council president, that topic has never come up. “All the health office has said is the camp needs more hand washing stations and port-a-potties” to maintain sanitation standards, Beggs said, “they have not declared an emergency.”
Three separate staffers within the Washington State Attorney General’s office declined to comment, saying they do not offer legal interpretations to the press.
Communications Director Brionna Aho, though, did say that they are the lawyers for both Washington State Patrol and the Department of Transportation, so if any legal action in response to Knezovich’s letter were to come, the AG’s office would probably handle it. “I can’t think of a reason why they would get outside council,” she said.
“I do know that the county prosecutor provides legal counsel to the sheriff’s department,” Aho said, “so you might want to check with them.”
Spokane County Prosecutor Larry Haskell’s office was one of several agencies and organizations that have yet to respond to our requests for comment. The others are: The Spokane County Sheriff's Office, Washington State Patrol and Gov. Jay Inslee’s office.
The Seattle office of the FBI also hasn’t gotten back to us about whether Knezovich has approached them about starting an investigation.
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