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RangeMedia
The Spokesman-Review
Camp Hope an ‘ongoing protest’ says sheriff who seeks warrant
Housing resources positively impact our community’s quality of life
KXLY
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RangeMedia
Luke Baumgarten
When they kick you out of the room, you know you’re asking the right questions.
On Thursday, RANGE was the first news outlet in Spokane to break the news that Sheriff Knezovich had been verbally threatening to sweep Camp Hope, and we were the first to publish a physical letter he sent to the state secretary of transportation to that effect. We ran the story down hard from the moment we heard a conflict might be coming, and then found another gear when we got our hands on the actual letter.
In just about 6 hours, Carl Segerstrom and I called everyone we could think to call, from the state and city agencies involved in funding the drawdown of Camp Hope, to the non-profits who’ve been doing work on the ground. We called the Spokane Police: Camp Hope is within city limits, had they invited the Sheriff? We called the Attorney General’s office to try to figure out if a county sheriff had the authority to sweep a camp the city police said they did not. We even called the FBI, because Knezovich had mentioned getting them involved to investigate allegations of “possible public corruption” he made, but did not enumerate.
We obviously called the Sheriff’s office too, leaving a message for public information officer Corporal Mark Gregory. We didn’t hear back from Gregory before deadline (we still haven’t), though we’re pretty sure he heard our messages. A colleague at a different publication told me Gregory had been asking, “What’s RANGE Media?”
We broke that story and we wrote what I believe to be the deepest account to date. We’re proud of it, but we still hadn’t gotten to hear from the Sheriff or his spokespeople.
So today at noon, Carl went to the press conference Sheriff Knezovich had called hoping to simply understand why he had decided to jump into the middle of the Camp Hope saga after months of seemingly having nothing at all to do with it.
Maybe all of the reporters in Spokane had missed something. Maybe Sheriff Knezovich had been in the room discussing the fate of Camp Hope all along.
We never got to find out. Before he was through the door, Carl was asked to leave. The person who asked? Corporal Gregory.
Gregory said he wouldn’t let Carl in because he didn't know who we are. We know that’s not true. Carl told him we had tried to get in touch multiple times. Next Gregory said there was no room. As you can see from this photo, there was plenty of room for a reporter and his notebook.
Gregory then said he had security concerns, which was interesting. Carl had to pass through a metal detector to get to the conference room. We hope for the safety of county staff that the metal detector is actually working.
It's Carl's feeling, our feeling, and the feeling of various colleagues from other institutions that this was a politically motivated exclusion. RANGE asks tough questions. Powerful people don't like to have their power questioned. If that seems like a stretch of reasoning, Sheriff Knezovich took issue with a series of questions asked by KXLY’s Esther Bower, saying the “exchange” she had with him was tougher than questions asked of other officials.
Those questions? Among them, “Sir, when was the last time you went into the camp and talked to the people?”
How unfair of her.
If we would have been allowed in the room and allowed to ask questions, here are a couple of the questions we would have tried to ask:
"It appears from our reporting that no one asked for the Sheriff's assistance in this matter. Not the service providers, not the Spokane Police Department and not even the Mayor's office. Is that true, or were you invited to the table by someone we didn’t talk to?
“Camp Hope has been open for nearly nine months. Why do this now and not before the heat waves and the months of controversy?”
“What good do you think you can accomplish by jumping in now, conducting the sweep months before adequate supports are built and against the wishes of other agencies and organizations who have been working on this all along?”
“You only have three months before you leave office. Are you concerned that action could cause unintended consequences your successor as Sheriff and the rest of Spokane will have to clean up?”
“Are you still planning to move to Wyoming? Will you even be here to see the aftermath of your actions?”
We weren't allowed to ask those questions, though. We hope one of our other colleagues in the media have the courage to ask them. It's vitally important to hold power to account, especially when it wants to act with such impunity.
We’ll take our exclusion as a point of pride, though. And we’ll keep looking for those answers, whether or not it’s Sheriff Knezovich or Corporal Gregory offering them to us.
❤️
Hey! We're trying to get 50 new paying members for our fall membership drive. Join RANGE and our mission to empower our community and holding the powerful to account starting at $10/month here.
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The Spokesman-Review
Camp Hope an ‘ongoing protest’ says sheriff who seeks warrant
By Kip Hill and Garrett Cabeza
THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW
Calling the homeless encampment on state property in East Central Spokane an “ongoing protest” threatening public safety, Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich asserted his authority to remove the camp Friday and arrest those within it.
“It’s not my responsibility to figure out how to fix your mess,” Knezovich, who wrote a letter to the Washington Department of Transportation on Thursday announcing his intentions to break up Camp Hope by mid-October, said in an hourlong news conference Friday, addressing local and state agencies. “It is my responsibility to clean it up.”
City officials and state agencies, including the Washington departments of Commerce and Transportation, have been in discussions to resolve a dispute about the property where at least 600 people are living in tents, campers and other shelters with an on-site nonprofit providing housing and other services. Knezovich on Friday took credit for recent improvements in the negotiations, saying he contacted the Department of Transportation on Tuesday, the same day that department issued a stern rebuke to the city about its response to the encampment.
Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich fields questions from the media on his plans to clear Camp Hope during a Friday news conference at the Spokane County Public Safety Building.
SPOKESMAN-REVIEW TYLER TJOMSLAND
“Two days later, they’re now in ‘productive conversations,’ ” Knezovich said. “Well, I’m glad I got involved.”
The sheriff spoke to an assembled group of reporters and local politicians that included Spokane County Commissioner Josh Kerns, Spokane City Councilmembers Michael Cathcart and Jonathan Bingle, as well as Spokane County Undersheriff John Nowels, who is seeking election to Knezovich’s office in November.
It’s unclear if Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward supports the sheriff making the decision to disperse the camp or having the sheriff’s office – not the city’s own police force – take the lead.
City spokesman Brian Coddington said the city wants to establish a resolution that includes moving camp residents out of the field along Interstate 90 into “safe, healthy and humane” indoor spaces before winter.
When asked if Woodward supports Knezovich clearing out the camp by mid-October, Coddington said, “She’s listening to different partners and different stakeholders looking for a way to partner to achieve that goal.”
Knezovich cited a state attorney general’s opinion from 1961 that he said asserted the office’s authority to investigate felony cases inside city limits, while also saying the Spokane Police Department had its “hands slightly tied” by local policymakers and that he’d contacted Mayor Nadine Woodward in July to offer assistance to clear out the camp.
But that it’s not entirely clear that the 1961 opinion applies to Spokane. The opinion states that a sheriff has the authority to investigate felonies “within cities of the third class and towns of the fourth class in his county.” Spokane is a first-class city by virtue of its size and governance structure, one of six in the state. Knezovich said anyone arrested would be charged with “breach of peace,” which encompasses several misdemeanor offenses under state law – not felonies.
“They have disturbed the peace of this entire county,” Knezovich said, adding later that he believed he had authority to arrest those within and would be meeting later this month with “multiple agencies” to determine a plan for clearing the camp.
Spokane Police Chief Craig Meidl said in an interview Friday that he had not spoken to Knezovich before his announcement Thursday that he’d be working to clear the camp, instead saying that he’d facilitated a conversation between Knezovich and Woodward. Meidl said Knezovich did have the authority to act, and that the location was “a hotbed of criminal activity.”
“Right now, all I know is his stated intent to get rid of that camp by mid-October,” Meidl said, confirming that he would be meeting with Knezovich’s office next week to discuss future plans regarding the camp.
Knezovich, whose 16-year tenure as sheriff will end at the end of the year, declined to say what such a procedure would look like, citing social media threats made against his officers following his announcement the camp would be cleared.
Nowels’ opponent for sheriff in the November election, Wade Nelson, said he agreed that Knezovich had jurisdiction to disperse Camp Hope, but questioned the sheriff’s motivation. He said several large camps of homeless people are within Knezovich’s jurisdiction, including one of almost 100 people near Sprague Avenue and University Road in Spokane Valley.
“He has not even addressed his own issues,” Nelson said.
He added that Knezovich is oversimplifying a complex issue and potentially making things worse by forcing problems to many other parts of the county.
“He’s not going to fix it, he’s going to disperse it,” Nelson said.
Nowels said neighbors surrounding Camp Hope are frustrated by the camp – a feeling they expressed to Nowels when the undersheriff campaigned there.
“I completely understand and support Ozzie wanting to deal with the frustration the citizens are expressing,” he said. “It does have to be done sooner rather than later.”
Nowels said some people equate clearing out the camp to deputies using physical force, but he said they have no interest in that.
“It’s all in the language, right? And interpretation,” Nowels said. “And sometimes I think that’s some of the problem that Ozzie runs into is it’s his way of expressing it.” Instead, Nowels said the plan is to offer resources to camp residents and “address this in the most humane way possible.” He said that might take days.
He said Knezovich’s letter was a call to action for all entities involved at Camp Hope to work together toward solutions.
“I worry that it’s being interpreted as, ‘I’m just going to come in and clean up the mess,’ when really the message is, ‘Something has to be done and if no one else will help me and step up, then we’ll make it happen,’ ” Nowels said.
Bingle, whose council district includes Camp Hope, said he didn’t care whether Spokane police, the sheriff’s office or Washington State Patrol cleared the camp.
“The people I represent there are beyond tired of the crime that they are experiencing, of the real oppression that has come into that area, really without any consequences,” he said.
The sheriff stood by his pledge to provide bus tickets back home for those in the camp once it’s cleared.
Kerns said county commissioners had provided $25,000 for a program called Homeward Bound, operated by the Volunteers of America, which provides money to cover transportation costs for those experiencing homelessness who want to travel to reconnect with family and friends. Kerns said the county would continue to support that program with money in the future, if it’s requested.
Knezovich said the basis for clearing the camp would be provided by a warrant of abatement being drafted by the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office. That process, outlined in state law, is different than the chronic nuisance property procedure written into city law. Knezovich said it would take 20 days to draft that warrant.
He laid blame on the state agencies and city policymakers for failing to act when tents first started being pitched on the property last winter. He also said even though he believed he had authority back then to act, he waited because he believed city and state officials would move to evict the residents.
“I thought that they would resolve it,” Knezovich said.
He also said he has never visited the camp prior to issuing his pledge to clear it, citing a long career in law enforcement.
“I don’t need to go to Camp Hope to know what squalor looks like,” Knezovich said.
Emma Epperly and Jonathan Brunt contributed to this report. Kip Hill can be reached at (509) 4595429 or at kiph@spokesman.com.
Housing resources positively impact our community’s quality of life
GUEST OPINION
By Anna Guida
Families and individuals are healthier when they live in affordable homes. Mental health is no exception. However, more Idaho families are struggling to find affordable places to live due to increasing rental prices outpacing wage growth combined with a statewide shortage of affordable homes.
According to the Point-in-Time Count Report released by the Idaho Housing and Finance Association, on any given day in 2020, 647 Idahoans in Ada County experienced homelessness, and three times that number of Idahoans experienced homelessness throughout the rest of the state. Further, 1 in 4 Idahoans experiencing homelessness in 2020 experienced it for the first time. These trends demonstrate the need for housing support and services as more Idahoans are unable to afford a home.
One way to combat increasing rates of homelessness is to reduce the number of evictions and increase housing support services. This can be done through investments in the Housing Choice Voucher program and the national Housing Trust Fund. Vouchers help families by paying the difference between what a household can afford to pay for rent and the rent itself, while the Housing Trust Fund promotes development of affordable homes.
Financial support to supplement housing through one-time infusions or sustained support can make a world of difference. Falling behind on a single month of rent can be detrimental to cost-burdened Idahoans. According to Jesse Tree’s 2020 Annual Report, it costs $1,200 to support rental costs for a family that might been at risk of experiencing homelessness. The positive impact that rental supports have on determining whether or not a person, or a family, will head down the path of an endured housing crisis shows the importance of continued and expanded funding for such resources.
Another way to combat homelessness is by rapidly rehousing unsheltered Idahoans and providing the support they need to remain housed. Housing First is a research-proven homelessness model that houses people experiencing homelessness, and is the most effective approach to ending homelessness for most individuals and families. Under the Housing First model, stable, affordable and accessible housing is provided to people experiencing homelessness first, then voluntary support services are offered to help improve housing stability and well-being. Once an individual is stably housed, supportive services such as mental health treatment, medical services, substance abuse treatment and case management services can follow suit.
Without stable housing, attaining mental, physical and social wellness goals is much more difficult.
Housing First models have not only shown positive housing outcomes for Idahoans who interact with support built on this philosophy, but it also allows these folks the bandwidth to pursue well-being in an expanded area of their lives.
Securing safe, stable housing solutions, whether temporary or long-term, opens up a space where Idahoans don’t just survive, but thrive. Access to a home allows the time and space for mental, physical and social health to become the new top priority, positively impacting the individual and the greater Idaho community.
Anna Guida, MPA, serves as the program manager at Empower Idaho. Guida attended Boise State University earning a bachelor’s in social sciences with an anthropology and sociology focus. After college, Guida pursued her commitment to public and environmental health with the American Lung Association in Colorado supporting lung health and air quality funding and social awareness initiatives. Guida moved back to Boise in 2017 and received her master’s degree in public administration, and in 2018 she joined Empower Idaho.
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KXLY
Posted: September 22, 2022 6:02 PM Updated: September 22, 2022 7:44 PM byEsther Bower
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.