SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. – Spokane Valley City Council has passed a new ordinance that would make public camping in city parks a misdemeanor. This change would amend the current city code, which currently treats camping in parks as an infraction.
The ordinance aims to address the growing issue of encampments in public areas. Longtime resident Bill Harris has noticed these encampments, especially during the summer months.
“Under the railroad bridges, down along the river, and under the trees, you see a lot of encampments over there,” Harris said.
Council Member Al Merkel has emphasized the need for long-term solutions.
“It’s more about the long-term accountability for these folks rather than just on the encounter basis,” Merkel said.
The amendment would align city code, as public camping is already a misdemeanor on other public properties, excluding parks, Spokane Valley Public Information Officer Jill Smith.
“With this misdemeanor, it allows the officer to not only ask the individual to leave, but if the individual refuses, it gives the officer the ability to actually remove that individual and take them downtown for that central booking,” Merkel said.
The Spokane Valley Police Department requested this amendment, as noted in the city council agenda. However, Merkel expressed concerns about the ordinance not being a comprehensive solution.
“Charging people and sentencing people, I just don’t think that this is the right tool to inevitably, you know, fix these problems,” Merkel said.
Harris hopes the ordinance will prompt a broader discussion on addressing the underlying issues, too.
“There are reasons why they are there. It’s hard to get them out of it. But you need to try,” Harris said.
