SPOKANE, Wash. — A Spokane citizen initiative on the November ballot seeks to ban camping within 1000 feet of parks and playgrounds, daycares and schools. But, advocates for the homeless are fighting to remove the measure from ballot.
"I live at the Catalyst right now," Jeff Munjarz said.
Munjarz has been living on Spokane's streets off and on for 42 years.
"Yeah, I've been homeless many times," Munjarz said. "I'm sure I'll be back out here again."
If that happens, he says you'll likely find him staying overnight at Coeur d'Alene Park. But, staying at parks may no longer be an option for Jeff.
Upon voter approval in November, a citizen initiative would ban camping within 1,000 feet of parks playgrounds, daycares and schools. But, attorneys representing Jewels Helping Hands and fellow advocate Ben Stuckart filed a lawsuit to stop that initiative, saying it doesn't help the homeless.
"If we limit the space in which people are allowed to exist, we're moving them into small pockets in our city into neighborhoods that have no services for them that are unable to care for the folks experiencing homelessness," Jewels Helping Hands Founder Julie Garcia said.
On top of that, the lawsuit says using a citizen initiative to change city code regarding land use is an illegal process. It claims only city council has the power to change that type of city code. It argues the initiative overrides that power, making it illegal.
Mark Lamb is the attorney representing the initiative sponsor. He told KREM 2 the measure is reasonable and consistent with what the city has done in the past. In a statement about the lawsuit, Lamb says it is an attempt at preventing the voice of the Spokane people from being heard. If the measure passes though, Lamb told me he is confident the measure won't be overturned.
"If that law passes, everybody's gonna end up back under the bridges," Munjarz said.
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