SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich held a press conference on Friday afternoon outlining his plans to clear out the homeless encampment near I-90. Specifically, Knezovich said he plans to use an order of abatement and unlawful assembly to clear out the camp.
The press conference comes after a series of letters were sent between city, county and state officials. All letters pertain to the growing homeless encampment located on state land near I-90 and Freya Street, commonly referred to as Camp Hope.
On Sept. 9, the city of Spokane sent a letter to the Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) threatening legal action if the property was not clear by Oct. 14.
The property is owned by WSDOT and has been occupied by homeless campers for nearly 10 months.
WSDOT and the Department of Commerce responded to the city of Spokane's letter on Sept. 20, stating the department would not clear out the camp until the city took accountability for it's role in the camp's growth.
Finally, on Thursday, Knezovich sent a letter to WSDOT stating he intends to clear out the camp by mid-October.
In order to clear out the camp, Knezovich said he will declare the property a nuisance property, a process which takes approximately 20 days. After the property is declared a nuisance, Knezovich and other city agencies will shut down the property, citing campers for unlawful assembly if they refuse to leave.
"I'm trying to frame it back to what this really is. This isn't an economic catastrophe, folks," he said. "This is a drug-fueled protest of people who want no barriers and they want to do whatever they want. This protest is about to end."
Knezovich said clearing out the camp would involve arrests for those who do not want to leave or seek treatment. Additionally, his plan would include giving each person staying at the camp a bus ticket to a location of their choice.
In order to provide the campers with bus tickets, Knezovich said he plans to ask Lisa Brown, the director for the Washington State Department of Commerce, for the $25 million the department dedicated to resolving homelessness in Spokane.
"The best thing for these folks to do is go home, get cleaned up and become productive again," Knezovich said.
If Commerce does not give the sheriff's office the money, Knezovich said Spokane County is prepared to pay for the clear out and seek reimbursement from Commerce.
He added that the money will be used "to clean up her mess," referring to Brown.
Knezovich said the sheriff's office is having a meeting on Sept. 28 to discuss logistics on clearing out the camp. He did not give specifics due to threats toward law enforcement by an unnamed individual.
In addition to planning for the actual removal of the camp, Knezovich also revealed his plans to investigate Julie Garcia, the executive director of Jewels Helping Hands.
"Ms. Garcia has held this community hostage for the last nine months," Knezovich said. "Ms. Garcia thinks that this is some kind of game. I can assure you it is not. We are going to resolve this."
Knezovich would not give details into the planned investigation into Garcia because it is ongoing. However, he said "information is flowing in" and said it related to fraud.
"I made that very clear in my letter. I did mention fraud," he said. "The old saying is 'follow the money.' We're gonna follow the money."
Knezovich said he believes the reason the city has not taken action to clear out the homeless camp is because elections for city government are happening next summer.
"This is a political chess match, and the stall tactic is in play," he said. "As long as they stall it and they keep bringing people in, this community pays the price. I can assure you that this community is done with this. Spokane has the potential to be one of the greatest communities in this nation and we are destroying it."
To watch the full press conference, use they player below:
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