SPOKANE, Wash. — Activists met with representatives from the Spokane City Council on Monday after a protest over the removal of homeless residents' belongings outside of city hall.
Protesters, many of whom are homeless themselves, were concerned about homeless residents' wellbeing amid cold temperatures and inadequate shelter space.
A group of about two dozen demonstrators sat in a conference room with a couple of city staff members, including Community Housing and Human Services Representative Kelly Keenan, Monday mid-day to discuss the state of homelessness in the city.
Homeless advocates asked the city to use city-owned property for shelter space and questioned why the city hasn't planned better for the cold weather that comes every year.
"It feels like the city is bailing on people," a protester said.
"I can't believe this is happening in Spokane," another said.
Keenan said more shelter space is being planned at multiple sites, but said it takes time to get partners on board to support the changes.
On Monday morning, demonstrators formed a wall around homeless residents' belongings at Spokane City Hall.
The demonstrators said police planned to remove the belongings on Monday morning. A Spokane police spokesman would not confirm the plans to KREM and said no officers were currently assigned to city hall.
Alfred Llamedo, a homeless resident, said there was supposed to be a police presence but officers decided they would not show up. Llamedo also shared a City of Spokane notice with KREM that asks the homeless residents to remove their property from the area.
The notice was issued on Saturday, Nov. 24 and says that the residents must remove their property by Monday, Nov. 26.
The notice reads in part:
“By this notice, the City is clearly informing you of its intention to clean up this property and is therefore giving you, the property owner, ample time to remove your items or, alternatively, to contact the City to be heard on this matter….If you need assistance or require more than 48 hours to remove your property, you must, within 24 hours of the date of this notice, contact the City’s Housing and Community Services…or by appearing in person at City Hall.”
The homeless residents were camped out in response to the Spokane City Council’s temporary suspension of the city’s sit and lie ordinance, which says no one can sit or lie down on a public sidewalk between 6 a.m. and midnight, specifically in the downtown core.
The council's action currently says the ordinance can't be enforced until 30 days after 200 more beds are made available.
The additional 200 beds will become available at the city's warming shelters.
The city is currently negotiating contracts with local organizations for warming shelters, which will be open daily during the winter.
“It’s obvious. It’s a human behavior. You have to sit and you have to lie down at some point,” said Llamedo. “We can’t all stand all day, and so to expect folks who are homeless who have no roof over their head, no bed, no place to stay warm to not find a place to kind of huddle up.”
“My hope is that the city steps up to the plate…this should have been settled before winter set in,” he added.