SPOKANE, Wash. — The paint and property damage has long since been wiped away, but the work to clean up a mess that hit parts of Spokane over the fall is far from over.
Washington lawmakers are now looking to upgrade the definition of a hate crime, in response to repeated acts of vandalism that hit pride symbols across the Lilac City in September and October. Vandals spilled paint and graffitied the Perry District's rainbow crosswalk and the downtown pride walkway on Spokane Falls Boulevard near city hall.
"If somebody were to paint a swastika on a business, on the outside of a business, that would be a hate crime. If they paint a swastika on a school, that's not a hate crime under current law," said state senator Andy Billig (D-Spokane) during a public hearing in the House Thursday. "That didn't seem right."
Billig is behind Senate Bill 5917, which would expand the current state hate crime law to include defacement of public property. He says it's a frustrating loophole that was uncovered by city and community leaders pursuing charges for the vandalism. So far, no one has been identified as a suspect.
Paul Dillon, who was at the time running for his current city council position, also testified virtually from his Perry District home.
"It was shocking to learn bias-motivated defacement of public property is not considered a hate crime based on this gap," Dillon said.
The pride flags outside his home were torn down, as were many of his neighbors. The nearby Wishing Tree bookstore was egged and its pumpkins were smashed.
There was concern the language of the bill is too broad and subject to interpretation. State senator Mike Padden of Spokane Valley proposed an amendment to keep the statute's current wording, which states "a person is guilty of a hate crime if the person maliciously and intentionally commits one of the prohibited acts because of their perception of the victim's inclusion in a protected class."
"It's a slippery slope and could enable some questionable cases," the Republican state senator said during a January 25 hearing.
Early this month senators passed the bill, without changing that language, in a 35-14 vote. It's now working its way through the House with a committee hearing scheduled for Tuesday.
"We're all too familiar with how hate can find its home out here in eastern Washington," Dillon told lawmakers Thursday, one of three Spokanites to speak in favor.
KJ January, director of advocacy and engagement for Spokane's Spectrum Center, said acts like these incite fear and a feeling of exclusion for members of the LGBTQIA+ community in their own neighborhoods. Changing the law, January said, would mean a change not just in Spokane but across the state.
"It sends a powerful message to all of Washington that, like California, we take hate-fueled vandalism very seriously," January said.
Other Washington communities, like Kirkland, have also seen pride crosswalks vandalized, some lawmakers noted.
The legal seriousness of a hate crime wouldn't change under the proposed legislation; the offense is a class C felony in Washington, punishable by up to five years in prison.
DOWNLOAD THE KREM SMARTPHONE APP
DOWNLOAD FOR IPHONE HERE | DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID HERE
HOW TO ADD THE KREM+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KREM in the Channel Store.
Fire TV: search for "KREM" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email webspokane@krem.com.