Nate Sanford photo
WSDOT recently put up a fence around Camp Hope to help address security concerns.
In a Tuesday afternoon meeting, the three Spokane County commissioners voted unanimously to approve a resolution that authorizes the county prosecutor's office to move forward with a lawsuit for "abatement of nuisance conditions and injunctive relief" against WSDOT.
Camp Hope is a large homeless encampment in Spokane's East Central neighborhood on property that is owned by WSDOT. State agencies have said they don't want to see the camp disbanded yet because Spokane doesn't have shelter space for the people living there. Realistic population estimates for Camp Hope range from about 400 to 650.
Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich, frustrated over what he perceives as nine months of inaction from state and local officials on criminal activity he associates with the camp, has pledged to clear the camp by mid-November. His plan involves offering campers out-of-town bus tickets, shelter referrals and other services currently available in Spokane. Those that don't accept with be forced to leave or face arrest.
The county's resolution, which Commissioner Josh Kerns moved to approve after the board returned from 17 minutes of executive session, would support the sheriff's plan.
"This is the next step that allows the sheriff to proceed in honestly helping a situation that has gotten completely out of hand," Kerns said.
The resolution cites the county's nuisance law, which defines "chronic nuisance" as any property with ongoing criminal activity or visible accumulation of trash, junk cars, abandoned furniture or other items that could constitute a public health or fire safety hazard. Nuisance laws let city and county governments remove those things from someone's property without the owner's permission. Counties and cities can also then charge the owner for removal costs.
In September, the City of Spokane threatened to deem Camp Hope a nuisance property and sue WSDOT if Camp Hope was not removed by Oct. 14. WSDOT fired back with a letter calling the deadline "arbitrary and misleading" and saying the city's "ill-considered demand solves nothing for anyone."
In a video update released last week, Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward said the city and state agencies are having ongoing meetings about how to move forward with the camp.
