At its height in summer 2022, the homeless encampment in East Central dubbed "Camp Hope" was home to about 600 people. The surrounding neighborhood saw an uptick in crime, including near Frances Scott Elementary, the closest primary school. This prompted local attorney Brian Hansen to initiate a proposal for the 2023 ballot to prohibit public camping within 1,000 feet of sensitive areas like schools, parks and day care centers, effectively banning camping in the vast majority of the city. Spokane voters passed Proposition 1 with 75% of the vote. But on April 17, the Washington Supreme Court ruled that Prop 1 "exceeds the proper scope of the local initiative power," ruling voters didn't have the right to make that type of law change, and overturning lower courts' decisions to let it move forward. The city's anti-camping "ordinance, which pre-dated Proposition 1, remains in effect and is being enforced as demonstrated by Spokane Police Department data," said Mayor Lisa Brown in a statement released a few hours after the decision. "We know that enforcement alone is not going to solve homelessness." (ELIZA BILLINGHAM)
THE JESUIT POPE
The day after Easter, Pope Francis, the first Latin American and Jesuit priest to become pope, died on April 21. The Vatican said the 88-year-old died from a stroke, coma and irreversible cardio collapse. He was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where his family had fled from fascist Italy as immigrants. In a post on Inland Catholic magazine's website, Bishop Thomas Daly of the Spokane Diocese reflected on the pope's emphasis on mercy and acknowledged his local impact through appointments. "The fact that he designated three priests to be Missionaries of Mercy in the Diocese of Spokane demonstrated his fatherly care for our local church," Daly said. "It is not lost on me that it was Pope Francis who appointed me to Spokane and gave me the privilege of serving as the Chief Shepherd for the people of this diocese." Thayne McCulloh, president of Gonzaga University, praised the pope's leadership approach in a statement. "As a Catholic, Jesuit and humanistic institution, we are especially grateful to Pope Francis for his modeling of the values of humility, mercy, solidarity with the poor and vulnerable, and his relentless advocacy for peace and justice, and an end to violence in our world," McCulloh said. A special Mass for the pope will take place at noon Thursday, April 24, at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes, at 115 W. Riverside Ave. (VICTOR CORRAL MARTINEZ)
NO OUTSIDE ARMED FORCES
This week, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signed House Bill 1321 into law, limiting any other state's National Guard from entering Washington without authorization from the governor, unless mobilized by the president. At a press conference, Ferguson said the bill was modeled after similar laws in Idaho, Montana and Texas. "The new law does not restrict the National Guard from supporting disaster response recovery efforts through mutual aid agreements," Ferguson said. "We just cannot allow as a state to have armed forces come into our home and enforce policies that are against our core values." Ferguson thanked Rep. Sharlett Mena, D-Tacoma, for sponsoring the bill because of its importance in maintaining state autonomy. In December, 26 Republican governors (including those of Idaho and Montana) released a joint statement that they're ready to utilize the National Guard to support President Donald Trump's mission to deport undocumented immigrants. "We stand ready to utilize every tool at our disposal — whether through state law enforcement or the National Guard — to support President Trump in this vital mission," the letter stated. (VCM)
