SPOKANE, Wash. — As the Washington State Supreme Court considers a challenge to the legality of Spokane’s ban on camping within 1,000 of many facilities, Spokane business organizations are stepping up to support the ban.
The legal challenge against voter-approved Proposition 1, which banned camping near daycares, parks and other facilities, aren’t based on the substance of the law but rather the process by which it came to exist.
Voters approved the law in November of 2023 via a ballot initiative. Before it even appeared on ballots, petitioners Jewels Helping Hands and former Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart believed it .
Their argument is twofold. First, they argue state law grants city councils the full authority to enact local homelessness response plans. Second, they argue Proposition 1 constitutes a zoning law, again outside the scope of the initiative process.
That challenge has been struck down in both the Spokane …