There are growing fears that the city of Spokane is quickly becoming Washington state’s new Seattle due to growing homelessness and an ongoing opioid crisis.
The city in Eastern Washington is currently grappling with persistent issues related to widespread homelessness, fentanyl use and widespread lawlessness, while the city’s mayor is focusing on “harm reduction” to address the problem.
The city had experienced a boom during the pandemic, becoming a popular destination for young professionals and couples in their golden years.
But the current problems are proving annoying for some local businesses, which are resorting to closure.
Earlier this month, two-time James Beard Award semifinalist Chad White said he would close his beloved Zona Blanca Ceviche Bar after it was robbed twice in 24 hours.
After eight years of operating the business in downtown Spokane, he said the decision came down to what was best for his staff and his customers.
Spokane experienced a boom during the pandemic and became a popular destination for young professionals and couples in their golden years.
The city in Eastern Washington is currently dealing with ongoing issues related to widespread homelessness, fentanyl use and general lawlessness.
In an open letter, White said: ‘The hard truth is that, like many businesses in downtown Spokane, we have faced a difficult and challenging road.
‘Rising crime, visible drug use and damage to public and private property have made it increasingly difficult to maintain a safe environment for our team and our partners, who are like family to me and to you, our valued guests.’
He called on local leaders to address the problems, saying that if he was struggling to maintain a restaurant amid so much chaos, a lesser-known restaurant owner had no chance.
“The challenges we face are real and growing, and if we do not take immediate action to address the safety and well-being of our downtown, many more businesses, especially smaller ones, will face even greater hardship in the months ahead,” White said.
The decision to close the restaurant came after it suffered two robberies in 24 hours.
According to a local business leader who spoke to 770 KTTHwas ‘ransacked and plundered throughout the night by a gang of criminals who came and went’.
Business leaders have turned to an email thread to connect with each other, share stories and offer advice to one another.
A real estate agent who wrote about the thefts on the thread told the outlet he was left “angry and frustrated” when he visited the business.
Chad White said he will close his beloved Zona Blanca Ceviche Bar restaurant after two robberies in 24 hours
In June, the mayor confirmed that the overdose rate had increased by 30 percent compared to the same period last year.
“There were six people camped under the ‘no camping’ sign, three of whom were actively using drugs when I arrived,” he wrote.
The runner added that “the fatigue is real and it is absolutely exhausting.”
“We cannot continue to allow our businesses to be terrorized in this way,” he said.
“When 80% of crimes are committed by only a small number (20-30?) of individuals, we need a recidivism law that can deal with these people.”
He explained that a person involved in the initial robbery at Zona Blanca was arrested by Spokane police the next day and charged with two prior felony counts of robbery and theft unrelated to the robbery at the restaurant.
The runner wondered how it was possible that this individual was wandering the streets of downtown.
Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown has declared a state of emergency to respond to the opioid crisis affecting the city.
“Let’s not confuse the issue, these are drug addicts and deviants who need to be locked up,” he said.
In June of this year, Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown declared a state of emergency to implement a response to the opioid crisis affecting the city.
At a news conference confirming the plans, the Democrat said the overdose rate was up 30 percent from the same period last year.
In response, officials have invested in “harm reduction” policies, such as sites where users can test their drugs for fentanyl to avoid dying from an overdose.
In February of this year, addiction treatment worker Hallie Burchinal said: Cream who wanted fentanyl to disappear and heroin to become the drug of choice again.
“We are seeing people dying on a regular basis. The situation is getting worse,” he said.
Just three years ago, staff were seeing two or three overdoses a week. Now they have to deal with several every day.
The local government is also moving to make housing a “protected class,” offering homeless people help finding jobs.
In January of this year, former City Councilman Mike Allen said: The central square that downtown Spokane was a ‘wasteland.’
“The situation has been getting progressively worse with litter, vandalism and people injecting drugs,” he said.
“It’s a wasteland now. I’ve seen people shoot up people in front of people’s doors. We’ve seen violence in Riverfront Park. This isn’t the Spokane of six or seven years ago.”
In June of last year, the state moved to Spokane to shut down Washington’s largest homeless encampment, dubbed Camp Hope.
Gordon Hester, president and chief executive of real estate firm Kiemle Hagood, added: “The last three years have been horrible.”
“It’s very discouraging. If you look at it from a real estate perspective, when you’re trying to bring businesses downtown and these kinds of things happen, there’s no way to convince people that it’s safe to do business,” he said.
Both told the outlet that they have noticed the homeless population becoming increasingly emboldened to commit crimes in public.
Both men agreed that current policies needed to change to help the city.
In June of last year, the state moved to Spokane to shut down Washington’s largest homeless encampment, dubbed Camp Hope.
It had housed 600 homeless people and was originally opened in protest of the lack of available beds at the shelter.
Officials eventually managed to clear the site due to concerns about crime and drug use, and service providers relocated residents to housing options.
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