SPOKANE, Wash. - Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich made a bold statement declaring Camp Hope would be cleared in the coming weeks, prompting the two candidates running for his position gave their insights into the situation on Monday.
“If the people in Camp Hope were living peacefully, then there wouldn’t be a problem with Camp Hope being there, but that is not the case,” Spokane County Undersheriff John Nowels said.
Nowels works alongside Sheriff Knezovich, and said Knezovich’s recent statement about clearing the encampment has brought this issue to the forefront of the community.
“From my viewpoint here, in this entire rhetoric, public safety has to be first,” Nowels said.
Nowels’ opponent, former detective Wade Nelson, agrees the camp needs to close, but when and how is the million-dollar question.
“Nobody wants that camp there, especially the people who live around there,” Nelson said. “But here’s the problem you have: if you just go in there and remove them, where do they go?”
Where do they go? It's a question the city and local law enforcement have been working to answer, especially in recent months while Camp Hope continues to grow, nearly 10 months after its formation.
“Logistically, this is going to be very challenging, and it should have never been allowed to get to this point in the first place,” Nowels said.
With $24 million granted to the City by the Department of Commerce, Nowels believes there are funds to create more shelter options throughout the region for people experiencing homelessness.
“We have the ability to erect temporary structures for the men and women who lived in the armed forces, structures that allow them to be safe, warm, comfortable and sanitary. Why are we not doing that for the law-abiding people inside Camp Hope who just happen to be suffering from homelessness?” suggested Nowels.
Nowels believes the state money needs to be used soon to avoid further crimes inside and around the camp.
“It’s about time that the citizens have said, 'We have enough, we need to have law and order restored into our communities, we need to feel safe in our communities,'” Nowels said.
But Nelson said if the camp is cleared as soon as Sheriff Knezovich intends, the people inside will have nowhere to go, and the problems will migrate to a different part of the city.
“I don’t expect another community member to take on my problem because it’s in my area. We have to come up with a solution so we can really solve it, and not just move it,” Nelson urged.
However, Nowels argues against taking more time. He wants to see productive action taken.
“I want us all to get down and sit down at the table and come up with a solution that says, 'We can do this in the next six weeks, we can provide a safe place for these people to be.' Not a, 'In the next six weeks we’re going to start implementing a solution that’s going to solve the problem in 10 months,'” he said.
On the other hand, Nelson said if he were sheriff right now, he would support the City in their plan to gradually clear the encampment.
“I’m all for letting the plan continue, because it’s already in place. The money is already there, it’s already been funded,” Nelson explained. “ If the plan doesn’t work, then we need to come back together and say we need to find a better solution.”
Both candidates agreed if Camp Hope is cleared and the people living inside want to go to a shelter, there will be resources there to help them move forward in life and out of homelessness. And if those living at the camp choose to not move into a shelter and continue to commit crime, law enforcement will have the right to arrest them.
“If they can’t not commit crime, then they can go to jail,” Nowels said.
Nowels wants to see the need of Spokane's law-abiding citizens put first.
“We have to start putting the safety and our community ahead of the people who would otherwise disrupt that safety,” Nowels said.
