City council to end state of emergency set by mayor for ICE protests

Welcome to CIVICS, where we break down the week’s municipal meetings throughout the Inland Northwest, so you can keep track of and fight for the issues you care about.

We’re keeping it short this week because we’re still busy following up on all of last week’s news and we have one reporter out for a conference, but there are a few important items up for consideration in local meetings:

The city council will vote whether to close out Mayor Lisa Brown’s emergency and curfew declaration over Wednesday’s high-profile protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Some changes are coming to the proposed ordinance to protect people from ICE in city-owned spaces.
Spokane County Board of Commissioners will vote on a new interim county prosecutor to replace Larry Haskell after he announced his retirement last week.
BOCC will also vote whether to allow the sheriff to host the controversial reality TV show COPS, which sensationalizes police interactions with people in their jurisdiction.

Important meetings this week:

Spokane City Council
Public Infrastructure, Environment and Sustainability Committee
Board of Spokane County Commissioners Briefing & Legislative Session
Spokane Valley City Council
Liberty Lake City Council

Spokane City Council

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5 peppers

Ending Brown’s emergency declaration

The council will vote on ending Mayor Lisa Brown’s emergency and curfew declaration from last Wednesday after an intense standoff between protesters and law enforcement agencies. Spokane Municipal Code requires emergencies issued by the mayor to be sent to city council for ratification and confirmation, modification or rejection.

On Wednesday, former City Council President Ben Stuckart called for a protest to block ICE agents from transporting two immigrants who were in the US following the legal process to seek asylum. They were being sent to a detention facility to be processed for deportation. Stuckart was quickly joined by dozens and eventually hundreds of Spokanites demanding ICE let the immigrants go.

Stuckart and more than 30 other protesters were arrested, with two protesters in particular accused of felony “Unlawful Imprisonment”. Police used pepper balls and a chemical smoke to attempt to disburse the crowd and sheriff’s deputies shot a number of protesters with rubber bullets, according to social media and interviews with protesters and witnesses.

As the protest unfolded, Brown declared a 9:30 pm curfew in an area of downtown spanning several square blocks, including Riverfront Park. In a press conference that night, Brown justified her declaration by saying there were reports of vandalism at the beginning of the protest. One person who was not working with the protesters spray-painted the van ICE agents were going to use to transport immigrants to facilities where they can be held.

The Wednesday protest was largely peaceful until law enforcement arrived on the scene. Still, on Saturday, Spokane police arrested local organizer Justice Forral on a county warrant alleging a third-degree assault stemming from the protest. Forral was on their way to the weekend’s Pride festivities.

Local police agencies are barred by state law from helping federal agents enforce immigration law. Brown said Spokane police were enforcing municipal code that prohibits people from obstructing rights of way.

This is a fast-moving story, and we’ll keep reporting on it.

New-ish ordinance aimed at ICE searches

Council members Paul Dillon and Lili Navarrete are introducing some changes to a proposed ordinance that was originally meant to protect people from ICE while they’re at public parks. Tonight, they’re amending that draft ordinance to replace it with one titled “Safe and Welcome in Spokane” that would expand “protections against warrantless searches from immigration enforcement in designated non-public areas.”

Dillon and Navarrete announced the ordinance on Instagram, stating that it will bar ICE from arresting people or executing warrantless searches during public events on city-owned private areas. The first reading will be on June 23 and the final reading will be on June 30.

Mayor’s homeless ordinances

Mayor Lisa Brown’s homeless ordinances are up for a vote this week. One, which would make camping or obstructing public right-of-way illegal citywide but give people up to seven days to stop camping in that spot, was panned by many homeless rights advocates for being too harsh and by business owners for being not harsh enough.

Virtual currency kiosk ban

The city wants to ban kiosks where people can purchase cryptocurrency — digital money — outside of online marketplaces, which law enforcement have identified as ripe for scams. The agenda item says “Spokane has seen a significant increase in scams arising from the use of cryptocurrency kiosks, and there has been a steady increase in victims losing thousands of dollars.”

Agenda here
Monday, June 16, at 6 pm
808 W. Spokane Falls Boulevard, Spokane, WA 99201
The meeting is also live streamed here.

Public Infrastructure, Environment, and Sustainability Committee

Agenda here
Monday, June 16 at 12 pm
Council Chambers in the Lower Level of City Hall.
808 W Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane, WA 99201
The meeting is also live streamed here.

Board of Spokane County Commissioners Briefing Session

🌶️🌶️/5 peppers

Possible COPS show

The Spokane area is no stranger to the controversial police show COPS, and Spokane County may host the show pending a decision by the BOCC Tuesday that would give the sheriff permission to let its producers accompany deputies on ridealongs. The show has a storied history of sensationalizing police interactions with local people struggling with the worst circumstances of their lives in jurisdictions across the country. The Spokane Valley Police Department, which is an arm of the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, has hosted the show several times in recent years.

Agenda here
Tuesday, June 10 at 9 am
Public Works Building Lower Level, Commissioners’ Hearing Room
1026 W. Broadway Ave, Spokane, WA 99260
The meeting is also live streamed here.

Board of Spokane County Commissioners Legislative Session

🌶️🌶️/5 peppers

Preston McCollam may replace Haskell as interim county prosecutor

Spokane County Prosecutor Larry Haskell announced the end of his decade-long tenure as the top local cop, and the BOCC must find someone to lead prosecutions as it seeks a replacement. The board will vote on the interim appointment of Preston McCollam, the chief criminal deputy prosecuting attorney.

Haskell will leave a legacy that typifies local prosecutors in Washington, having never found a police shooting unjustified, which RANGE has covered in depth.

Agenda here
Tuesday, June 17 at 2 pm
Public Works Building Lower Level, Commissioners’ Hearing Room
1026 W. Broadway Ave, Spokane, WA 99260
The meeting is also live streamed here.