SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — A status conference is scheduled today in a case filed by Spokane County against the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) over a homeless camp off I-90 and Freya.
Spokane County filed the lawsuit in October in hopes of clearing the camp. The lawsuit claims the area, referred to as Camp Hope, is a public nuisance and asks the court to allow county law enforcement to clear the property, which belongs to WSDOT.
"Folks at the state have tried to say that local government is more concerned about optics and action," county commissioner Josh Kerns said in October when the board approved a resolution in support of the lawsuit. "This is action. This is leadership that we're taking. There are a number of folks, not only at the camp, but the surrounding areas that have essentially been abandoned by the leadership of the state. We're coming in, we're gonna fix a problem that quite frankly, the state has let get completely out of hand."
However, in December, a federal judge granted a temporary emergency restraining order, which has put any plans of clearing the homeless camp on hold.
U.S. District Court Judge Stanley Bastian granted the restraining order requested by Jewels Helping Hands, residents of the camp and Disability Rights Washington.
"In this case, the Court finds that Plaintiffs have a likelihood of success on one, several, or all their claims," Bastian wrote. "The loss of Plaintiffs’ temporary shelter and the services provided at Camp Hope presents an immediate risk of irreparable injury. It also demonstrates a balance of hardship tipping sharply for Plaintiffs. The public interest lies with keeping people in temporary shelter with services until the legal action is concluded."
The next court hearing for the case involving the restraining order is scheduled for Jan. 27.