Public forum at Spokane City Council centers on ICE, homelessness and surveillance concerns
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Summary
Dozens of public speakers at the Jan. 26 Spokane City Council meeting urged the city to act on immigration enforcement practices, expand inclement‑weather shelter beds, oppose criminalizing homelessness, and review police surveillance practices; speakers included people with lived experience, neighborhood advocates and health professionals.
Open forum at the Spokane City Council meeting on Jan. 26 drew extended testimony on immigration enforcement, homelessness and police surveillance.
Dr. Alyssa Hensley, identifying herself as a District 1 voter, urged the council to "implement a categorical ban on the use of city owned and city controlled property as staging areas, processing locations, or operational basis for immigration enforcement," citing local concern about federal immigration operations and referencing a Jan. 26 press invitation from the council president. She asked the council to use "the levers of power available to you to protect us." (Dr. Alyssa Hensley)
Multiple speakers alleged problematic interactions between local law enforcement and federal immigration enforcement. One commenter said Spokane Police Department officers "were aiding in a kidnapping" during events on June 11; those statements were made in public comment and were not answered on the record during the meeting. Other commenters described broader national patterns of harm they attributed to federal detention and enforcement.
Several public commenters spoke about homelessness and shelter capacity. An online supporter of Jules Helping Hands praised the organization's shelter work and said the provider had been poorly treated by the city in past contracting. Monica, who identified herself as currently homeless and staying in Morning Star Shelters, told the council: "I don't care if it's a church. I don't care if it's Jules Helping Hands. As long as we help the people that are out there freezing to death." The council subsequently approved a resolution to enter subrecipient contracts for inclement‑weather surge beds (Resolution 20 20 6-1).
Other testimony urged council review of recently adopted ordinances the speakers described as criminalizing survival and urged transparency and data review. A speaker identified as Rebecca said the body recently passed an ordinance earlier in the prior year she described as criminalizing survival and asked for review and possible repeal.
Concerns about police surveillance were also raised. David Brookbank, speaking on behalf of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, said the Spokane Police Department brought an LTV surveillance tower and drones to an EWU event in 2023 and that the equipment interrupted a campus protest; he asked for clarification about SPD assets and interoperability with county systems.
The meeting record shows these claims and requests were made in public comment; the transcript does not record department responses, investigation outcomes, or council directives to staff on these specific allegations during this session.
The council proceeded to vote on multiple agenda items after public comment; no council action recorded a direct policy change on immigration enforcement in this meeting.
