ACLU of Washington decries ‘Compassion Seattle’ homeless constitution modification

In a statement released Tuesday, the organization said it opposed the change because it failed to address the root causes of the city’s housing crisis and instead punished people for being homeless. The group said it could not support the referendum initiative as it focused on “stopgap measures to reduce the visibility of poverty” rather than long-term solutions like increasing affordable permanent housing.

“The Washington ACLU shares the concern of many Seattle residents that the housing crisis is an emergency that affects us all and that the city must do everything in its power to alleviate the suffering of our neighbors. To that end, we support solutions that address the root causes of homelessness and punish people for not trying to meet basic life support needs such as shelter, sleep and food, “wrote the Washington ACLU.

The amendment, which has begun collecting signatures from registered voters in Seattle to take part in the November vote, aims to create an additional 2,000 units of temporary or permanent shelter and expand behavioral health services for mental health and substance use disorder.

Opponents argue, however, that it would also codify warehouse sweeps, as the amendment said “the city can take action to ensure that parks, playgrounds, sports fields, public squares and sidewalks and streets (“ public spaces ”) are open and free of unauthorized persons remain camps. “

The ACLU took a firm stand against these searches, a practice that declined during the COVID-19 pandemic, following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The demolition of uninhabited homes and their relocation across Seattle has only exacerbated the area’s housing crisis and pushed more of our neighbors onto the city streets. That has no place in our city charter, ”wrote the ACLU. “The government’s destruction of people’s homes and property when they have nowhere else to go is neither compassionate nor effective.”

When the measure was unveiled in April, organizers said they had the support of many homeless lawyers and service providers in the city. However, in May Publicola reported that some of the service providers and organizations cited on the website did not officially endorse the amendment to the statutes. Compassion Seattle has since removed the Acknowledgments page and changed it to What People Are Saying, a sign that not everyone in these organizations is happy with the policy.

Seattle Elections and Ethics Commission records show Compassion Seattle raised a total of $ 793,923 in donations, with an average contribution of $ 3,113. Many of the major donors represented real estate and business interests in the city. Two of the top donors, John Goodman and George Petrie, each donated $ 50,000 and work for the same real estate company, Goodman Real Estate.

Vulcan Inc, Clise Properties, and the Downtown Seattle Association are also important contributors, according to the filing.

An opposition group to the charter change called House Our Neighbors has also formed and agrees with the ACLU that the initiative does not address the root causes of homelessness.

“Compassion Seattle is focused on blaming addiction and mental illnesses for homelessness. We know that homelessness is the result of bigger problems: stagnant wages, job loss, skyrocketing rents, high barriers to health care, housing and / or discrimination Workforce and a diminishing security. ” net. The solution is permanent, affordable housing and support services, “wrote House Our Neighbors on their website.