Forum will focus on improving downtown

MICHAEL BURNHAM, THE OLYMPIAN

OLYMPIA -- The City Council on Tuesday outlined plans for a Feb. 28 community forum to discuss behavior some say detracts from downtown's safety and its livable environment.

Initial discussion topics will include individual behavior and community space, how a downtown helps define a city's character and personality, and the uses and limits of the law to regulate behavior.

Forum participants will be urged to break into small groups that will include city, business and social service representatives. Participants will then reconvene to discuss what roles the community should play to improve downtown's environment.

Seeking comment

"One of the challenges of this is to hear from people we normally don't hear from," Mayor Stan Biles said. "I'm thinking about those people in our residential neighborhoods who use downtown for recreation or social purposes; and I'm really interested in talking to people who no longer do this and reasons why."

The council will use the community comments March 26 to shape laws that would affect downtown camping, panhandling and alcohol consumption. The ordinances would be on the council's consent calendar in late April and could be implemented by summer.

More police

The council also wants to increase funding for expanded police enforcement downtown.

Downtown business leaders lobbied for the legislation last fall, charging that residents wary of their safety are increasingly opting to shop elsewhere.

However, critics say the ordinances would infringe upon civil liberties and undermine efforts by homeless people to find basic shelter.

"I would hope that, before any law or rule is instituted that would prohibit 'car sleeping,' there would also be thought given to what options the affected people might have," Olympia school-teacher Leslie Hammaker said at Tuesday's meeting. "Alternatives that could provide something other than making the choice to sleep in a car are just as important as prohibiting people from sleeping in cars."

Rights of homeless

Downtown Olympia resident Pat Tassoni added that the new "anti-homeless ordinances are in violation of the law."

Tassoni urged the council to discuss the ordinances at the Feb. 28 forum. Council members agreed after more than two hours of debate.

"There's really been no public input up to this point; it's only been special interests," Tassoni added. "The community conversation is one thing; I'm more interested in the ordinances."

"What we want to focus around is anti-social behavior downtown," said Councilwoman Jeanette Hawkins. "The question is ... what can you do to impact the behavior downtown; this is going to take many different answers."

Michael Burnham covers Olympia for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-704-6869.

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