Latest site short-lived as camp for homeless

Police evicted a half-dozen homeless people Saturday morning from a transient camp at the old Playfair Race Course.

The group set up camp there after being removed Thursday from downtown, where they set up a transient camp on West Riverside Avenue to oppose the city camping ban.

Spokane police talked to the homeless on Friday night and gave them until 8 a.m. Saturday to leave the former racetrack, which is now owned by the city, said Dick Cottam, police spokesman.

Police woke up the group at 7 a.m. and within an hour the group was leaving peaceably.

“There were no problems at all,” Cottam said. “It wasn’t a contentious thing.”

Downtown, meanwhile, several homeless men staged a “standing” protest at City Hall’s Post Street entrance.

“There’s not a law against standing,” said Billeylee Finney, who said he came from Seattle to join the protest.

Finney, who said he served in the Marine Corps during the Persian Gulf War, pointed to a sign on City Hall saying “The City of Spokane Supports our Troops” and called it hypocrisy.

“A lot of us who are out here are veterans, too,” Finney said.

Lyle Hearn said since Thursday the loose-knit group has collected 300 signatures for a petition opposing the ban, which they say makes it a criminal offense to be homeless.

The homeless group hopes to gather another 2,000 signatures over the weekend and combine them with 2,500 signatures already collected, Hearn said.

“We’ll be here through Monday, regardless,” he said.