SPOKANE, Wash. — Business owners near the Ridpath Apartments in downtown Spokane say drug use and crime in the area are worse than ever, despite police statistics showing improvement.
According to Spokane Police, violent crime and property crime downtown have decreased about 15% compared to last year. However, local business owners insist conditions are deteriorating.
The Ridpath Apartments, located on Stevens and Sprague near the Plaza, have been the subject of many downtown safety discussions over the last five years, but business owners in the area believe the problems with drug use and trash are now worse than ever.
Mark Kartchner, who owns an engineering firm across the street from the Ridpath, describes the daily challenges he faces.
“Every morning I come I have to pick up trash, people throwing things through windows. Last week, we have a camera up there, and people were yelling Narcan at the top of their lungs and someone was dying right on our doorstep,” Kartchner said.
He says the situation has deteriorated noticeably in recent months.
“It’s definitely more consistent, there’s more drug use. Often, people get their drugs at the Ridpath, commute the two blocks here, go under the viaduct and stand under the viaduct. Like I said, I have empathy for addiction,” Kartchner said.
Kartchner works with homeless outreach programs to try to make a difference. He recently spoke with the county’s homeless services program manager about potential solutions, but feels like non-profits and local governments aren’t always aligned in their approaches to helping homeless people.
“I just hope the city and the county are collaborating a lot better because everybody wants the same thing. I know that’s true. I know that business owners want the same thing, I know my friends on the street want the exact same thing,” he said.
Helen Klemp, who has been living on the streets of Spokane for the last 10 years, believes many people experiencing homelessness want help but don’t have good relationships with police or city government.
“A lot of us have given up, not all of us but a lot of us,” Klemp said. “You can’t keep happy and you can’t be positive so you have to find a different form. It’s a lot more challenging than people give it credit for.”
Business owners believe the city and county need to collaborate to address what they see as a growing problem in the downtown area.
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