Video about crime, homelessness problems in Spokane looks to Boise for answers
For some people in Spokane, apparently the city of Boise is a shining beacon for how to do things the right way.
A new 17-minute video called “Curing Spokane” ticks off a litany of problems in the city of Spokane, particularly the downtown, including crime, homelessness, rampant drug use, and public urination and defecation.
The video points to one nearly identical city as an example of a city that’s solved these problems: Boise.
“Boise and Spokane are comparable in nearly every demographic, except for crime,” the video’s female narrator says. “And Boise has significantly less.”
The video, released Friday, is slick and professionally done, reminiscent of a Seattle TV station’s production of “Seattle is Dying,” a similar expose on problems in that city.
In addition to speaking to Spokane residents, visitors, workers and business owners, the video also captures scenes of apparently homeless people and others downtown acting erratically and violently. One segment captures a man apparently shooting up drugs in plain sight in public in the middle of the day.
Specifically, the video argues for a new, larger jail and mental health facility, an increase in community policing, selling and relocating the city’s downtown bus station and improving parking downtown — all of which Boise, according to the video, is doing right.
Divided into three “acts,” the first act lays out the problems in Spokane. Act two lays out the similarities — and differences — between the two cities.
Among the similarities are population numbers, demographics, location along interstates, location at the foot of mountains, college towns, even the number of police officers.
Among the differences, though: Spokane’s property crime rate is three times Boise’s; violent crime is higher in Spokane; and Spokane’s homeless population is higher than Boise’s, with about 315 unsheltered people in Spokane, compared with 61 in Boise.
The video points to the capacity of Spokane’s jail as a source of problems for that city, again comparing unfavorably to Boise, where the Ada County Jail has a capacity of 1,200 inmates, compared with 950 in Spokane. Further, the video states, Spokane houses 100-110 federal inmates, further reducing capacity.
That reduced capacity, the video argues, leads to inmates being released to commit more crimes.
While the cities have similar numbers of police officers, the video states that Boise does a better job of community policing, talking to several Boise business owners and Boise City Council member Lisa Sanchez about the city’s positive attributes.
The video also points to Boise’s successful effort to build an underground transit center as a role model for Spokane, arguing Spokane’s current above-ground bus station is a magnet for crime and calls for police service.
Finally, the video argues for a revamped parking strategy, pointing to Boise’s convenient parking garages, free parking options and zoned street parking as incentives for downtown visitors.
“A better parking system will attract more visitors downtown,” the narrator states. “More visitors downtown will put pressure on the criminals to leave.”
The video is paid for by Larry Stone, “a local citizen who grew up here and cares deeply about Spokane,” according to the video.
“I love Spokane and over the past three years I have seen the increase in criminal activity both downtown and in other neighborhoods,” Stone said in a statement to the Inlander weekly newspaper, which identifies Stone as a Spokane developer. “So I decided to fund a video which, hopefully, will start real conversations about fixing Spokane’s issues before they get even worse.”