Alarm after FBI arrests US army veteran for ‘conspiracy’ over protest against Ice

Column: When State Terror Comes to Town

SCAR Staff

Jim Leighty and Pui-Yan Lam: Freedom of speech is the American dream

We are disappointed at Judge Rebecca Pennell’s April 14 denial of the motion to dismiss the charges against Justice Forral, Bajun Mavalwalla II and Jac Archer, three out of the…

10 years later … When you look like me, you’re only ‘good enough’ until they say you’re not

We can no longer wait for our white counterparts to do what they should have done long ago. No! We must decide for ourselves when we are “good enough.”

SCAR Issues: Housing, Evictions, and Housing Justice P2 – Talk with City Council Member Paul Dillon

In this installment of SCAR Issues, Justice Forral sits down with Spokane City Council Member Paul Dillon to discuss critical housing issues, including the city's recently implemented landlord registry.

SCAR Issues: Housing, Evictions Housing Justice part 1

In part 1 we interview Terri Anderson, the director of the Tenant's Union of Washington State. Terri talks to us about rent stabilization needing to be passed.

What happened to expanding the Office of Police Ombudsman’s limited investigative abilities?

On June 29, 2023, Spokane City Council passed an agreement limiting the Office of Police Ombudsman's independence, requiring chief-approved investigations. This move contradicts the voters' demand for thorough, independent oversight…

Follow up on my testimony on Monday’s (11/13) City Council Meeting

I would like to share with you my thoughts on my experience giving my public comments at the City Council meeting on Nov. 13. This might help you think of…

Faith leaders call on Woodward to formally support separation of church and state

The letter comes after the mayor appeared at a Christian nationalist event in Spokane.

Racist statue removal stalled: ‘Who is this wait worth it for?’

The Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander community has asked for the removal of a monument they call ‘racist and misleading.’ A mayoral veto and an empty city council seat stand in the…

Why not try real solutions?

Spokane could just decide to love its community more. Everyone wants less crime, but leaning on police to do all the work just creates more prisoners. We need to actually…

As Larry Stone stonewalls, Spokane City Council grudgingly invests in shelter he owns

Members of the Spokane City Council say it has become increasingly clear that developer Larry Stone, of the Stone Group of Companies, has no intention of selling the Trent Avenue…

Haskell Backs Off — The role of systemic racism (Part 2)

This is a reposting, originally published via Substack by Jerry Leclaire on May 24th, 2023. On Monday, May 22nd, Kip Hill’s article in the Spokesman reported “Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office…

Prosecutorial Discretion and Racial Prejudice (Part 1)

This is a reposting, originally published via Substack by Jerry Leclaire on May 22nd, 2023. In criminal legal cases (as opposed to civil cases) it is the County Prosecutor’s decision…

“I’ve seen situations where cops need to protect themselves … This wasn’t one of them.”

Rough arrest of unhoused man sparks demands of reform and questions of why de-escalation protocols weren’t followed.

Sexual assault, harassment reports at Trent highlight dangerous oversight gaps at Spokane shelters

The city doesn’t have regular quality control measures, or guidance and protection for whistleblowers.

Update: Tenant-Landlord Ordinance C36330 1/20/23

Over the past week, there have been significant changes made to the Tenant-Landlord Ordinance C36330. As of this post, the current document accessible to the public on the city’s website…

Update on the old East Central Library

Council votes unanimously on Resolution 2023-0001, establishing a specified process, timeline, and criteria for a request for information (RFI) from the community to lease the former East Central Library building…

Spokane Tenant Meetings Week 1/3 – 1/23, 2023

Please register in advance of the meeting and the link will be emailed to you. If you cannot attend you can still register so you will receive updates and Action…

Day Two of Consecutive Police Harassment Inside Camp Hope

Yesterday marked the second day of consecutive harassment from the Spokane Police, Spokane Valley Police, and the Spokane County Sheriff's Office. The Spokesman covered some of the errors on Day…