By FāVS News Staff
Updated: This roundup has been updated to correctly report that the ‘Safe and Welcome in Spokane’ ordinance did not pass.
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Spokane City Council did not pass ‘Safe and Welcome in Spokane’
On Monday (June 30) Spokane City Council failed to approve the “Safe and Welcome in Spokane” ordinance, which would have expanded protections against warrantless searches by immigration enforcement in designated non-public areas. This would have included restricted public rights of way, such as during permitted events. The proposed ordinance was built on a 2018 law and extended coverage to areas previously unprotected. It aimed to address safety and civil rights concerns, especially as federal immigration activity increases locally.
Council Member Lili Navarrete sponsored the bill, and it was voted on at her last council meeting before her resignation took effect Tuesday (July 1). The bill did receive a majority vote, but it failed to get the supermajority it needed to pass on an expedited basis.
Councilmember Paul Dillon said he will bring back the ordinance through the normal legislative track.
WA Attorney General releases preliminary Indian boarding school report
The Washington Attorney General’s Office (AGO), guided by a Truth and Healing Tribal Advisory Committee (TAC), released a preliminary report on Indian boarding schools in the state. These schools, central to 19th- and 20th-century U.S. assimilationist policies, often aimed to erase Native cultures, languages and spiritual practices. These were replaced with Christianity. Many were run by religious organizations with federal support.
The TAC — composed of tribal elders, survivors and legal experts — prioritized tribal sovereignty and Indigenous-centered protocols. Their research identified about two dozen such schools in Washington. Next steps include listening sessions, deeper research on harmful state policies with religious roots and policy reform. The effort aligns with AGO’s work on missing Indigenous persons, including children who never returned.
Recent Spokane Business Association homelessness statistics suspect
RANGE MEDIA took a deep dive into a controversial homelessness survey in Spokane, commissioned by the Spokane Business Association (SBA) and designed by Trump’s former homelessness czar Robert Marbut. It has drawn criticism for its small sample size, biased methodology and misleading conclusions. The survey claimed over 50% of unhoused people in Spokane aren’t from the area, a figure starkly different from city and national data, which consistently show most homeless individuals remain near where they lost housing.
Housing and homelessness experts, including Dennis Culhane, call the survey unscientific and misleading. Barry Barfield, administrator of the local homelessness coalition supports some of its policy recommendations but rejects its core claim. Critics argue the study feeds a harmful narrative that “outsiders” are burdening local resources, echoing broader stigmas seen in immigration debates, RANGE reports. The city’s more robust data, including a 2024 count and longitudinal studies, show around 80% of unhoused individuals are local.
Ultimately, in their analysis, RANGE found SBA’s survey appeared to promote a political agenda rather than reflect Spokane’s homelessness reality.
Spectrum Center Spokane presents ‘Ponyboi’ to raise funds
From July 4 through July 22, Spokane Spectrum Center, in partnership with Gathr, invites the community to watch “Ponyboi” — an award-winning queer film by queer artist River Gallo. It is first film to feature an openly intersex actor playing an intersex person. Starring Gallo herself, the thriller unfolds over the course of Valentine’s Day in New Jersey, where a young intersex sex worker must run from the mob after a drug deal goes sideways, forcing him to confront his past.
There are two ways people can support Spectrum’s work through watching the film. They can pre-order the 103-minute movie to watch from home anytime between July 4-22, for $12.99. Or they can join Spectrum for a private screening in the October at AMC River Park Square. More information can be found online. Portions of each purchased stream and ticket will directly support their Gender Affirming Products Programs (GAPP).
Idaho’s political, religious and classroom signs and flags ban takes affect
As of July 1, Idaho schools must follow House Bill 41, which bans staff from displaying flags or banners expressing opinions or beliefs on politics, religion, society or economics. The Idaho Department of Education issued guidance shortly before the law’s implementation, but key terms like “brief” and what counts as political or religious remain vague.
The rule stems from controversy over a “Everyone is Welcome Here” sign in a West Ada classroom. Exceptions include U.S., state, tribal, and military flags, official school symbols and student-worn items. Flags from non-hostile foreign countries are also allowed. Children’s artwork must align with curriculum to be exempt. The state created a complaint process, Idaho Education reports, but enforcement details and penalties remain unclear.
