It’s time to raise our game downtown

Pat Cole

I recently went downtown with my family for breakfast on a Saturday, and the conditions and behaviors we saw were very upsetting.

The area was filthy, which made us feel very uncomfortable.  Plus, I felt like I had to prepare myself for conflict or what could go wrong.  It’s time for the city to fix this.

I needed to understand what we are doing for downtown. I find that there are four services:

• Clean Team: This city service provides one- or two-person teams to pick up trash daily or in response to calls.  This includes cleaning the worst spots. They operate primarily in the downtown core.
• Downtown Guides: These are two-person teams provided by the Olympia Downtown Alliance that typically work from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. (this is a small part of what the Alliance does).  They try to help anyone in need and, in particular, have a good database for what is happening downtown.  They also help with waking people sleeping outside after 7 a.m.
• Crisis Response Unit (CRU): This is part of the Olympia Police Department, but is not composed of commissioned officers. They provide first-level response to urgent situations, typically dispatched by 911. 
• Walking Patrol: This is a two-person team of commissioned officers that patrols the entire downtown. They operate from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Of these groups, only the Walking Patrol has the authority to enforce the laws and standards downtown.  All the other services rely on voluntary cooperation and can’t clean if people won’t move.

So what to do?  In my conversations with different providers, there were two infrastructure items needed that are lacking:

One is a 23-hour facility, a service known as “Crisis Stabilization,” where people could be transported for triage and support in a safe place.  This would provide comfort and assistance, allowing people a moment to figure out other options.  It would also break the cycle of people simply moving to a different location downtown, which is what typically happens after an intervention. 

The other need is for a better system for involuntary commitment.  We currently don’t have the resources to help people with more significant problems. And while this may sound somewhat harsh, it is precisely what is needed in some situations for people on the streets with serious mental health issues. This may now be a better use of funds rather than housing, which has been a major focus and expense.

The Walking Patrol is undermanned. They don’t operate long enough and are trying to cover too large an area with too few people. In addition, those patrol officers are the first to be pulled when a problem requires more police presence elsewhere in the city. It is also one of the first programs to get cut when money or labor gets stretched. 

Some good news, though. Last year, the state allocated money to provide police officers for local jurisdictions. Olympia applied, and it has eight new officers in the works, although it takes 12–18 months to get officers trained and in service. To improve downtown, the Olympia City Council will need to make this service a priority.

The Olympia City Council must also address policy items. We currently allow sleeping on the streets from midnight to 7 a.m. Is it time to change that policy and completely eliminate sleeping on downtown sidewalks?

Another possibility: Should we prohibit people begging with cardboard signs on downtown corners, similar to panhandling? Also, regardless of the time, the city can’t wake and move people sleeping inside recessed entries downtown because the entries are considered private property.  The city council could fix this with a zoning or nuisance ordinance. Let’s be clear, having people sleep on sidewalks and in doorways is not providing services.

I view these options as restoring a balance while genuinely providing services, removing behaviors that so many of us find unacceptable and anti-social. We have normalized behaviors that historically weren’t tolerated. Blaming victims for the decreases in health services and affordability is simply wrong. But that doesn’t mean there can’t be an acceptable balance between how we help people and how we also take care of the rest of our community.  

What's clear is that we need to change and improve our approach to downtown.  It’s time for the city council to decide this is a higher priority than some other things, consider new policies, and move resources around. If the city elects to pursue some of these items, they will be controversial decisions, especially since some will be construed as anti-homeless. The city council will need our visible support through letters and testimony at council meetings to restore more balance to our downtown.

Pat Cole — pcbiglife@gmail.com— is a former Olympia City Council member. As a resident of Olympia, he seeks to set a positive tone and lead informed discussions about local civic issues. 

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