Lakewood becomes first city to enforce SCOTUS ruling on public camping

Lakewood enforces arrests for public camping post-SCOTUS ruling

Sweeps are occurring across the region, in the wake of a groundbreaking Supreme Court decision granting cities the authority to penalize individuals sleeping or camping on public property.

LAKEWOOD, Wash. - Sweeps are occurring across the region, in the wake of a groundbreaking Supreme Court decision granting cities the authority to penalize individuals sleeping or camping on public property.

This week, the Lakewood City Council engaged in a heated debate lasting over two hours regarding their own ordinance, which would make it an arrestable offense. Lakewood stands as the first city to take definitive action on the SCOTUS ruling.

The City of Lakewood isn’t exempt from the chronic issue plaguing cities in the Northwest: homelessness. A few people sleep outside City Hall, their belongings confined to corners and benches.

"The city of Lakewood is not Grants Pass," a Lakewood council member stated, highlighting the city’s smaller scale compared to larger metropolitan areas.

Despite its smaller size, city leaders met Monday for a vote.

Mayor Jason Whelean announced, "The Ordinance 808 passed with three ayes and two nays."

The new ordinance allows police to issue trespass notices to those sleeping or camping on city property, making it an arrestable offense. This decision follows the Supreme Court’s ruling on Johnson v. Grants Pass.

Presenting before the Council was Lakewood Captain Peter Johnson, who said "Helping people is something we’re good at, but it's been difficult not having legal ramifications to a lot of these issues."

He says this new ordinance is a new tool in their toolbox. It was desperately needed, even if it's the least desirable approach.

"What we want is for people to accept the help that is out there, for people to make good decisions, to get healthy, to get over addictions or mental health issues, and to get the help they need, to get into housing," Johnson said.

People like Jessica Watson will have time before facing arrest. During their first encounter with officers, they will be educated about the ordinance and offered services, food, shelter, and transportation. If they disregard the notice, the next step would be a formal trespass report, with enforcement on the third encounter.

"Hopefully it never gets to that point," Johnson said.

Watson, 43, is among those who will be directly impacted. She left an adult home due to mistreatment and now faces challenges living on the streets, including medical issues after suffering from a stroke at the age of 36. The single woman also wears braces on her legs to help with a dropped foot. This, along with trying to manage other health conditions, make it difficult for her to sleep out in the elements, much less move about. With the looming deadline, her greatest concern is the difficulty of finding a safe place to stay.

"We need help finding a place to go, and everybody is different. We can’t all go to the same kind of place," Watson said.

The ordinance will go into effect on Aug. 14 — 30 days from its passing.