ACLU of Washington decries 'Compassion Seattle' homeless charter amendment

The ACLU of Washington has come out against the proposed "Compassion Seattle" charter amendment, a controversial ballot measure aimed at addressing homelessness in Seattle.

In a statement published Tuesday, the organization wrote it was opposing the amendment as it did not address the root causes of the city's housing crisis and instead punished people for being homeless. The group said it could not support the ballot initiative as it focused on "stopgap measures aimed at reducing the visibility of poverty" instead of long-term solutions, like increasing affordable permanent housing.

"The ACLU of Washington shares the concern of many Seattle residents that the housing crisis is an emergency that affects all of us and that the City must do everything in its power to redress our neighbors’ suffering. To that end, we support solutions that address the root causes of homelessness and do not punish people for trying to meet their basic life-sustaining needs like shelter, sleep and food," wrote the ACLU of Washington.

The amendment, which has started collecting signatures from registered Seattle voters to get on the November ballot, aims to create an additional 2,000 units of emergency or permanent housing and expand behavioral health services for mental health and substance use disorder.

However, opponents argue it would also codify encampment sweeps, as the amendment text states "the City may take actions to ensure that parks, playgrounds, sports fields, public spaces and sidewalks and streets ("public spaces") remain open and clear of unauthorized encampments."

The ACLU took a strong stand against these sweeps, a practice which declined during the COVID-19 pandemic following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance.

"Destroying unhoused peoples’ homes and shuffling them all over Seattle has only exacerbated the region’s housing crisis and pushed more of our neighbors onto City streets.  It has no place in our City Charter," wrote the ACLU. "The government’s destruction of peoples’ homes and belongings when they have nowhere else to go is neither compassionate nor effective."

Compassion Seattle responded to the ACLU's statement Wednesday, saying the amendment "does not promote sweeps, nor do we believe sweeps to be an effective practice to help those living unsheltered."

"Charter Amendment 29 does not criminalize homelessness; it says nothing about law enforcement. It does require expansion of diversion programs so police, prosecutors, defense attorneys and the courts can decide on a case-by-case basis whether treatment and other individualized services are better than arrest and prosecution," wrote Compassion Seattle in a statement.

When the measure was unveiled in April, the organizers touted they had the support of many homeless advocates and service providers in the city. However in May, Publicola reported that some of the service providers and organizations cited on the website did not formally endorse the charter amendment. Compassion Seattle has since removed the "Endorsements" page and changed to "What people are saying," a sign that not everyone in these organizations agree on the course of action.

Filings from the Seattle Elections and Ethics Commission show Compassion Seattle has raised a total of $793,923 in contributions, with the average contribution amounting to $3,113. Many of the major donors represented real estate and business interests in the city. Two of the top donors, John Goodman and George Petrie, each donated $50,000 and work for the same real estate company, Goodman Real Estate.

Vulcan Inc, Clise Properties, and the Downtown Seattle Association are also major contributors, according to filings.

An opposition group to the charter amendment, called House Our Neighbors, has also emerged, agreeing with the ACLU that the initiative does not address the root causes of homelessness. 

"Compassion Seattle is focused on blaming addiction and mental illness for homelessness. We know that homelessness is a result of greater problems: stagnant wages, job loss, skyrocketing rent, high barriers to healthcare, housing and/or workforce discrimination, and a diminishing safety net. The solution is permanent low-cost housing and supportive services," wrote House Our Neighbors on their website.