Spokane City Council condemns temple attack, explores Office of Civil Rights
SPOKANE, Wash – Just hours after news broke of a racist attack on Spokane’s Temple Beth Shalom, city council members passed a resolution condemning the hate crime.
The council also discussed staffing the Office of Civil Rights, which Council President Breann Beggs says was funded in the 2021 city budget but has not yet been created.
Monday morning, someone painted swastikas in red paint on the side of the building in south Spokane. They also damaged a Holocaust memorial.
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Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward and Police Chief Craig Meidl immediately spoke out, condemning the hate crime. Throughout Monday evening, other community leaders did, too.
During Monday’s council meeting, council members discussed the Office of Civil Rights, which Council President Beggs says would help with outreach and education, and also take complaints about hate crimes. Complaints would then be turned over to the city attorney’s office.
Beggs says the office is funded in the budget for this year, but the job description hasn’t been created or posted.
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