Everett council has yet to vote on controversial ‘no sit, no lie’ ordinance

The Everett City Council has not yet decided on whether to renew its controversial “no sit, no lie” ordinance.

Council members heard public testimony Wednesday from critics and supporters.

“These ordinances criminalize homelessness when people have nowhere else to sleep or rest, their choice to be outside is not voluntary,” Everett resident Caitlyn McKienney said. “These laws disproportionately impact vulnerable populations, making the simple fact of being unhoused a punishable offense.”

Rich Ryan told the council this is a personal issue for him, having experienced homelessness himself for more than five years.

” l could tell you from experience that dehumanizing people does not help whatsoever,” Ryan said. ” Do you guys really think this is a good time to make poverty a crime when everybody’s kind of hanging on by their fingernails?”

A speaker identified only as “Jose” spoke to the council about the buffer zone near Compass Health in Everett.

“The buffer zone has opened up more collaboration between the city, police, Compass Health, and the neighborhood, ” Jose said. “This includes the monthly meetings and communication lines that did not exist before. Removing the zone prematurely could signal that the situation is solved when, in reality, we’re still in a fragile stage of progress.”

He said there are still people in the area loitering and taking drugs. He even said there had been a stabbing recently.

Everett Deputy Police Jeff Hendrickson said police have issued 156 warnings and 11 citations.

Council member Mary Fosse requested more information on the individuals who have been warned and cited. She made a motion to table the vote until that information comes in.

The council voted in favor of delaying the vote 4-3.

Everett City Council passes ‘no sit, no lie’ law in 2021

The Everett City Council first passed the ordinance in 2021, banning homeless camping on a 10-block radius along Smith Avenue near the I-5 overpass. The measure was originally paired with a larger proposal of using a $1 million state-funded grant to set up a pallet shelter space capable of housing 20 to 30 people.

Although the ordinance gave police the ability to sweep encampments, the plan was to first educate people who were camping and to clear access to sidewalks and businesses for pedestrians.

Then, in May 2023, Everett expanded its “no sit, no lie” law to prohibit camping and loitering outside certain shelters and facilities, including the Everett Gospel Mission. The offense was punishable with a fine of up to $500 and a jail sentence of up to 90 days.

The new ordinance also prohibited people from sitting or lying down within a two-block radius of facilities that provided substance abuse, behavioral health, and temporary housing services, KIRO 7 reported. The measure further gave Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin the authority to designate other areas as “no sit, no lie” zones.

However, the decision came with pushback, with some council members arguing people should first have a place to go before they’re told they can’t be in certain public areas of the city.

Contributing: Frank Lenzi, KIRO Newsradio; Julia Dallas and Frank Sumrall, MyNorthwest