A good place to start is the CapitolRiver Council's website, where you'll see that the proposal would:
- change skyway system hours (to close at midnight instead of 2 a.m.),
- set standards for buildings to employ private security staff and to have surveillance cameras,
- increase the types of activities that are prohibited in the Code of Conduct, and
- eliminate the requirement that police issue warnings before enforcing the Code of Conduct.
You can read the full details here (click on "Legislation Text" to download the complete document). Note that newly-proposed items are underlined; items to be removed from the ordinance are struck through.
Will these changes instantly solve security issues which have grown along with downtown? Of course not, but it is hoped that the ordinance update will provide a firmer basis for finding solutions and, over time, assist in managing the challenges faced by the skyways.
I'd like to point out that these provisions were carefully vetted to ensure they target inappropriate behaviors, not racial or ethnic groups. While some might argue that certain rules single people out by who they are rather than by what they do, that was certainly not the intent.
What can you do if you wish to register your approval or disapproval of these changes? You can contact your city council representative; there's contact information on this page. You can even send an email to all eight council members at once.
You can also attend the public hearing at 5:30 PM on September 6, where there will be an opportunity for community members to speak directly to the City Council. More information will be available on the city's website.
Finally, feel free to comment on this post. As chair of the Skyway Committee, I forward comments to our members whenever I think they may be of value.
