Wasn't Spokane in the news recently because they wanted to section off a part of town as a 'hassle-free zone' for sodomites?
That definitely rings a bell. I remember seeing something on TV about that many months ago.
Spokane is a mostly conservative city, but it has a very liberal population, as well. I think a small college there recently invited a porn star to speak.
Also, socialist Noam Chomsky spoke there within the last month. I talked to a college girl who attended, and she said it was an overflow crowd.