Minjares Makes Case for Prosecuting Attorney Race

Above: Local attorney Victor Minjares is running for Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney on the issues of reform, respect, and justice.

Change Needed in Local Law and Justice Department Culture, says Minjares

By Janine Gates

Little Hollywood

https://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

“There are serious issues with the criminal justice system in Thurston County,” local attorney Victor Minjares said in a recent interview with Little Hollywood.

While some know the criminal justice system only through television shows like Perry Mason or Law and Order, others know it all too well in real life.

Reflective of the national examination on implicit bias, socio-economic and racial injustice and other systemic issues beleaguering the law and justice community, Minjares is running for Thurston County prosecuting attorney on a campaign of reform.

Minjares says he wants to change the culture within the office that hasn't seen a change in decades.

The position of prosecuting attorney and the issues associated with it may not be on voters’ radar because current prosecuting attorney Jon Tunheim, who is running for his third term, has never had a challenger. Each term is four years.

Before Tunheim, Ed Holm had been prosecutor for three terms, from 1999 to 2010. After Holm was sued by three female deputy prosecutors in his office for sexual harassment and won their case, he chose not to run for reelection. 

Tunheim, who was chief criminal deputy prosecutor at the time, ran for the position and won, and won reelection in 2014.

According to his biography, Tunheim first joined the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office as a legal intern in 1988 and has won many awards for his community service.

Minjares and Tunheim are running as Democrats. The position pays an annual salary of $169,187. Fifty percent of the salary is paid by the county and fifty percent is paid by the State of Washington. 

Making His Case

Minjares has 30 years of experience handling criminal, civil, appellate, and administrative cases in state and federal courts. He moved to Olympia in 2006 from Los Angeles, California and is a graduate of Pomona College and Stanford Law School. 

A civil attorney in private practice, he now represents nonprofit organizations, individuals, and small businesses in Washington and California courts.

From 2008 – 2014, Minjares served Thurston County District Court as a Judge Pro Tem, presiding over misdemeanors, civil cases brought by pro se litigants, infractions, restraint petitions, and criminal calendars.

During much of that same time, Minjares was an assistant attorney general in the Torts Division of the Washington State Attorney General's Office, responsible for defending state agencies in civil damage lawsuits in federal and state court.

His resume is long and his experience is deep and varied. Early in his career in Los Angeles, Minjares was a criminal prosecutor for 15 years, sending criminals to prison for murders, robberies, home invasions, and other serious felonies.

He lives in Thurston County with his wife and children. He is active in the community and has served on several boards. 

The Role of the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office

Little Hollywood asked Minjares about the responsibilities of the office, the issues he sees, court diversion programs and alternatives to incarceration, the case of Andre Thompson and Bryson Chaplin, the two young African American men who were shot by a white Olympia police officer in 2015, and a recent independent study of the county’s court system.

“There’s a lot of things wrong with the prosecutor attorney office – a lot of waste, a lack of supervision, a lack of respect for the office itself and the power it holds. I want to bring in reform, bring back respect, both for the office and for the public, for the courts.

“I want to bring a general sense of justice to the job, justice above all else, even if that means walking in and dismissing because you got it wrong, fixing a case because you accidently convicted the wrong person, or charging someone who is very popular because they did a serious crime….”

Asked for specifics, Minjares said he wants to create a conviction integrity unit with outside experts to review evidence and sentences and determine whether or not errors were made. 

“When I talk to criminal defense attorneys and individuals, they tell me stories of their interactions and that it is not the policy to immediately turn over evidence showing when someone is innocent. They make defense attorneys fight for it and in fact, there’s a lot of litigation about that in our courts. The obligation of a prosecutor is not to withhold information. If he finds that a witness has changed their story, or finds a new witness that shows that the defendant is innocent, the obligation is to contact the other side and say, ‘Hey, you might want to talk to this witness.’”

“Here (in Thurston County), they let them know right before the trial, which causes a continuance of a case, and that is a violation of speedy trial rights of the defendant,” he said.

“If I’m prosecutor, the evidence will get turned over right away. Then we can argue in court whether it is relevant or admissible – the defense is going to get the information at the earliest opportunity.

“One, it’s the right thing to do. Two, it’s more efficient. You know what the case is worth early on and decide how to plead…or decide whether it needs to go to trial….To wait until the last minute is unethical and inefficient.”

Minjares said that when people sit around waiting for their case to come up, they may lose their job and increase the strain on the social service system.

Minjares says it costs $42,000 a year to house someone in the county jail and even more in the state system. 

“Some people need to go to prison...but when you do that…when you send someone away to prison or jail, you’re increasing the costs on the county through a myriad of factors that don’t show up on the balance sheet…but they are there and they are real,” he said.

“Did you know most of the people who are sitting in Thurston County jail right are not guilty of any crime? They are awaiting trial. I’d like to examine better methods of releasing people on their own recognizance, or setting a low bail when it's warranted, for relatively minor offenses...like low-level misdemeanors or drug offenses. People should not be sitting in jail simply because they cannot afford $1,000 to make a $10,000 bond, for example.”

Thurston County Statistics

The Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has a civil division and a criminal division.

The civil division of the prosecuting attorney's office serves as the attorney for Thurston County, providing legal advice and representation to the county elected officials, departments, and independent boards and commissions.

The criminal division receives referrals from law enforcement agencies to review for possible criminal charges.

According to the Prosecuting Attorney’s website, the office leads a team of 32 lawyers and 37 support staff.

In 2016, 1,606 felony cases were filed (325 were felony domestic violence cases and 145 felony sexual assault and/or child abuse cases), 2,017 misdemeanor cases (445 were misdemeanor domestic violence cases), 502 juvenile cases, 167 defendants received services in the drug court program, 16 defendants in DUI court, 48 defendants enrolled in mental health court and 22 defendants in veteran court.

The office also processes over 1,800 child support cases each year while also serving as a law firm for all Thurston County Government offices.

Minjares was asked to comment on those numbers and whether they are reflective of a community the size and demographics of Thurston County. He says the statistics don’t tell the whole story.

“Of those 32 attorneys, around six are civil attorneys, the rest criminal. Thirty two lawyers is not a large office… (but) there’s no supervision by the prosecutor. It should be part of the job. The prosecutor goes to meetings and has no idea of what’s going on in his own office. It’s really a free for all. Our crime rate is steady in the county but the sentences are going up. The maximum sentence is not the solution to all problems, which it seems to be in that office.”

Minjares was asked why the jail is overflowing if crime is steady and why the sentences are going up.

“Well, if I’m an individual prosecutor left to my own devices, to me, to be successful is to get a maximum sentence for the charge. However, you can’t let prosecutors seek that in every case. You have to supervise them so you don’t overflow the jails, bankrupt the county and bankrupt the state.”

“I want to open up the black box that is the Prosecuting Attorney’s office. They do not really give statistics that don’t make them look like they’re doing a good job. I want to use our sunshine policies in this state and apply them to the prosecutor’s office so the public can see for themselves what is happening. Raw numbers like this that they are putting out don’t tell you if they are being fairly prosecuted, or if prosecutors are sanctioned for breaking the rules,” he said.

System, Jail Alternatives

Seventy five percent of the county’s budget goes to law and justice and that includes the courts, the jail system, the sheriff’s office, public counsel, and probation services.

Thurston County has several court diversion programs, including a drug court, a mental health court, and a veteran court.

“It’s expensive to run a courtroom - about $9,000 a day. I’m in favor of (these diversion) courts and what they are trying to accomplish, but they are expensive. We need to rely more on diversion before they enter the criminal justice system.”

Minjares described a successful law enforcement assisted diversion (LEAD) program that began in Seattle.

“It’s intended to keep low level offenders out of the system before they are booked and enter the whole hamster wheel of the system. It’s a pre-booking diversion program. They tried to start the program here in Thurston County but after six to eight months, they have had just one person enter the program. It’s up to the prosecutor’s office to agree that it’s used or not. Look at what it’s costing our system to not use that program. The prosecutor’s office has failed on that one,” he said.

Studies of Thurston County Courts

Minjares was asked about the Thurston County District Court report conducted last year by staff of the Center for Court Innovation and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ).

To assess the court’s strengths and weaknesses regarding access to justice, NCJFCJ staff conducted a three day tour of the Thurston County Courthouse and anonymously observed the court process and procedures.

In the report, several recommendations for improvement were made. The report is available at http://www.co.thurston.wa.us/distcrt/docs/TCDC_Report.pdf

Minjares also referred to The National Center for State Courts (NCIC) report about Thurston County Superior Court. A link to that report, “NCSC Felony Caseflow and Calendaring Study of Thurston County Superior Court” is at: http://www.co.thurston.wa.us/superior/documents/ncsc-report-20170601.pdf

Minjares said the report’s findings were enlightening and overdue.

Above: Center for Court Innovation and NCJFCJ staff observed the courthouse complex signage. They reported that the signage was unclear and difficult to follow, “which made it even more frustrating to navigate an already confusing courthouse layout,” did not make clear what kinds of cases were heard in those courtrooms, and did not use multiple languages. “This is even more problematic since there is another court campus in another part of the county that hears family and juvenile matters which may further confuse litigants,” says the report.

Andre Thompson and Bryson Chaplin Case

Little Hollywood asked Minjares about specific cases such as the one in which charges were brought against Andre Thompson and Bryson Chaplin, two young African American men who were shot by a white Olympia police officer in 2015. 

“I can’t comment on the specifics of the case unless I have all the evidence in front of me, which I don’t, however, I will say I was rather surprised at the charging decisions made after that shooting. I would like to know a lot more about that to know what justified that level of, what seems like, retribution against those two individuals.

“I am not someone who believes that people who commit crimes should be let off but then again, there is justice involved in how to weigh certain factors in any situation,” he said.

“That investigation by the prosecutor took a long time and where are the recommendations regarding possible police policy changes that might lessen the chances of a similar confrontation in the future?” he asked.

“….The prosecuting attorney is supposed to be for the people of Thurston County. Part of the job of the prosecuting attorney’s office is to make sure the system works better. Dodging that responsibility has been a very pervasive failure….”

True reform methods are often below the radar for a lot of people who are not intimately involved in the issue, and while the need for a new courthouse is a given, it isn’t going to solve a problem with the culture, he says.

Little Hollywood asked Minjares if he has a real life role model for prosecuting attorney and law and justice reform.

Minjares mentioned his former Stanford classmate, Larry Krasner, who is now district attorney of Philadelphia.

“He ran on a campaign of reform and while I’d tailor it to Thurston County, he and others seeking to bring real justice to the prosecuting and district attorney offices across the country is really something to watch,” he said.

Above: Victor Minjares greets attendees at his campaign kick-off party on Wednesday.

About 60 enthusiastic people attended his campaign kick-off party at the historic Jacob Smith House in Lacey on Wednesday night.

Olympia city councilmembers Renata Rollins and Lisa Parshley spoke in support of his candidacy, as did Keoki Kauanoe, chair of the Washington State Progressive Caucus, and Steffani Powell, a local immigration attorney.

Powell described the qualities of a good prosecutor and the growing power of the prosecutor position across the country. 

Most prosecuting attorneys in the United States are Caucasian.

“….Their power is immense. They get to decide who to charge and the type and number of charges leveled against an individual….Many prosecutors run unopposed across the country and have strong party ties....When there is unchecked power, problems often follow. Prosecutors are the most powerful officials in the American criminal justice system,” said Powell.

Editor’s Note, May 6: Little Hollywood made a few clean-up edits to the original story, such as correcting the spelling of local immigration attorney Steffani Powell’s name and clarifying that the LEAD program is a pre-booking diversion program, not a “pre-diversion program.”

In the interview, Minjares also referred to The National Center for State Courts (NCIC) report about Thurston County Superior Court. That paragraph was dropped off in editing. 

For more links and information about Thurston County Prosecutor Jon Tunheim, his findings about the police officer involved shooting of Andre Thompson and Bryson Chaplin in 2015, the community response, and Olympia police and community relations, go to Little Hollywood at www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com and type keywords into the search button.

Black Alliance of Thurston County Celebrates Work, Progress

Above: Dr. Karen Johnson, center, acknowledged the collective power of many individuals at the second annual founding celebration of the Black Alliance of Thurston County at Risen Faith Fellowship Church on Saturday afternoon. Left to right: Nat Jackson, Dr. Thelma Jackson, Barbara Clarkson (hidden behind Johnson), Rev. Charlotte Petty, Clinton Petty, Crystal Chaplin, Andre Thompson, and, standing with the assistance of a walker, Bryson Chaplin.

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Community singing, thoughtful commentary, powerful testimony, and good food was plentiful at the second annual Black Alliance of Thurston County founding celebration at Risen Faith Fellowship Church on Saturday afternoon.

“It doesn’t take an awful lot of people to get a lot of work accomplished, but it does take a lot of heart,” said Dr. Karen Johnson, chair of the Alliance, who served as mistress of ceremonies for the event.

While the westside shooting of two, young African Americans, Andre Thompson and Bryson Chaplin, by an Olympia police officer in May 2015 was the catalyst for the group's formation, their work with law enforcement and the community has taken on a life of its own with a lot of effort and hard work by many individuals.

Special awards were given to Kathy Baros Friedt and Leslie Cushman, for their efforts organizing the Olympia Coalition for the Reform of Deadly Force Laws, the YWCA of Olympia’s Stand Against Racism efforts, Senator Karen Fraser and Olympia Police Chief Ronnie Roberts, and Olympia High School’s African American Alliance, which has held several conversational meetings about race.

Lacey Police Chief Dusty Pierpoint, who was not in uniform, addressed community questions and concerns about the crisis training and psychological testing of police officers, progress regarding fair and impartial policing, and how training about implicit bias can be effectively measured.

In law enforcement for over 30 years, Pierpoint acknowledged that police officers are dealing with difficult, community issues.

“We, as law enforcement, are being tasked with things we should not be. We are not mental health professionals, we’re not drug addiction professionals, we’re not marital counselors, we’re not homelessness experts, but that is who gets called. We are being tasked with things that the community should be dealing with, and it’s not happening. That’s why 30 percent of our jails hold those with mental illness who do not belong there,” Pierpoint said to a round of applause. 

Pierpoint also gave recent examples in which officers have used de-escalation techniques when responding to a call, but described how those incidents don’t get recognized or acknowledged in the media.

Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction candidate Erin Jones gave a powerful, personal talk about education and her first experiences with racism, and Thurston County Auditor Mary Hall spoke about voting and the importance of civic engagement. 

Hall assured the audience that vote tabulation is a safe and transparent process in Thurston County and across the country. She said there are nearly 175,000 registered voters in Thurston County, a record high. She also expects an 80 to 85 percent turnout rate in Thurston County. Ballots will start to be scanned on Monday. 

Part of the work of the Black Alliance resulted in the eventual passage of a bill that created the Joint Legislative Task Force on the Use of Deadly Force in Community Policing. That group's final meeting, which will include proposed recommendations to the governor, is November 21, 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., John L. O’Brien Building, House Hearing Room A, at the Capitol Campus.

Among other activities, beginning in February 2017, the Black Alliance will collaborate with The Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation (OUUC) and The United Churches of Olympia to host a monthly film series and conversations about race. Films will be held the third Thursday of each month, 6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., at the OUUC Sanctuary, 2315 Division St. NW, Olympia.

Perhaps the most poignant part of the afternoon, moving some to tears, was witnessing Bryson Chaplin standing, and then walking to the stage with the assistance of a walker, to be recognized with his family. Bryson still has the officer’s bullet lodged near his spine.

“This is a celebration of what faith and love and hope and determination can do,” said Johnson.

“I just want to say he came in a wheelchair, I prayed for him after church….Oh, give thanks up to the Lord for He is good,” praised Rev. Charlotte Petty.

For more photos and information about the Black Alliance of Thurston County, Karen Johnson, the Joint Legislative Task Force on the Use of Deadly Force in Community Policing, the Ad Hoc Committee on Police and Community Relations, Andre Thompson, Bryson Chaplin, and local groups working for racial justice, go to Little Hollywood, www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com and type key words into the search engine.

For more information about the Black Alliance of Thurston County, go to www.blackalliancethurston.org.

Above: Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction candidate Erin Jones greets Drs. Sherman and Eve Beverly of Olympia at the second annual founding celebration of the Black Alliance of Thurston County on Saturday afternoon, where Jones gave a powerful, personal talk about education and her first experiences with racism.

Changes to Police Excessive Force Law Proposed by Black Alliance of Thurston County

Above: As Governor Jay Inslee waits to speak, Dr. Karen Johnson, chair of the Black Alliance of Thurston County, speaks at Monday's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration in Olympia. Nat Jackson, far left, a member of the Black Alliance of Thurston County, was the master of ceremonies. The Black Alliance of Thurston County has spearheaded the writing of state legislation that would change the law governing excessive use of deadly force by law enforcement in Washington State. 

Just before Dr. Karen Johnson was to speak in the Rotunda, the voice of Governor Inslee came over the public address system. Inslee was apparently giving a speech elsewhere in the building and the mechanical systems became crossed. After at least 15 minutes of interruption to the celebration and unsuccessful attempts to mute Inslee and restore the microphone in the Rotunda, the crowd started chanting, “Black Lives Matter! Black Lives Matter!” 

In an extraordinary turn of events, Reverend Vera Diggins, who had earlier lead the group in the Black National Anthem, lead the crowd in singing several verses of “We Shall Overcome!” The emotional tenor of the crowd changed and the public address system was somehow fixed, allowing Johnson to speak. Then, Governor Inslee, who arrived and was scheduled to speak, began his speech by saying, “The mission of equality cannot be drowned out!” to cheers from the crowd.

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Proposed legislation written and spearheaded by members of the Black Alliance of Thurston County that would change excessive use of deadly force by law enforcement in Washington State has garnered a prime sponsor.

Washington State Representative Cindy Ryu, D-32, has agreed to sponsor the legislation. The bill, which does not have a number yet and is in the process of some last minute refining, would amend RCW 9A.16.040.

The South Sound area was jammed packed with celebrations and service events honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday. Dr. Karen Johnson, chair of the Black Alliance of Thurston County, announced the proposed legislation at a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration held at the Washington State Capitol Building.

“We should all feel proud that we are one step closer to having a use of deadly force law that attacks our egregious state law, not the noble law enforcement officers who maintain the public safety of all Washingtonians,” said Johnson.

“There’s widespread recognition that our justifiable homicide statute is broken because it sets a higher bar than any other state in prosecuting officers who use deadly force without justification. Amnesty International calls Washington State’s law regarding use of deadly force as the “most egregious” in the nation. 

“The Black Alliance of Thurston County, in coalition and partnership with others…want to start the conversation around this issue….It is the right thing to do at the right time….We can pass a bill that is good for the people, the police, and the prosecutors of Washington State who seek public safety and accountability for all,” said Johnson.

Only Washington State law provides a defense against prosecution when a police officer acts “without malice and with a good faith belief that such act is justifiable.” Malice is defined in law as “evil intent.”

The proposed bill removes a subsection which contains the phrase “without malice and with a good faith belief,” an aspect which makes Washington's statute so unique.

To put Washington State law in line with the recommendations of a June 2015 Amnesty International report, “Deadly Force: Police Use of Lethal Force in the United States,”  the bill also clarifies language regarding use of deadly force against fleeing felons so it is clear that the risk to the officer has to be imminent.

The legislation is expected to be introduced on Tuesday or early this week. 

The bill's sponsor, Senator Cindy Ryu, represents Northwest Seattle, Shoreline, South Edmonds, Woodway, west Mountlake Terrace and Lynnwood. While serving as a Shoreline City Councilmember, Ryu was elected mayor in 2008, becoming the first female Korean-American mayor in the United States. Serving her third House term in the Washington State Legislature, Ryu is a Deputy Whip and co-chairs the Members of Color Caucus.

The Black Alliance of Thurston County hopes to have the bill passed and signed by Governor Jay Inslee during this short legislative session.

Above: Andre Thompson, middle, wearing hat, and his brother Bryson Chaplin, who was not in attendance at Monday's celebration, and their family was acknowledged and prayed for by Bishop Charlotte Petty of Risen Faith Fellowship. Thompson and Chaplin were shot by an Olympia police officer in May 2015. The officer who shot the brothers was not charged by the Thurston County prosecutor, who used the “without malice and with a good faith belief.....” defense for the officer, indicating that the shooting was justifiable.

Amnesty's Deadly Force Report

The Amnesty International report is primarily based on a state-by-state legislative survey of use of lethal force statutes within the United States.

According to Amnesty International, the United States has failed to track how many people are killed by law enforcement officers. No one knows exactly how many people are killed each year but estimates range from 400 to over 1,000.

Among its other findings:  

African Americans are disproportionately impacted by police killings, according to the limited data available.

The United States has failed to respect and protect the right to life by failing to ensure that domestic legislation meets international human rights law and standards on the use of lethal force by law enforcement officers.

All 50 states and Washington, D.C. fail to comply with international law and standards on the use of lethal force by law enforcement officers.

None of the state statutes require that the use of lethal force may only be used as a last resort with non-violent and less harmful means to be tried first.

No state limits the use of lethal force to only those situations where there is an imminent threat to life or serious injury to the officer or to others.

Nine states, including Washington, allow for the use of lethal force to be used to suppress a riot.

Twenty two states, including Washington, allow for law enforcement officers to kill someone trying to escape from a prison or jail.

Only eight states, including Washington, require that a warning be given, when feasible, before lethal force is used.

Twenty states, including Washington, allow for private citizens to use lethal force if they carry out law enforcement activities.

For more information about the Black Alliance of Thurston County, Karen Johnson, the City of Olympia’s Ad Hoc Committee on Police and Community Relations, Andre Thompson and Bryson Chaplin, and local groups working for racial justice, go to Little Hollywood, www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com, and type key words into the search button.

For more information about Amnesty International’s report “Deadly Force: Police Use of Lethal Force in the United States,” go to: www.amnestyusa.org/deadlyforce

Above: Names of Black loved ones lost to police violence are written in chalk outside the Washington State Capitol Building in Olympia. 

Olympia Police Clear Officer Donald in Shooting Case

By Janine Unsoeld

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Many individuals and community groups are working harder than ever on issues and conversations about race, racism and police issues ever since the Olympia police officer involved shooting of two young African American men on May 21.

Those conversations are expected to intensify.

An Olympia Police Department (OPD) shooting review board issued its conclusion on Wednesday afternoon that no policies had been violated by Officer Ryan Donald during the incident. Olympia Police Chief Ronnie Roberts reviewed the Board’s decision and concurred.

The board determined that Officer Donald’s actions were within policy and that they did not precipitate the use of force. The decision was unanimous. According to the release, Officer Donald will return to duty in the next few weeks.

“Because of the trauma of the event and the length of his absence, the Department has a plan to reintegrate Officer Donald before assigning his routine duties,” it states.

The review board was comprised of OPD Deputy Chief Steve Nelson, OPD Lieutenant Aaron Jelcick, Deputy City Attorney Darren Nienaber, OPD Officer Jason Winner and Executive Director for the Commission of African American Affairs Edward Prince.

In a brief memorandum from Lt. Aaron Jelcick to Chief Roberts, Jelcick says that between September 21 and 29, the group reviewed more than 600 pages of investigative reports. 

On September 29, the group visited the site of the shooting near Cooper Point Road on Olympia’s westside and interviewed Officer Donald.

Chief Roberts stated, “Although the review process is complete, our conversations about this incident - our conversations about our police department and our community - are very important to us and will be on-going for some time to come.  As an agency, we pride ourselves on being open, honest and transparent in what we do and how we do it.  We hope that we’ve proved that to you again during this difficult time.

“Amongst many different venues, you can find us talking with you in your neighborhoods, schools, faith groups, business groups, civic organizations and government assemblies.  Please join us in these important conversations so that we can be the type of agency that you would like to see serving our community.”

For a copy of the official memorandum from the shooting review board follow this link and more detailed information about the Shooting Review Board, go to: http://olympiawa.gov/city-services/police-department/news-and-notifications/officer-involved-shooting.aspx

Ad Hoc Committee on Policing and Community Relations

The next meeting of the city’s Ad-Hoc Committee on Policing and Community Relations is Monday, October 5, 5:30 p.m. at Olympia City Hall, in the council chambers.

The committee will host a public community forum on Saturday, October 10, 1:00-5:00 p.m., at Risen Faith Fellowship, 2129 E 4th St, Olympia.

For more information about the Olympia Police Department, the officer involved shooting on May 21, the Ad-Hoc Committee on Policing and Community Relations and other police related news, go to Little Hollywood, www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com or the City of Olympia website at www.olympiawa.gov.

Olympia Police Shooting of Two Men: No Charges for Officer; Men Charged with Assault

Above: Olympia Police Chief Ronnie Roberts provides a brief statement at Olympia City Hall today following Thurston County Prosecutor Jon Tunheim's findings about the police officer involved shooting of two men on May 21.

Ad Hoc Committee Set To Next Meet on September 9

By Janine Unsoeld

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Today, Thurston County Prosecutor Jon Tunheim released his findings about the Olympia police officer involved shooting of two African American men that occurred May 21st.

His decision and a statement today from Olympia Police Chief Ronnie Roberts are both on the City of Olympia website at www.olympiawa.gov.  

Tunheim’s review of the case in which Olympia police office Ryan Donald shot Bryson Chaplin and Andre Thompson is available at www.co.thurston.wa.us/pao/

Tunheim concluded that the officer’s actions were justified and he did not act in bad faith or with malice. 

“While I have spent many hours examining and analyzing this evidence, Officer Donald had only seconds prior to each shooting event to make the decision to use deadly force. In fact, the radio traffic demonstrates conclusively that only a matter of seconds passed between Donald's first call about spotting the suspects and the first shots fired call. The remaining events unfolded in just under three minutes....”

The two men have been charged with assault.

“There is sufficient admissible evidence to believe that a reasonable fact finder could find beyond a reasonable doubt that Chaplin and Thompson committed the crime of Assault in Second Degree on Officer Donald and of Assault in the 4^th degree on the Safeway employee,” says the report's review. 

Charges have been filed and summons’ issued. Arraignment is set for Tuesday, September 22.

Olympia Police Chief Ronnie Roberts held a press conference at Olympia City Hall two hours after the release of Tunheim's report. In his comments, which lasted about five minutes, Roberts said that the Olympia Police Department will now begin an internal review of the incident to determine whether the actions of Officer Donald violated any department policies and procedures.

The shooting review team will be comprised of Deputy Chief Steve Nelson, Lieutenant Aaron Jelcick, Deputy City Attorney Darren Nienaber, Edward Prince, Executive Director for the Commission on African American Affairs, and a designated police guild representative.

“The review team will convene as soon as can be scheduled with a goal of completing their work within two weeks. We will immediately release the results of this review once it is concluded,” said Roberts.

Karen Johnson of The Black Alliance of Thurston County handed out a statement at the press conference. It states, in part:

“This is indeed a sad day for those of us who believe in justice for all....Thurston County Prosecutor Jon Tunheim’s decision announced today is lawful, yet unjust. It reflects the warped and unfair system design that we have mobilized to change. We are disappointed by the prosecutor’s decision, yet we are not surprised by it.

“The upcoming internal review process led by the Olympia Police Department basically requires law enforcement officers to sit in judgment of each other. This does not provide the public with true police accountability. It is time to change the relevant laws, rules, and civil service procedures governing police conduct. It is time for independent oversight and review of police conduct in cases where excessive use of force may have occurred.”

According to the release, The Black Alliance of Thurston County is committed to building trust and promoting fair and impartial policing in Thurston County.

Chief Roberts referred to the group as one that he has been meeting with over the last few weeks.

“We have had difficult, honest and productive conversation about institutional bias in the criminal justice system, educational systems and other governmental services. These conversations have generated several actionable steps that can be taken to demonstrate OPD’s commitment to bias free policing….” said Roberts.

For more information on The Black Alliance of Thurston County, email BlackAllianceThurstonCounty@gmail.com.

Full Circle United, a community group involved in providing financial assistance to the two men shot and their families, invites the community to speak out about the prosecutor's decision. The group will meet at the corner of State Street and Cherry St in downtown Olympia at 6:00 p.m. Thursday evening. 

“This event is solely for amplifying the voices of black people in this community. We are asking that individuals who identify as black or African-American and feel comfortable addressing crowds please come prepared to speak up.

“Others are invited and encouraged to come participate, and must understand that their role in supporting us is to LISTEN,” says the notice.

Ad Hoc Committee on Police and Community Relations

The next meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee on Police and Community Relations will be September 9, 5:00 p.m., with the location still to be announced.

The city is off to a poor start in terms of transparency and bringing the public along in the process of this group.

As of this writing, the city website page for the Ad Hoc Committee still lists the August 26 meeting, its first meeting, and does not yet mention the September 9 meeting, nor is it listed on the city calendar. It is listed on the city’s meeting schedule at https://olympia.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

The meeting date was mentioned by Mayor Stephen Buxbaum in his council report at Tuesday night’s council meeting.

The group’s second meeting was actually scheduled for September 2, but postponed. The upcoming meeting is a work session for the committee to decide on a future schedule and community outreach techniques. 

Yesterday, Little Hollywood requested the city email addresses for the committee members, which are not yet listed on the city website. On August 18, Mayor Buxbaum said that individual committee members would have city email addresses.

Today, Kandace Johnson, secretary for the Olympia Police Department, and staff to the committee wrote: 

“….I have had other requests regarding the committee member emails and I am looking into whether I can release that or not and will get back to you.  This is the central inbox for the committee and any information sent here will be distributed to the committee members.”

For now, the email address for public comment and reaching committee members is PCR@ci.olympia.wa.us

For past articles about the Olympia Police Department, the shooting of Bryson Chaplin and Andre Thompson, body cameras, and the Ad Hoc Committee on Police and Community Relations, go to Little Hollywood, www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com, and type key words into the search engine.