Deadly Force by Law Enforcement Bill Passes House

Above: Washington State Representative Cindy Ryu (D-32) sits in the House Floor Chamber just before 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning. The House convened at 9:00 a.m., but immediately adjourned to caucus. Ryu prime sponsored HB 2908 that would create a task force to review current laws, practices and policies regarding the use of deadly force by law enforcement. The bill passed out of the Washington State House of Representatives on Tuesday afternoon on a 98-0 vote. The bill now goes to the Senate.

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2908, which will create a task force to review current laws, practices and policies regarding the use of deadly force by law enforcement, passed out of the Washington State House of Representatives on Tuesday on a 98-0 vote.

The bill, sponsored by Representative Cindy Ryu (pronounced Ree-oo), (D-32), creates a joint legislative task force on the use of deadly force in community policing.

Parts of HB 2907, a bill written and promoted by the Black Alliance of Thurston County, were rolled into Ryu's bill on February 5 in the House Public Safety Committee. 

As the bill continued on its journey to the floor, amendments were added to refine the membership of the task force. As a result, representatives of the Northwest Immigration Rights Project, the Latino Civic Alliance, the Council of Metropolitan Police and Sheriffs, and liberty organizations were added.

“We are one step closer to creating a statewide culture that garners public trust, honors the role of law enforcement to justifiably maintain public safety, and creates accountability when they unnecessarily cross this line. We can only pray that our Senators value these same principles and pass this bill," said Dr. Karen A. Johnson, chair and co-founder of the Black Alliance of Thurston County.

ESHB 2908 will create a task force with a broad coalition including legislators, law enforcement, representatives from the criminal justice system, and members of advocacy organizations.

The task force will meet at least four times in 2016 and review current laws, practices and training programs regarding the use of deadly force, look at alternatives, and submit recommendations on what changes should be made to provide better protection for community members and law enforcement.

Speaking in support of the bill, Representative Brad Klippert, (R-8), thanked Representative Ryu, and law enforcement officers for their service.

“….I sincerely want to thank each and every one of my brothers and sisters who serve us in our communities and keep us safe….It's an extremely tough job that unless you've walked a mile in those shoes, you'll never understand the split-second decisions that they have to make over and over and over again. Obviously we always want to treat our citizens with fairness, with transparency, and with reasonableness….This is a good, reasonable bill….We want to have the best law enforcement agencies in the world right here in Washington State. I think we already have that, but if we can make it better, we want to do that….” said Klippert.

Representative Sam Hunt (D-22) extended his appreciation to the Black Alliance of Thurston County for all their efforts.

Tuesday was the last day bills could be heard in their house of origin. The bill now goes to the Senate.

Upcoming:

The Olympia Police Department and Black Alliance of Thurston County invites the community to gather on Wednesday, March 2 from 6:00 p.m. - 9 p.m. in the Commons at Capital High School, 2707 Conger Avenue NW, Olympia, to engage each other in conversation around institutional and structural racism.

“If you choose to attend, we will invite you to engage in conversations that create ownership, evoke commitment, value dissent, and treat each person as the gift they are. We will create awareness about what institutional and structural racism mean and, then, invite a few people to speak about their own experience, acting on the well-being of the whole community. You will be asked to engage in active listening as these brave souls tell their story. After the stories are told, we will invite you to contribute to conversations about the larger communal possibilities that have the potential to shift our collective experience,” said Karen Johnson in a press release.

Johnson recommends reading: http://madison365.com/index.php/2015/09/03/what-no-one-wants-to-talk-about-race-and-progressive-cities/

For more information about community conversations about racism, the Olympia Police Department, the Black Alliance of Thurston County, Karen Johnson, the City of Olympia’s Ad Hoc Committee on Police and Community Relations, body cameras, HB 2907 and HB 2908, go to Little Hollywood, www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com, and type key words into the search button.

Civility in Thurston County Conversations

Civility in Thurston County Conversations

By Janine Unsoeld
www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

The League of Women Voters, an organization that supports voter rights and voter education, is acting to address the increasing apparent lack of civility in various political processes. 

 

The Thurston County chapter of the League has chosen this topic for a series of upcoming discussions in hopes of generating new ideas about how we can all contribute to civility within our democratic processes.

The definition of “civility” that has been adopted for the League of Washington State is: “Being civil does not mean being silent.  It does not mean avoiding contentious public issues.  On the contrary, healthy disagreement is central to a robust, flourishing democracy. Civil dialogue strengthens policy.  Only by considering all sides is it possible for us to make progress while keeping everyone’s dignity and democratic rights intact.”

Civility discussion meetings will be held Wednesday, October 17, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m., at The Evergreen State College, Seminar Building II, A2107, and later that evening, October 17, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., at the Olympia Community Center, Room 200, 222 Columbia St. NW. 

 

A discussion meeting is also scheduled for the afternoon of October 16 in a League member's private home, and the home cannot accommodate a large group. Given the amount of interest already generated, a request was made by the League to just publish the location of the two Wednesday meetings.  

Cynthia Stewart, a local League board member, will facilitate the discussions.  In an interview today, Stewart expressed excitement in getting back to these in-person focus group conversations that the League used to sponsor in the 1960’s and 1970’s.

She will lead participants in discussions exploring the following questions:

1.      How important is civility to you in assuring that we continue to have a democracy?  How would you describe the degree of civility that you feel is important?  To what extent does the definition above describe your own attitudes about civility in democracy?

2.      How would you describe current national, state and local processes (e.g., campaigns and elections, legislative processes, regulatory processes, etc.) in terms of the extent to which they are conducted civilly?  What would you change, if you could?

3.      What are the boundaries of civility?  When is civil disobedience appropriate?  When is some other form of protest or engagement appropriate?  When are they inappropriate?

4.      To what extent does information or lack of information affect our ability to act and react civilly in our democracy?

 

5.      What could/should the League of Women Voters and individuals do to enhance civility in our democracy?

Stewart, a trained dispute resolution mediator, says she has learned that, when parties are in conflict, “the intensity of their anger is a reflection of the extent that they have needs that are not being met. It’s better to stop and ask what do they need and deliberate, acknowledge that, and try to address that need.”

In an effort to increase League membership and garner interest in a younger population, an intern from The Evergreen State College will work with the League starting in January to help with future focus groups and broaden membership.

The League of Women Voters is not just for women - it is open to men and women alike and tackles other topics such as health care, quality of government, education, transportation, and alternative energy. The League also researches and publishes detailed position papers on these topics.

Future focus group topics will be announced in the local League newsletter and on their web site each month. The League is also training moderators who can be available across the state to facilitate discussions of controversial topics. 

For more information and directions to meetings, go to the League web site, www.thurstonlwv.org

 

Above: Disputing ducks earlier this week in Olympia near Percival Landing. They worked it out.