Building a stronger, more just & transparent democracy
Building a stronger, more just & transparent democracy
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Sen. John Lovick describes himself as a Black man with brown skin who wore a blue uniform for a combined 37 years as a former state trooper and Snohomish County Sheriff. "Not everybody understands that I've been on both sides of the badge. And I've been at both ends of the barrel," Lovick, a Democrat from Mill Creek, said. "And I let people know that I'm Black, I'm brown, and I'm blue." Lovick spent 31 years as a Washington State Trooper, served nine years in the House of...
Washington remains 51st in the nation for police officers per capita, and one answer to that problem might be allowing officers to work part-time. SB 5424, sponsored by Sen. John Lovick, D-Mill Creek, awaits the governor's signature. "The idea behind these flexible work schedules is...intended to increase the diversity in Washington law enforcement," Lovick said. "To increase the presence of female officers and to retain senior officers who have a lot of value to provide but...
Some property crimes now can be classed as hate crimes if they are racially motivated or if they target other marginalized communities. Sen. Andy Billig, D-Spokane, said he was motivated to press for changes in what can be classed as a hate crime when vandals attacked a gay pride display in Spokane that shocked the community. “The pride sidewalks in Spokane were defaced in a coordinated attack last October with paint poured on them,” Billig recalled. He said police began pursuing the incident as a hate crime but were shocked...
When a student at Seattle's Ingraham High School was shot and killed two years ago, an investigation revealed the gun used in the crime was stolen. Now, advocates from that community are speaking out and asking that more be done to curb the use of stolen firearms. "It was not safely stored, and its theft was reported three weeks late by the owner," said Carol Butterfield, former Parent Teacher Association President for Ingraham High School." Butterfield said authorities...
New rules that give police more leeway to engage in high-speed pursuits were approved by the Legislature and will become law June 5, 2024. “As you know, the people of the state are suffering, increasing rates of crime, property, crime, violent crime,” said Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen. “When I talked to cops and sheriff's deputies, they told me the one thing more than anything else that we need is the ability to chase bad people.” In 2021, the Legislature approved a measure that restricted police. Under that standard, vehicul...
Undocumented individuals are now a small step away from pursuing careers in nursing, dentistry, architecture, psychology, and much more under a bill now waiting for the governor's signature. Careers like these monitored by the Department of Licensing were previously denied on the basis of citizenship status. HB1889 allows undocumented individuals to apply for these licenses using their Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, in place of a Social Security Number. The bill wa...
When Sen. Noel Frame, D-Seattle, learned how Jehovah’s Witness elders in Spokane had covered up child sexual abuse for years, she looked to the law for answers. Frame found that, under Washington State law, clergy members have no responsibility to report what they suspect to be child abuse. Washington is one of five states that has yet to change this rule. Frame says she experienced abuse as a child, and it was only once after her teacher, a “mandatory reporter,” said somethin...
A citizen initiative aimed at giving police wider discretion on when they engage in high-speed pursuits was forwarded to the Legislature on Jan. 11. Secretary of State Steve Hobbs notified the Legislature petitions for Initiative 2113 meet all legal requirements. Initiative 2113 backers want to amend a law on police pursuit that passed in 2021, which requires officers to have "probable cause" instead of "reasonable suspicion" to engage in pursuits. Critics say that measure...
Public safety should be a top priority for this year's legislative session, Gov. Jay Inslee and bipartisan state legislators said on the eve of the 2024 legislative session. "We need additional officers on the street," Inslee told reporters. "And to help local police forces find their additional officers, I'm proposing a $10 million grant program." Washington State ranks 50th in the nation for the number of law enforcement officers per capita, Inslee and legislators...
Testifying before lawmakers, Mina Hashemi recounted how three years ago she was shocked to see that the condom she had explicitly asked for during sex had been removed. "I felt deeply violated," Hashemi said. "While I was lucky not to get an STI or pregnant, there are many stories of women who did. Stealthing is a very specific type of sexual violence that does not neatly fit within existing definitions of sexual assault in Washington. We must close the loophole on assault." "Stealthing" refers to tampering with or removing...
Nearly four years after Manuel Ellis, a 33-year-old Black man from Tacoma, died during arrest while being hogtied, the practice that killed him is one step closer to being illegal in Washington. Hogtying refers to the tactic where handcuffed wrists are tied to a suspect's ankles. This practice can contort bodies into a position where they are at risk for suffocation. A medical examiner on Ellis' case ruled his cause of death as lack of oxygen. In 2021, defense attorneys argued...
To curb traffic fatalities, lawmakers are proposing reducing the legal limit for driving while intoxicated. SB 5002 amends the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) for driving a motor vehicle from .08% to .05%. Typically, consuming less than one standard drink per hour maintains most individuals' BAC below .05%. Former state trooper and primary sponsor Sen. John Lovick, D-Mill Creek, who previously served as a sergeant with a DUI emphasis patrol, called on the Legislature...
Taking cues from California, there's a push to lighten up on jaywalking fines-a move that hits the headlines for its impact on both the homeless community and Black pedestrians. In Washington state, Black pedestrians are stopped by police at a rate four times higher than the general population. Forty-One percent of those ticketed for jaywalking in the state are homeless. Jaywalking is considered a non-criminal traffic violation, carrying an average fee of around $70. In 2023...
Following the concerns over police brutality in 2020, Gov. Jay Inslee directed the Attorney General’s office to form an Office of Independent Investigations to take on cases of death by law enforcement officers. Now Rep. Monica Stonier, D-Vancouver, is building on that effort with HB 1579, which gives the Attorney General’s Office authority to handle the prosecution of police officers in addition to ordering investigations. The primary goal is to avoid conflicts of interest at the county prosecutor level. Local pro...
Twenty women sporting wedding gowns and lustrous veils, with chains around their wrists and tape over their mouths, gathered in protest of Washington State law that allows children to be married if they have permission from their parents. A bill now being debated in the state Legislature, HB 1455, would end child marriage in Washington State. Between 2000 and 2021, 5,048 children were married in Washington, 83% of these involving girls wed to adult men, according to a study by...
By Mary Murphy and Aspen Anderson Washington State Journal It was still dark outside when people with MAGA hats and anti-Trump signs gathered outside the entrance of the Thurston County Courthouse Jan. 18. A court filing that would push former President Donald Trump off the primary ballot in Washington State was the issue that drew them. Alexis Wallace showed up early displaying a cardboard sign that read, "What happened to: "Our democracy?" Ha Ha Ha." Wallace is a precinct...
Amanda Knox, the Seattle resident who spent nearly four years in an Italian prison for a murder she did not commit, offered heartfelt testimony Jan. 8 in favor of a bill that would prevent law enforcement officers from using deception during interrogations. "I was interrogated overnight by police officers who claimed to have evidence against me, who claimed that there were witnesses who could place me at the crime scene," Knox said. "They lied to me. I did not know they could...
COLFAX - Washington State University (WSU) President Kirk Schulz, also current chairman of the PAC-12 board, and WSU athletic director Pat Chun were in Colfax Monday, Sept. 11, to listen to a hearing from Whitman County Judge Gary Libey, as he granted both WSU and Oregon State University (OSU) a temporary restraining order against the PAC-12 conference. The restraining order granted will prevent the conference from meeting, or attempting to meet, until further notice. To read...
SOUTH BEND - Pacific County is a co-plaintiff in a lawsuit against the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) filed on Aug. 23 by 22 counties in Pierce County Superior Court. The lawsuit aims to stop the agency from discontinuing services to defendants when charges are dropped. The lawsuit centers on Western State Hospital (WSH) in Lakewood and Eastern State Hospital in Medical Lake, both of which DSHS operates. The hospitals are tasked with...
Pasado’s Safe Haven, an animal sanctuary and rescue organization in the Pacific Northwest, is partnering with People for Animal Care and Kindness and Team Okanogan Animal Rescue to increase the reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for a string of dog killings in the Yakima Valley. The total reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or people involved in these killings is now $10,000; the reward was previously set at $1,000 in April. Since March 2023, local law enforcement p...
After Gov. Jay Inslee signed a new bill related to pet insurance into law in April, Washington residents can expect more protection and less confusion, according to a news release from Washington state Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler. According to the news release, Senate Bill 5319 was based on model legislation from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and requires insurers to disclose information about coverage. The bill also establishes training and...
Police may pursue suspects that pose long-term serious risk to others under revisions of a more restrictive 2022 vehicle chase law that has now passed both houses of this year’s Legislature. Engrossed Senate Bill 5352 was introduced by Sen. John Lovick, D-Mill Creek. “I’m a Black man from birth, my skin tone is brown, but I wore the blue uniform proudly for 31 years as a state trooper,” he said. “I know there are fears out there, but I think legislation like this can bring our community together and help our law enforceme...
A state task force on missing indigenous women, created in 2021, will be extended at least two more years if a Senate-passed bill is approved by the House and governor. The bill, Senate Bill 5477, sponsored by Sen. Nikki Torres, R-Pasco, would implement recommendations identified in the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People Task Force. “Crimes against Indigenous people, especially women, and children, have continued to plague our state and our nation,” said Torres. “Despite making up only 2% of our popul...
The manufacture, distribution and sale of any assault weapon would be prohibited by legislation passed by the state House of Representatives and now in the Senate. “There has been a dramatic shift in the public, I think there’s been a shift in the legislature,” said Sen. Andy Billig, D-Spokane. “I think this bill has momentum and will have a good chance to pass.” Substitute House Bill 1240 was introduced by Rep. Strom Peterson, D-Edmonds. Assault weapons are defined very specifically in the bill as particular brands an...
Installing automated vehicle speed cameras and other measures to improve highway safety were approved in separate bills by the state Senate Feb.23. “Speed kills. Our work zones have lower posted speeds for very good reasons. This helps to prevent collisions with slower-moving work vehicles and helps to protect workers who are often outside of their vehicles,” said Mark McKechnie from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission testifying in support of ESSB 5272. There were 28 fatalities in work zones in the past three years. Abo...
Victims of domestic violence will get more protection under a package of bills now moving through the state Legislature. Rep. Lauren Davis, D-Shoreline, is sponsoring House Bill 1715. The bill challenges the idea that domestic violence victims need to go into hiding and it holds the abusers accountable, she said. The law would initiate statewide requirements for electronic monitoring with victim notification, it changes the process that requires surrendering firearms and it creates provisions under which a domestic violence v...
Ashley Bonus said she began her fight against impaired driving after her sister, Stacy Gammons-Ankerfelt, died in an accident in 2012. Now, she wants a new law that lowers the blood alcohol level needed to sustain an impaired driving conviction. “I work hard to make a change for my sister. I would never want any other family to feel the pain we feel every day. So, I work really hard just to make any change I can,” Bonus said. Bonus, now a volunteer with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), testified recently in support of Su...
Stalking is stalking, whether it is in person or online, and they will be treated as identical crimes if a bill presented in the Legislature is adopted. Under current law, a person commits the crime of stalking if they repeatedly follow someone with the intent to intimidate and harass. “Unfortunately, scholarly literature indicates that law enforcement has a tendency to downplay the behavior because the individual acts of stalking are not typically criminal on their own and do not appear threatening to someone who doesn't u...
The war against the use of illegal fentanyl will get some extra help in the future from drug sniffing dogs trained to detect the substance. That’s the intent of House Bill 1635, introduced by Rep. Gina Mosbrucker, R-Goldendale. The bill instructs the Criminal Justice Training Commission to develop model standards for training the police dogs. Fentanyl is used illegally for intense but short-term highs and temporary feelings of euphoria, but can cause fainting, seizures and sometimes even death. Mosbrucker said the fentanyl e...
Victims and witnesses who track perpetrators in prison to know when they are released will be able to keep their identities private, if a bill that passed the Senate with broad bipartisan support becomes law. “This bill creates a safer environment for the victims and survivors, and they are not placed again in harm’s way because of a public records request,” said T’wina Nobles, D-Fircrest. The Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) provides a tracking program for victims and witnesses so they can know when the per...
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle and Gov. Jay Inslee say they are backing a package of new laws aimed at protecting workers, pedestrians and commuters. New bills would include reducing the blood alcohol concentration limit for operating a vehicle when driving, imposing more restrictions on high-risk drivers and requiring a skills course for young and older drivers. Amber Weilert, a mother from Parkland, described how her son was struck and killed in a crosswalk while...
Washington State employers will receive tools against retaliation from states with anti-abortion laws if a bill presented in the Senate is passed. Senate Bill 5260, by Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Des Moines, is one of five reproductive rights bills presented to the Senate on Jan. 24. “I thought perhaps Washington State should try and create a safe harbor for the companies in our state who are trying to help their employees in anti-abortion states,” Keiser said. Keiser said she worked on SB 5260 because she has seen states like Flo...
Mary Le Nguyen stood in front of a group of 70 abortion-rights activists on the Capitol steps for a "reproductive freedom rally" in early January and she shared her personal story of being a survivor of sexual abuse. "This is not about power shifting from here to here. I want people to like us to have the power," Nguyen said, as she protested with Pro-Choice Washington. "I want us all to be more powerful, but that means we need to slow down together and see that reproductive...
People who change their names to hide from their abusers should be afforded more privacy. That, at least, is the conclusion Maia Xiao came to after a transgender friend committed suicide after being harassed online despite a name change. Her friend’s “deadname,” the name used before transitioning, was discovered since it was a public record under Washington state law. “Even if she knew she was in a dangerous situation, she could not have changed her name privately because of our law,” Xiao said. Under consideration now is Se...
Four dogs sat in a House hearing room and two more watched the room over Zoom as a legislative committee discussed rules dog handlers must follow in courthouses for dogs to assist people who are providing testimony, including youth with disabilities. "I can't say how amazing these dogs are when something bad has happened to your kids, my kids. Really, they're our kids. All these kids belong to us," said Ellen O'Neill-Stephens, founder of the Courthouse Dogs Foundation. "To be...
A rash of recent public records requests has led to some tough conversations on how the city of Woodland will handle what some councilors have denounced as nothing more than a taxpayer burden. During its Sept. 6 meeting, the Woodland City Council discussed options on how to handle a significant increase on the number of public records requests relating to the city’s operations. A letter dated Aug. 16 was mailed out to thousands of Woodland residents alerting them of a request asking for copies of all utility bills issued o...
Attorney General Bob Ferguson has filed a civil rights lawsuit against Ostrom Mushroom Farms in Sunnyside on Wednesday, August 17. Ferguson's lawsuit, filed at the Yakima County Superior Court, asserts that Ostrom discriminated against its workers on the basis of gender, citizenship and immigration status, in violation of the Washington Law Against Discrimination. "The evidence my team uncovered is clear," Ferguson said. "Ostrom discriminated against female farmworkers and...
A candidate for Clark County auditor has filed a lawsuit against current Auditor Greg Kimsey over the inclusion of nonpartisan races with two or fewer candidates on the August primary ballot. On July 21, Brett Simpson announced he filed the suit in Clark County Superior Court against Kimsey, Clark County Elections Supervisor Cathie Garber, and the county as a whole. The suit intends to prevent the county from counting votes in the primary election for the auditor's race,...
The U.S. Supreme Court's 6-3 decision to reject Smuggler's Inn owner Bob Boule's lawsuit against a U.S. Border Patrol agent further protects federal law enforcement officials from facing damages for violating constitutional rights. In the June 8 opinion, justice Clarence Thomas reversed the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision to uphold Boule's Fourth Amendment excessive-force claim and First Amendment retaliation claim, saying courts were not authorized to assess...
The U.S. Supreme Court reversed the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision to uphold Smuggler's Inn owner Bob Boule's Fourth Amendment excessive-force claim and First Amendment retaliation claim against a U.S. Border Patrol agent in a June 8 decision. The opinion, written by justice Clarence Thomas, said the court's past cases have made clear that a cause of action – right to sue – is a job for Congress, not the courts, except in the most unusual circumstances. The Con...
In March, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill into law that would create a statewide alert system for missing Indigenous people. It was the first of its kind to be put in place across the nation. Nisqually Tribal Council member Chaynannah Squally was in attendance at the singing event at the Tulalip Tribe's Resort Casino. Squally said the event was beautiful and marked one of her first big events as a councilwoman for the tribe. "After the bill was signed and Gov. Inslee...
The Grand Coulee Dam School District will offer $16,000 to a man who filed a lawsuit against them regarding a public records request, and who has reportedly made around a million dollars over the years with similar lawsuits against small school districts, towns, hospital districts and other such agencies. The GCDSD board of directors on Monday approved offering the settlement to Eric Hood, who filed suit in February of 2022 saying that the school district had not provided all documents related to a public records request he...
