Sanctuary city proposal to council could be casualty of Thursday's attacks

The main goal of Thursday's May Day rally was "to try to convince the City Council to pass a resolution making our city a sanctuary city for war resisters and undocumented workers," according to an e-mail to council members Monday.

But several council members say they won't consider the resolution, one day after the May Day rally became violent on the streets of Olympia, when some participants broke windows on two downtown banks and six people were arrested.

Olympia resident Joshua Simpson, who sent the e-mail with the proposed resolution, said he planned to bring a group of people to Tuesday's City Council meeting to speak in favor of the measure. He said he hopes people will consider the resolution on its merits and not be distracted by Thursday's violence.

"I'm not accountable for, like, what a few individuals decide to do," Simpson said. The e-mail also was signed by Katie Olejnik and File Bohmer.

Olejnik e-mailed The Olympian a statement on behalf of those who prepared the proposed resolution.

The statement read, in part: "We hope that the Olympia City Council and the general public base their decisions regarding the Olympia Sanctuary City Proposal on the proposal itself and not the actions of a small number of people who had nothing to do with the drafting or organizing of the proposal itself."

Several city leaders said they won't consider the resolution. "I have no intention of taking up that resolution next week in any way, shape or form," Councilman Joe Hyer said. "A statement was made to us yesterday, and we must respond somehow."

The resolution would place 11 new requirements on the city, the main points being:

• Olympia police would not execute federal warrants for war deserters or use Olympia money to imprison them.

• No Olympia employee would question anybody's immigration status, or assist federal authorities in raids of "undocumented immigrants." City money could not be used to detain them.

• Employees would avoid the terms "illegal" and "alien" and instead use the terms "undocumented" and "non-U.S. citizen."

Hyer said Olympia authorities aren't searching out illegal immigrants and doesn't have jurisdiction to seek out AWOL soldiers.

Mayor Doug Mah agreed. "It implies a problem that does not exist regarding the conduct of the city and it focuses on national police matters subsequently out of scope for the city and City Council," he said.

"In addition to that, I believe that some aspects of what they are seeking are contrary to state and federal law."

Councilwoman Joan Machlis also said she wouldn't support the resolution.

"I don't believe that that's our role as a city," she said.

Councilman Jeff Kingsbury said he doesn't oppose the resolution, but it isn't a priority for him.

Simpson, a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, said he was not the main organizer of Thursday's rally. That is Sam Green, whose name appears on the state-issued permit for using the state-owned Sylvester Park.

In a brief statement Friday, Green said he obtained the proper permits from the state for using Sylvester Park and the Capitol steps. He added that he gave Olympia police the march route in advance. Green declined to discuss Thursday's vandalism and violence, but he said of the disturbances: "I can tell you it wasn't planned."

Simpson said it was "specifically stated the march would be peaceful and family friendly." He said the vandalism was not part of the march. But when asked if he disagreed with the violent actions, he said, "It's a tough question for me."

Councilwoman Rhenda Strub, who is considering the ordinance, said that's not good enough.

"I want to know if they will renounce violent action and condemn the people who perpetrated violence in the midst of their protest, and if they won't, then I don't want anything to do with it," she said.