Olympia City Council meeting interrupted as pair tries to deliver lawsuit to mayor

An Olympia City Council study session was interrupted Tuesday by two people who tried to serve the mayor with a lawsuit.

The council met for a study session on proposed zoning-related changes. About an hour into the two-hour meeting, a man and woman approached Mayor Cheryl Selby and tried to give her some papers, saying they were there on “behalf of the houseless.”

Selby said later it was a lawsuit against the city related to its ordinance banning people from sitting or lying on downtown streets, sidewalks and alleys during the day.

“There you go, you’re served, you’re served, ma’am,” the man said.

The council adjourned for a five-minute recess and council members started to walk out.

“As (Selby) got up, one of the individuals kind of shoved the (papers) at her, made contact with her,” Assistant City Manager Jay Burney said.

Police were called but made no arrests. Burney said the incident will be referred to prosecutors to determine if any charges will be filed.

“Just another night in Olympia,” Selby said after the recess.

Last year, the council considered a proposal to make disrupting a city meeting a misdemeanor offense. The proposal came after disruptions from anti-fracking protesters, people protesting gentrification and others.

In one instance, police were called after a physical altercation between a 20-year-old man and a 71-year-old man.

Critics of the plan to make such disruptions a misdemeanor called it undemocratic. The City Council opted not to vote on the ordinance.

Selby said Wednesday she wants to press charges related to Tuesday’s incident.

“I think at this point things have escalated, certainly in our nation, and we’re seeing locally that people feel very emboldened to behave in ways that are aggressive,” she said.

On May Day this year, masked protestors went to Selby’s house and left fliers that showed her with an arrow through her head. She said it was the first time an organized group had come to her house in protest.

This story was originally published August 15, 2018 at 1:30 PM.