Artesian park protesters appear in court on assault charges

Two people arrested in connection with a Saturday protest at the closed Artesian Commons Park in downtown Olympia appeared in Thurston County Superior Court Monday afternoon.

Both were arrested on suspicion of third-degree assault. Between 50 and 100 protesters occupied the park Saturday afternoon to protest the city’s recent decision to close the park. The city closed it after staff were threatened.

Bail was set at $1,000 for Cuong That Ton, 59, who allegedly threw a flashlight at a police officer during the protest. Commissioner Nathan Kortokrax also ordered that Ton must not go within 500 feet of Artesian Commons Park and have no contact with co-defendant Grace S. Blaylock, 19.

Blaylock was released on her own recognizance, largely because she has no prior criminal history. Blaylock is accused of spitting on an officer. She also must not go within 500 feet of the commons and have no contact with Ton.

Both are set to be arraigned Oct. 9.

About 1 p.m. Saturday, the protesters removed the unsecured fencing in the park, entered the property, and began hanging streamers and coloring with chalk, Olympia Police Lt. Sam Costello said Sunday.

The fence now is locked, Costello said.

Costello said the group occupied the park for about 60 to 90 minutes before police arrived to usher them out of the closed park.

Officers used crowd-control devices, such as pepper balls and concussion grenades — sometimes referred to as a “flash bang” — to disperse the crowd, he said.

The crowd spilled onto Fourth Avenue at Jefferson Street, delaying traffic through downtown, he said. The crowd dispersed about 6 p.m.

There was no additional attempt to occupy the park overnight or reports of vandalism downtown, Costello said.

This story was originally published September 24, 2018 at 5:04 PM.