No curfew for Olympia. Mayor asks citizens to self-police as city braces for more protests

Olympia Mayor Cheryl Selby said Friday the city will not impose a curfew and asked citizens to self-police, saying she expects outside groups may instigate violence in Olympia Friday night.

Selby called a news conference at 10 a.m. and began by speaking about George Floyd and his role in history.

“Every day since his murder, our country has shaken,” Selby said. “Convulsing between fear, rage, and nausea. We should feel sick. Those of us who hold the most microphones in our communities should feel nauseous.”

Olympia, she said, is “not without sin in this matter.”

“We are a predominantly white community next to communities that are far more diverse,” Selby said. “That tells us that we are not, we have not been as welcoming and nurturing to communities of color as we’d like to think. The light switched on in America by Mr. Floyd’s murder shines glaringly on Olympia, as well.

“Let me be clear: The City of Olympia supports the peaceful protests that highlight the racial injustices black people continue to endure at the hands of police in the United States.”

Demonstrations sparked by George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis began in Olympia last Saturday, with a vigil and march to the Capitol. They’ve continued each night since.

A protest Sunday night escalated and ended in 13 arrests, according to Olympia police, after protesters allegedly threw rocks and bottles at officers and officers used flash bangs and pepper balls to disperse the crowd. Monday saw peaceful protests, with two merging and a late-night escalation. That night also ended with bottles and rocks thrown at City Hall and officers, then police deploying pepper balls, flash bangs, and CS gas. Three people were arrested.

Tuesday, The Olympian reported that Interim Police Chief Aaron Jelcick was recommending the city implement a curfew, after peaceful demonstrations became violent two nights in a row. City Manager Jay Burney released a statement the same day saying the city doesn’t want to impose a curfew and asking for the community’s help.

“If you are part of a peaceful protest, we hope you will tell those who will use your peaceful message as a cover for destruction to stop. If you are organizing a peaceful protest, send a strong message that violence and violent behavior will not be tolerated,” part of Burney’s statement reads.

Events here in response to Floyd’s death — even those that have escalated after nightfall — have been largely peaceful gatherings centered on expressions of anger and frustration with injustice and urges for reform. People filled the lawn around Heritage Park Fountain and the surrounding area for the largest local event yet on Tuesday, listening to speakers, holding signs, and chanting.

At one point, those gathered at the fountain kneeled to observe an eight-minute moment of silence. George Floyd died after a white Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds, according to news accounts citing a criminal complaint against the officer.

Mayor Selby on Friday thanked the community for answering the city’s call and asked people once again to self-police, saying the city believes there’s a risk of violence Friday evening. She said the city advised downtown business owners to board up their windows — many of whom had done so.

“Now we need to call on our community again: We have information about additional protests, planned for tonight. We’re hearing that organizers of this protest are calling on people from outside Olympia to come to our city for one purpose: to incite violence, destruction, and wreak as much havoc on our community as they can,” Selby said.

In response to a reporter’s question, she said the group she’s referring to is the Salish Sea Black Autonomists, a group whose Twitter biography reads, “All black network of Insurrectionary Anarchists/Autonomists/AntiState Communists struggling for liberation.”

“Our message to those from outside our community that want to exploit the legitimate protests this week and replace it with their own agenda: Please stay home,” Selby said. “And I’m asking our community to shun the violent interlopers, and instead show them your unity, purpose, and peace.”

A group of people lining the designated media area at Selby’s news conference had a different issue in mind: They wanted the city to address people who’ve been bringing firearms to demonstrations.

One man in particular interjected throughout the time set aside for reporters to ask questions, yelling “Why can’t you ban open carry?” and “You’re going to get people killed, they have guns on street corners,” saying the people bringing guns are threatening protesters and calling the mayor a “coward.”

The event did not include a public comment period and the mayor did not answer the attendees’ questions directly, with an exception: When one attendee asked whether it’s true that “white supremacists have permits for this weekend,” Selby quickly said that rumor was false.

She and City Manager Burney took questions regarding the presence of guns at the demonstrations from reporters, and Burney approached the group of citizens for a conversation after the event ended.

In response to a reporter’s question regarding what people should do if they encounter people who are armed, Burney said, “If you have concerns about those folks, you should call 911.”

While talking to the attendees after the event, Burney said people cannot be arrested for carrying weapons and that the city can’t ban open-carrying. The answer didn’t satisfy the people yelling during the press conference.

When asked what would satisfy the question that’s still within legal bounds, one person told The Olympian ”Why do we have a mayor, why do we have police if they’re not going to do anything about racist white supremacists coming into this community and threatening the people who live in it?”

Another said, “They could at least meet armed people who show up in our community with the same amount of numbers and vigilance as they meet peaceful protesters, at the very least.”

The people in attendance declined to give their names to The Olympian and other media.

Reached by phone, Olympia Police Lt. Paul Lower told The Olympian Friday that, at every protest this week, police have seen people armed with “a variety of weaponry” among the crowds. That’s partially why police wear riot gear, he said, at what many people experience as peaceful protests.

“We have the responsibility to protect everyone’s civil rights,” Lower said.

This story was originally published June 5, 2020 at 2:12 PM.