Protesters gather outside Lewis County Courthouse to support Yvonne McDonald’s niece
Protesters gathered outside of Lewis County Superior Court in Chehalis Friday morning to demand Justice for Yvonne McDonald, an Olympia woman whose death two years ago prompted numerous protests and a lawsuit against Thurston County by her niece, Taulana Reed.
The protest began at 8:30 a.m. when McDonald’s niece and other family members entered the courthouse. They came to oppose a motion for dismissal of the lawsuit by Thurston County Prosecutor Jon Tunheim. That motion was continued, and the case will move forward, Reed said.
Reed is championing the “Justice for Yvonne McDonald” movement, which has been going on since her aunt’s death in 2018. Reed is suing Thurston County to get a copy of her aunt’s autopsy records, she said. The hearings on the case have been moved to Lewis County Superior Court to avoid conflicts of interest.
Reed has been requesting her aunt’s autopsy as well as other records, but the court has denied her requests.
“Not only do they deny me the records, they fail to disclose what reports they were withholding, how many pages they’re withholding, who authored the reports; they just said screw the public records act altogether,” Reed said.
Reed said she was not allowed to view the autopsy report despite being a blood relative of McDonald. Revised Code of Washington section 68.50.105 says only specific family members may obtain and examine any such report or record. McDonald’s sisters have received the autopsy report, but have not shared them, according to a post on the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney’s Facebook page.
The Olympian reported in 2019 that the coroner’s office had listed her cause of death as blunt force trauma to the abdomen, with complications from alcoholism. McDonald’s manner of death is listed as undetermined.
Protesters filled the courthouse parking lot in downtown Chehalis as a show of solidarity with McDonald’s family. The protest was peaceful, filled with chants like, “What’s her name? Yvonne McDonald!” and “No justice, no peace.”
When one protester told the crowd that they could not be heard inside the courtroom, the group began loudly cheering for minutes on end, as a way of showing how many eyes were on the court. Protesters carried signs with familiar Black Lives Matter phrases, some said “Justice for Yvonne,” and “Release her autopsy,” and some were directed at Thurston County officials.
Sarah Brown, the Washington state area coordinator for Amnesty International, was among the protesters. “I’m glad there’s a lot of supporters (here),” she said. “Wherever there is injustice, I will be there, and we are organizing protests (for Yvonne McDonald).”
After about two hours of chanting, Reed and other family members of McDonald emerged from the court and thanked everyone for coming.
Reed said “there’s momentum” behind the movement and she hopes it continues into the next court hearing, which is scheduled for July 10.
This story was originally published June 12, 2020 at 1:24 PM.