Artesian Commons not ready to reopen

Protesters who landed in jail over their weekend occupation of Olympia’s Artesian Commons had it coming.

The park was shuttered previously by the city because parks staff felt menaced by users of the paved recreation space along East Fourth Avenue.

Those park patrons who want to see the space reopen are entitled to that view.

At the same time, city parks staffers are entitled to work without risk or unusual fear of getting assaulted or injured on the job.

But, you ask: What about those who say they protested because the park is a community asset, which they were taking back for the community?

They need to play a role, too. Perhaps they can help commit to preserving the peace in the park space — in a way that others can enjoy it as much as they do.

We’ve long believed that free speech and protest are key rights we should defend as Americans, and civil disobedience against unjust government actions is fair play.

But, those who went into the fenced park area on Saturday and refused to leave were defying lawful orders.

With defiance – or civil disobedience – comes a price. That price is the risk that one may be arrested or detained for trespass, disorderly conduct or, depending on one’s actions, more serious charges such as assaulting an officer.

The Artesian Commons is a public area that still could play a role in our city. We’d like that as much as anyone.

Cantwell must debate — end of story

There is a lot of good that U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell has done in 18 years since her squeaker victory in 2000.

That is why the Democrat’s reluctance to commit to debates with her Republican challenger Susan Hutchison has been so frustrating to watch.

Cantwell now needs to stick with the 12:30 p.m. Oct. 8 date time she agreed to at Pacific Lutheran University near Tacoma. The same goes for a 7 p.m. Oct. 30 debate at Gonzaga University in Spokane.

Cantwell’s campaign agreed earlier in the summer to an Oct. 6 date then waffled, citing uncertainty in the U.S. Senate schedule, which is indeed uncertain.

The Washington State Debate Coalition is sponsoring the events which are planned for statewide rebroadcast on television. The coalition – which includes Seattle CityClub and numerous newspaper, radio and television outlets including The Olympian – agreed to the PLU date change within a day.

Though Hutchison faces a steeply uphill climb as an avid backer of President Trump in a state that rejected him handily, Cantwell owes voters a chance to see her in action.

Likewise, Hutchison deserves a chance to make her views known in a debate setting.

But voters are owed the most here. They should be able to see both candidates defend their campaign priorities, gauge candidates’ responses to questions and measure the two, side-by-side.

Often incumbents with a comfortable margin in polls are advised to play it close to the vest. In this case, Cantwell has been an intelligent voice on energy and natural resources issues.

But if Cantwell, a former state lawmaker and software executive, really wants a fourth six-year term, she needs to start looking like someone hungry enough to deserve it.

This story was originally published September 27, 2018 at 12:00 PM with the headline "Artesian Commons not ready to reopen."