A police shooting that still echoes in Olympia

One year after an Olympia police officer shot two young men he believed would assault him with skateboards, our community has moved forward from the controversy. Importantly, Olympia has not turned its back on the events of May 21, 2015.

As in many shootings across the country that have inflamed worry and anger about racism, the Olympia officer was white; the two suspects were black. In this case, the shootings ended a confrontation that had begun as a reported theft of beer from the local Safeway.

The rough facts suggested something went drastically awry.

Investigations by outside police agencies found no criminal wrongdoing by Officer Ryan Donald. An internal investigation later cleared Donald of policy violations. And Thurston County prosecutors filed assault charges against the two young men, one of whose injuries have required him to use a wheelchair. Both men are awaiting trial.

Some questions raised in the early days after the shootings have kept warm like coals and have helped nudge our city, its police force and activists to seek changes — and to spur better relations between police and the community, including racial minorities.

The jury is out on some issues. But we see progress and hope.

Police Chief Ronnie Roberts won support from the Olympia City Council to pay for about $235,000 of training for officers this year, plus another $70,000 for ongoing training programs starting in 2017. It was advocacy by the Black Alliance of Thurston County that helped Roberts finally secure City Council funding.

The training, now under way, includes work to help police better deal with confrontations, including facing suspects who are mentally ill and sometimes acting out in unruly ways. Other training is meant to counter any subtle biases that might crop up as officers deal with suspects — or even crime victims or others they meet on the street — who are of a different race or cultural background.

It is worth noting that Roberts has long wanted to provide training that moves his police department forward. He has been working to ensure his police agency is one that uses force sparingly and effectively when necessary and enjoys high community trust.

The Black Alliance — which has been reinvigorated under the leadership of Karen Johnson, Thelma Jackson and others — also championed a bill to change state laws governing officer shootings.

Currently state law requires evidence of an officer’s malice before criminal charges may be brought against him. The bill passed by the Legislature (House Bill 2908) doesn’t change that law, but it sets up a task force to study the use of force by police agencies statewide. The task force may recommend changes in the law for consideration in 2017.

Before his term ended as mayor, Stephen Buxbaum began a public discussion about police-community relations and the option of equipping officers with body-worn video cameras. The purchase and operation of cameras could require a new tax source to pay the cost; a careful city discussion still needs to happen.

One year later, we also want to see more facts emerge about the shootings. We have not yet heard from the two young men whose actions and decisions contributed to the confrontations and shootings. Whether that occurs at trial remains to be seen.

We also want to see a careful review of the state use-of-force law, which appears too broadly written. The law should balance the safety needs of police and the public.

Olympia’s experience over the past year should serve as a guide to how people with differences can work together.

This story was originally published May 21, 2016 at 2:39 PM with the headline "A police shooting that still echoes in Olympia."