Walla Walla Town Hall generates emotions, ideas

WALLA WALLA —The Walla Walla City Council’s second Town Hall held to address police policies and other issues in the region took place over Zoom on Thursday, July 23. Fifty-four individuals spoke, having previously signed up in advance for the opportunity. They were each given three minutes to speak, and as Mayor Tom Scribner said, the council “made no attempt to order the comments in any fashion.”

The remaining council members were also in attendance at the virtual gathering, as was the City Attorney, Tim Donaldson, and City Manager, Nabiel Shawa.

Mayor Scribner was an affable host, despite the eerie whistle and computerized echo that came through the video each time he spoke. Most speakers seemed well-prepared with pre-written commentary, but visuals of the speakers in a tiny corner at the top of the screen appeared only occasionally.

First up as a speaker was Lindsey Luna, a Walla Walla Black Lives Matter organizer. Luna commented on the lack of diversity amongst the police staff, urged the use of body and dash cameras, promoted the creation of a differential call response task force, and asked that councilmembers publicly condemn systemic racism and white supremacy. These issues, along with Officer Nat Small’s ‘Double S’ tattoo which resembles Nazi insignia, the Christopher Columbus and Marcus Whitman statues, the Police Department’s armored vehicle, and the Stop The Hate Rally were also commonly addressed topics for the evening.

Luna’s remark, “If we reallocate a portion of police funds to provide access and resources to drug addiction, behavioral health, education, mental health, housing, and employment to invest in our communities we’d build a happier, healthier community for all.” helped reframe the problematic term ‘defund the police’ which many commenters seemed to take literally.

Commenters typically stated their name and their residence, with most residing in the city of Walla Walla.

A lifelong resident and business owner credited Chief Bieber for the low crime rate and a reduced rate of gang activity, believing that the dramatic rise in construction and tourism the region has seen was thanks to the actions of the police department. Like this commenter, many equated reduced police funding to reduced police training and police equipment. “When you defund, you lose community presence, you lose response time, and quality of equipment,” one person said, effectively summarizing the beliefs of many commenters.

Other commenters felt it was possible to reduce the police budget while maintaining or increasing training.

The department’s Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Armored vehicle, which was given to the Emergency Services Unit SWAT Team by the Department of Defense, was brought up in a comment supportive of body and dash cams, with the commenter wondering, “If we can justify the expense a piece of equipment that by its very nature we don’t intend, or even want to use on a regular basis, why can’t we afford equipment (dash cams) that would substantially increase public confidence in our police?”

The cities of Portland and Seattle were mentioned more than a few times as places of lawlessness and rioting, and many commenters were also angry with Whitman College President Kathleen Murray for her decision not to allow the force to train on campus.

The statues of Marcus Whitman and Christopher Columbus also received quite a bit of attention, with one commenter referring to Columbus as “...a savage murderer, a rapist, and racist who literally started a genocide.” Another stated that the statue “is a symbol of oppression to thousands of people.”

A few commenters urged those who did not like the statues to take a different route so that they would not have to see them.

Many commenters felt that law enforcement officers in the area are doing a great job but have been getting unwarranted criticism and even abuse.

The issue of differential call response, sending authorities other than police for non-violent matters, seemed to be the idea that generated the most consensus. Chief Bieber’s question at the first town hall, “Why are we sending a highly trained, armed police officer with arrest powers to these calls?” prompted discussion.

Increased funding for social services, mental health, homelessness, drug counseling, and treatment were urged by many. Bieber’s statement that nearly 50 percent of the department’s calls fall into this category was brought up time and again.

Task forces, advisory groups, and citizens academies were all suggested or promoted as ways to reduce armed response, as was the Eugene, OR program CAHOOTS, which provides unarmed respondents to 911 calls that don’t pose a danger to others.

The final town hall in the series will take place virtually on August 13 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. with a discussion about possible action by the City Council.