Category Archives: BIPOC

BIPOC, Breaking News, National

President Joe Biden wipes $10K of student loan debt away for almost 43 million

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – (MTN) Fulfilling his campaign trail promise, President Joe Biden announced his student loan forgiveness plan early Wednesday afternoon.

President Biden forgave or canceled the expected $10,000 in federal student loans for those who make less than $125,000 a year or $250,000 for married couples and heads of households. According to the Education Department, the relief is capped at the amount of a borrower’s outstanding eligible debt. In his Tweet, the president also extended the payment pause on federal student loans for “one last and final time” through December 31, 2022. But in one surprising move, President Biden also canceled an additional $10,000 for recipients of Pell Grants.

According to higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz, at least 9 million Americans could have their balances entirely cleared by Biden’s plan. More than 40 million Americans are in debt after perusing higher education, accumulating about $1.7 trillion. Biden’s plan for student loan forgiveness will cost the federal government an estimated $300 billion but could prove to be less than that, as most debt is rarely paid in full. In 2019, about half of borrowers were in repayment. Roughly 10 million Americans, 1 in 5 student debt holders, were in delinquency or default. The rest had applied for temporary relief, including deferments and forbearances, and this was before the pandemic relief payment pause was put in place.

Loan forgiveness is expected to go into effect on January 1, 2023. The White House fact sheet, mentioned those who meet the income requirements could fill out a simple application. There currently isn’t a date for when the application will open, but you can subscribe for notification at the Department of Education subscription page.

This initative has been a long time in the making and will help millions of Americans tackle their debt.

BIPOC, National

Federal civil rights charges leveled against four Louisville cops in Breonna Taylor case

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – MTN After almost two years of radio silence on the Breonna Taylor case, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced four Louisville Metro police officers involved in the fatal 2020 no-knock warrant raid on Taylor’s apartment had been charged with violating her civil rights. The four officers charged were Detective Joshua Jaynes, Detective Kelly Goodlett, Sargent Kyle Meany, and Brett Hankinson.

Attorney General Garland said the Department of Justice alleges that the civil rights violations “resulted in Ms. Taylor’s death.” Late on Friday, detective Goodlett announced through their attorney they would be entering a guilty plea on one count of falsifying an affidavit.

The federal charges allege that members of the Place-Based Investigations unit falsified an affidavit used to obtain the search warrant of Ms. Taylor’s home,” Garland also mentioned that the search warrant was sought after, despite officers knowing they lacked probable cause for the search. The investigation into the conduct of the officers found Jaynes and Goodlett falsely claimed officers verified the target of the warrant had received packages with drugs at Taylor’s address.

Detective Goodlett, who was is a member of the Louisville police unit that investigated drug trafficking, and Meany, who supervised the unit, were charged with falsifying an affidavit. Detective Jaynes procured the warrant used in the search of 26-year-old Taylor’s apartment on March 13, 2020. Jaynes and Goodlett are accused of misleading FBI investigators who were looking into the deadly shooting. Former officer Hankison was charged with using excessive force while executing the search warrant in question in a separate indictment.

According to a statement given by Louisville police, Hankison was terminated from the department in June of 2020, and Jaynes was terminated in January 2021. The department also commented that they were looking to terminate Goodlett and Meany. A Louisville Police spokesperson announced on Thursday, “Today Chief Erika Shields began termination of Sgt. Kyle Meany and Officer Kelly Goodlett. While we must refer all questions about this federal investigation to the FBI, it is critical that any illegal or inappropriate actions by law enforcement be addressed comprehensively in order to continue our efforts to build police-community trust.”

Prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump gave a statement after the press conference, saying it has been a difficult two years since Taylor’s death. “Today was a huge step toward justice. We are grateful for the diligence and dedication of the FBI and the DOJ as they investigated what led to Breonna’s murder and what transpired afterward,” said Crump.

During the fatal early morning raid, officers opened fire, killing Taylor after her boyfriend, who believed an intruder was trying to break in, fired a gun at the door. Attorney General Garland reaffirmed that Taylor’s boyfriend had legally obtained the gun. After he fired and struck an officer, two officers proceeded to fire 22 shots into the apartment, one of which was the fatal blow that struck Taylor in the chest.”

The raid was meant to target Taylor’s ex-boyfriend, Jamarcus Glover, a convicted drug dealer who was not at the apartment. According to Glover, Taylor had no involvement in the drug trade. Garland clarified that the officers directly involved in the raid were unaware of the falsified statements in the search warrant affidavit.

Garland further clarified that Hankison was the sole officer charged with excessive use of force because after Taylor was shot, he moved from a doorway and fired 10 additional shots into a window and a sliding glass door that was covered with curtains. Hankinson was previously charged with endangering a couple and their 5-year-old son in a neighboring apartment on the night of the raid when. He was found not guilty on all accounts in March.

While Breonna Taylor’s death was a horrible tragedy and a prime example of the gaps in the U.S. law enforcement and justice systems, the officers involved will have to answer for their actions in federal court. “There are still so many families who are fighting and praying for justice and accountability in situations where their loved ones were wrongfully killed by the police.” Crump stated, “We need to stand with them, pray with them, and do whatever is possible for them.”

BIPOC, Breaking News, Local, National

Lynnwood man indicted for hate crime and interstate threats

[SEATTLE, Wash.] – A 37-year-old Lynnwood, Washington man was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury for a hate crime and four counts of interstate threats, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Joey David George will be arraigned on the indictment on August 11, 2022, in Seattle Federal Court. George remains detained at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac, Washington.

“By law, the decision to charge a hate crime is appropriately deliberate – with consultation and approval from DOJ’s Civil Rights Division in Washington DC,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “In this case, the hate-filled threats to kill, based on race, are fittingly being prosecuted as a hate crime.”

The probable cause court filing on July 21 outlined the alleged incidents. According to records filed in the case, on July 19 and 20, George allegedly telephoned a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, and threatened to shoot Black people in the store.

“On July 19, 2022, an individual called a Tops grocery store in Buffalo, New York. The caller, who identified himself as “Peter,” spoke with an employee at the store. The caller asked how many Black people were in the store. He said he would make the news if he shot and killed all of the Black people, including all of the women, children, and babies. He asked if the employee had cleared out the building. He said there was a chance he was already in the store or somewhere nearby. He said that if he did not see anyone at the store, he would travel to the Jefferson Tops store,” the court filing said.

The Tops Friendly Market store in Buffalo had reopened on July 14, two months after a racially motivated mass shooting left ten dead and three injured. In the second call, George allegedly ranted about a “race war.”  Law enforcement traced the phone number and identified George as the person who made the call. The second Tops location in Buffalo on Jefferson Avenue, had a grand reopening on July 16 after an extensive renovation.

In addition to the calls to Buffalo, George is charged in connection with a May 2022 call to a Shari’s Restaurant and Pies in San Bruno, California. In that call, George, using the pseudonym “Tony Sumorrah,” talked to a San Bruno, California police officer. George told the officer that he called Shari’s restaurant because “he wanted to attack Black people and strike fear into the Bay Area’s Black community. He stated Black people are not human but rather “sub-humans.” He said he was proud of his actions because he instilled fear in the employees and customers of the restaurant.”

The San Bruno police department obtained location data for the origination point of the call. The call was made from Lynnwood, Washington, using a T-Mobile-provided cellphone number with Joey George as the subscriber. T-Mobile confirmed the May 12 call to Shari’s came for George’s number and phone. In the eyes of the law, a restaurant is a place of public accommodation, which added the hate crime charge: Interference with a Federally Protected Activity.

Additionally, George is charged with making interstate threats to a business in Maryland, saying he intended to shoot Black people at the store.  The fourth count of the indictment charges him with making interstate threats to bomb a restaurant in Connecticut. 

On January 16, 2022, George threatened marijuana dispensaries in Seattle and Skyway. An employee answered the call, and the male caller asked if there were any Black employees at the business. The male caller stated that he carried a gun and would go to the business to shoot any Black people who were there at the time of his arrival. According to the dispensary, a similar threat was made to their Skyway location. T-Mobile records show the call to the Seattle business came from George’s cellphone. George is not facing charges for the January 2022 incident, and it is unclear if the Seattle Police Department was contacted about the threat and if they were if they initiated a case and performed an investigation.

George is facing up to 30 years in prison based on the five charges.

BIPOC, Local

Ferndale police officer charged with attempted child molestation

[WASHINGTON] – (MTN) – Michael Scott Langton, 46, a veteran officer with the Ferndale, Washington, Police Department, was arrested at his Blaine home around 9 p.m. on Tuesday July 26 on a charge of Criminal Attempt, Solicitation of a Minor. The charges were upgraded on Wednesday to Attempted Child Molestation 2nd Degree.

Langton was booked into Skagit County’s jail following his arrest. Information from the jail only indicates he is being held for another agency and does not list a bail status.

Because the charge involves a minor and is sensitive, the Bellingham police will not be releasing any further details at this time according to a city press release.

According to a report in the Bellingham Herald, Bellingham Police Lt. Chad Cristelli reported that his department received a call regarding Langton on July 26 and started an investigation. Cristelli did disclose that one victim has been identified, but the investigation is ongoing.

Whatcom County asked the Bellingham police to investigate to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest. However, this is not Langton’s first time being investigated.

The Alleged Oath Keepers Connection

In 2021 an anonymous hacker breached the Oath Keepers security and downloaded data, including emails, from 2020 and part of 2021. The hacker released the data to Distributed Denial of Secrets, a transparency organization, and much of the information ended up posted online.

BuzzFeed reported on the released data, and among the active military members and law enforcement employees who had sent inquiries about joining the Oath Keepers, the article cited a specific email from February 4, 2020, scarcely a week after three members of the Oath Keepers had been indicted for their part in the attempted insurrection at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2020. The email in question was from Scott Langton who identified himself as “a current Washington State Police Officer looking for information.”

The Buzzfeed article was published on October 1, 2021, and on October 4, Officer Langton was placed on paid administrative leave while the department and city investigated the incident.

Local community groups in Whatcom County, including the Riveters Collective and Connect Ferndale, advocated for transparency in the investigation. The request fell on deaf ears, and Langton was back on full duty by the end of October. The internal investigation concluded that no violation of law or department policy had taken place.

Local groups were disappointed with the outcome of the investigations into Langton, prompting Connect Ferndale and the Riveters Collective Justice System Committee to release statements calling for independent review, transparency, and policy improvement. They criticized the investigation for the inherent conflict of interest, having been performed by Langton’s colleagues, and the blatant disregard of the published department polices as relates to making contact with such groups.

Prior to the October 2021 investigation, the Riveters Collective Justice System Committee gathered information on police practices and published the data and their analysis. The project, titled Learn Why We Believe Public Safety Reform is Necessary, first appeared on their website in September of 2021. Multiple updates soon followed, and Langton turned out to be a focal point due to the statistically significant number of complaints against him.

Other Incidents Involving Officer Langton

The Riveters Collective Justice System Committee (JSC) looked at 52 complaint allegations dating from 2015 – 2020 for Ferndale Police officers employed at the time of their records request in January 2021. Their findings revealed that the department has sided with officers 94% of the time when the complaint came from a civilian. However, when a complaint started internally, 98% of allegations were either sustained or ruled founded. The name at the top of the list for most complaints was Langston’s.

From 2015 to 2021, Langton has 17 complaints on record. The officer with the next highest number has three.

Langton started with the Ferndale Police Department in August 2012, but prior to July 2021, when SB 5051 went into effect, complaint records at Ferndale PD, Bellingham PD, Blaine PD, and Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office were destroyed after six years. The earliest records available at the time dated back to 2015.

Most of the complaints against Langton alleged behavior described him as harassing, discriminatory, rude, insulting, or overly aggressive. Five complainants specifically identified the color of skin as the element that triggered Officer Langton’s behavior towards them.

Of the 17 complaints, 16 were internally investigated, and his colleagues deemed them “frivolous” or “did not occur.” The JSC report noted that at least one complaint acknowledged that Langton is known by many of the areas minorities as “the racist cop.”

Lawsuits

In February of 2020, Langton pulled over a female motorist that he alleged committed a traffic violation. Following his decision to cite her, he continued to detain her at the scene, in violation of federal law and the Fourth Amendment. The lawsuit alleged Langton purposefully delayed citing the woman for a traffic violation so he could have a police dog brought to search the woman’s car.

The case was moved out of Whatcom County Superior Court and into Federal Court in September of 2020. According to the Bellingham Herald, the case was settled out of court and dismissed on April 12.

In June of 2011, while Officer Langton worked for the city of Blaine, he was alleged to have used excessive force against a 54-year-old, legally blind man with limited mobility due to crushed vertebrae. During that encounter, which was initially a call for a verbal dispute between neighbors. Langton was alleged to have struck man, dragged him across a parking lot, and thrown him to the ground. That lawsuit was reportedly settled for $129,000.

There is some evidence that other incidents exist: A letter from 2013 references a lawsuit involving Langton and the City of Blaine. A 2011 court document described a witness report that they had to avert their eyes due to the rough treatment that Langton applied to a Blaine resident.

Partially due to previous policies around destroying records of complaints, there may be no further information available anymore, and advocacy groups think that’s part of the problem that needs to be addressed in Whatcom County.

Could Ferndale Have Intervened Before Things Went This Far?

It is unclear if Ferndale knew of Langton’s complaint history from Blaine. The Ferndale police policy does have a requirement for comprehensive screening, background investigation, and selection process, but it does recommend reviewing an officer’s complaint history.

Despite this, by October of 2021, when Langton’s email exchange with the Oath Keepers came to light, a third of all complaints against the Ferndale Police Department since 2015 were against Langston. Ferndale existing policies did not catch this outlier in their department, nor considered the significant number of complaints piling up against Langton in comparison to other officers on the force. Additionally, there is an apparent pattern of ignoring the work of community organizations and independent journalists that provided concrete evidence that Langston was violating already published internal policies.

The Present

On Tuesday, when Bellingham police arrested Langton at his home in Blaine, they contacted the Ferndale Police Department informing them of his charges. Officer Langton, who is still listed as an employee on the Ferndale Police Department website, has been placed on paid administrative leave. His annual salary is listed as $98,810 per year.

BIPOC, Five Facts, LGBTQIA, Local, National

Washington 3rd Congressional District primary candidate has alleged ties to white nationalism

Five Fast Facts

  1. Primary candidate Joe Kent (R-WA) who is challenging current Washington 3rd District congressperson Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA) has the support of the former President Donald Trump and connections to right-wing extremists and white nationalists
  2. Kent is a close political ally of Joey Gibson, founder of the Christian nationalist group Patriot Prayer
  3. Kent has spoken at extreme-right-wing events including the “Justice For J6” rally held near the U.S. Capitol on September 18, 2021.
  4. Nick Fuentes, neo-Nazi, pro-Putin, white nationalist, and white supremacist activist who gained a following after his involvement in the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, has said he and Joe Kent discussed working together last year
  5. A strategist for the Kent campaign released the statement: “Joe Kent’s platform of inclusive populism rejects racism and bigotry and invites all Americans to support his aggressive America First agenda”

WASHINGTON — A congressional candidate whose compelling personal story of military valor and unfathomable loss helped him win former President Donald Trump’s support has connections to right-wing extremists, including a campaign consultant who was a member of the Proud Boys.

Republican Joe Kent, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler in Washington state in the Aug. 2 primary, has also courted prominent white nationalists and posed recently for a photograph with a media personality who has previously described Adolf Hitler as a “complicated historical figure” who “many people misunderstand.”

You read more from the Kitsap Sun via MSN.

BIPOC, LGBTQIA, National

Congress moves to protect gay and interracial marriage post-Roe v. Wade decision

[Washington, D.C.] – MTN Last week, the House of Representatives passed the Respect for Marriage Act, legislation that would codify both same-sex and interracial marriage in a surprising bipartisan effort. If passed in the Senate, the bill would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. The 1996 Clinton-age law defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman. In light of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v Jackson and overturning Roe v Wade, critics have admonished the Biden Administration and the Democratic Party for their failure to codify Roe in the past 50 years. And many are wondering if the overturning of Roe will be the wake-up call the party needs.

How Did We Get Here?

After Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas released an independent concurring opinion where he suggested the court “reconsider” and “correct the errors” in Obergefell, Griswold, and Lawrence, House Democrats reintroduced the Respect for Marriage Act. Despite most viewing interracial and same-sex marriage as settled laws, some Republicans expressed an interest in not codifying the recognition of same-sex and interracial marriage.

Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) went on the record to say that while he feels the bill is unnecessary, but “…should it come to the Senate, I see no reason to oppose it.” The Supreme Court’s majority draft opinion on Dobbs leaked shortly before it overturned Roe v. Wade. In that month’s time, many were expecting the Biden Administration to step in with a solution. The White House elected to take no action. President Biden issued an executive order for abortion access and expansion under the protection of the 1987 Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) two weeks after the Supreme Court’s ruling. Vice President Kamala Harris’s comments after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade didn’t help the situation.

In a recent interview, Vice President Harris was asked if Democrats failed by not codifying Roe in the past 50 years.

“We should have rightly believed, but we certainly believed that certain issues are just settled,” she responded. While some legal issues are “settled,” as Ms. Harris puts it, strengthening those institutions by making them laws could have prevented the Supreme Court from even considering Roe v. Wade.

Overturning Roe and limiting abortion access has been a leading cause for the Republican Party for the past 50 years. The threat of a post-Roe world was a reality that lawmakers should have considered.

Will They Wake Up in Time?

The Democratic Party is a house divided against itself that struggles in deciding how to tackle its core issues: abortion, police reform, gun reform, minimum wage, and other core planks of the current platform. For example, the Women’s Health Protection Act, a bill that would codify the protections granted in Roe v Wade and Cassey, passed in the House in 2021, The bill failed to pass in the Senate when it was put to a vote after the Politico leak. The final vote, 49 -51, drew lines in the sand, especially with Senator Joe Manchin (D.W.V.), who joined Republicans in voted against passing the bill, despite previous claims that he would support a woman’s right to choose.

Senators Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema (R-AZ) have made a name for themselves in opposing much of Biden’s legislative agenda. Both senators are opposed to ending the filibuster, the one thing many people on both sides of the debate see as preventing the codification of Roe. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) endorsement of pro-abortion Democratic candidate Henry Cullelar, added to the mixed messages from Washington.

There is a considerable rift between the younger and older members of the Democratic Party. Studies show the younger generation tends to be more progressive while the older generation is more moderate. Progressives such as Congressperson Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) have proposed expanding the Supreme Court and for Congress to repeal the Hyde Amendment. Biden is against expanding the Court but formed a bipartisan commission to study potential changes to the Court when he was elected. Even if Democrats could do away with the filibuster, the Biden Administration is concerned that the Supreme Court would overturn any legislation passed in Congress.

BIPOC, Local

Monroe School District superintendent agrees to resign post after investigation

Five Fast Facts

  • Dr. Justin Blasko, hired as the executive director of human resources in 2010, was appointed superintendent of the Monroe School District northeast of Seattle in February 2020
  • The resignation comes after an independent investigation concluded that employee claims that Blasko’s behavior created a toxic work environment were mostly credible
  • The superintendent was placed on paid administrative leave last December following calls from teachers, parents, and students
  • Blasko will receive $400,000 in severance, representing one year’s compensation, including accumulated leave and benefits
  • The agreement centers on Blasko’s failure to stop racism and hate within the district

[MONROE, Wash.] – Monroe School District (MSD) Superintendent Dr. Justin Blasko will resign and receive nearly $400,000 after an investigation showed employee claims of his behavior creating a toxic work environment were mostly credible.

Under a settlement agreement, Blasko agreed to resign at the close of business on July 31 and that he won’t sue or seek a job with the district ever again. The settlement agreement was announced last week and was unanimously approved by the school board during a meeting Monday night…

You can read more at King 5.

BIPOC, Breaking News, Five Facts, Local

Family of 16-year-old shooting victim ready to sue City of Seattle

Five Fast Facts

  • Antonio Mays Jr. was shot and killed in the early morning hours of June 29, 2020
  • Mays Jr. had traveled to Seattle to be part of the new civil rights movement
  • The shooting occurred near the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) zone
  • The family claims the City of Seattle abandoned CHOP, failing to provide basic services, and that the lack of oversight ultimately led to the death
  • First responders cannot enter the scene of a violent crime without it first being secured by SPD, who claimed they were unable to do so due to the protests; Mays Jr. was transported to Harborview Medical Center by private vehicle from the scene

SEATTLE, Wash. – It’s been more than two years since Antonio Mays Jr. was shot and killed in Seattle. 

His father, who lives in southern California, says he waited to get answers for months. Now he’s fed up with a lack of information and accountability for his son’s death. Which led to a tort claim – essentially an early warning of a pending lawsuit – being filed against the City of Seattle…

You can read more at Q13Fox

BIPOC, Breaking News, Local, National

Man Who Allegedly Threatened U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal Released without Charges

[SEATTLE, Wash.] – (MTN) Brett Allen Forsell, 48, was released from King County Jail late on Wednesday without being criminally charged or having to post bond after the Seattle Police Department failed to file their findings of fact with King County Prosecutors for any alleged crime within the Constitutionally required 72 hours.

King County Prosecutors were expecting to receive the required paperwork from the SPD, but the paperwork was never submitted.

Within the Bill of Rights, the Fifth Amendment states, “No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury.” Two Supreme Court of the United States rulings, McNabb v. United States (1943) and Mallory v. United States (1957), created what many call the “72 hours rule.”

Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure Rule 5(a) states that defendants must be brought before the court “without delay,” which is defined as 48 to 72 hours. No time on Saturday, Sunday, or holidays counts toward the requirement to file charing papers with the court, and exceptions can be made if a judge isn’t available. In Washington, Rule 3.2.1 states, “Unless an information or indictment is filed or the affected person consents in writing or on the record in open court, an accused shall not be detained in jail or subjected to conditions of release for more than 72 hours.”

Forsell denies he threatened Jayapal, brandished a weapon, or made racist comments. SPD claims that a follow-up investigation supports the man’s version of events, but the investigation continues. Seattle Police did not respond at press time on why there was a discrepancy in the arresting officer’s report and the follow-up investigation.

The Seattle Police Department requested an extreme risk protection order be filed against Forsell, which will require him to give up all firearms prior to a review, typically 14 days after the court authorizes the protection order. Forsell’s weapons will be returned if the court determines that he isn’t an extreme risk. If Forsell does not show up for the hearing or the court determines he is an extreme risk, the order is automatically extended to one year.

Forsell admitted to police that he had been driving past Jayapal’s house multiple times over the week before his arrest, yelling obscenities and taunts.

King County Prosecutor’s Office spokesperson Casey McNerthey released a statement.

“The recent incident outside Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s Seattle home is disturbing and unacceptable. In a time of increased political violence, security concerns against any elected official should be taken seriously.”

“The suspect’s alleged language and actions, coupled with his possession of a concealed weapon, deserve the full attention of the justice system. Presently, the investigation is ongoing, and our office is working with police investigators to make sure we understand the full extent of the suspect’s actions to build the strongest case possible.”

On July 9, Seattle police reported they were called to Jayapal’s home after multiple reports of a person driving by her home and yelling obscene and racist statements. A neighbor also called 911 reporting that someone may have fired a “pellet gun,” displaying a weapon.

Forsell was arrested in the middle of the street, possessing a handgun within his waistband. A witness told investigators they heard Forsell yelling, “Go back to India,” and “I’m going to kill you,” driving by the congressperson’s house three times.

Jayapal is the first Indian-American woman elected to the House of Representatives and heads the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

BIPOC, Breaking News, Local, National

Seattle Man Arrested for Racist Death Threats Against Rep. Pramila Jayapal

[SEATTLE, Wash.] – (MTN) Brett Allen Forsell, 48, is being held in King County Jail until he can make $500,000 bail, for brandishing a handgun and making racist death threats outside the home of United States Congressperson Pramila Jayapal (WA-D).

Rep. Jayapal’s office released a statement about the incident on her website.

“Congresswoman Jayapal confirms that incidents occurred at her Seattle home on Saturday night when she was present. The Congresswoman and her family are safe and appreciate the many calls and good wishes she is receiving from constituents. She is very grateful for the swift and professional response from the Seattle Police Department, the US Capitol Police, and the FBI investigators who are working together diligently on the investigation, and ensuring that she and her family stay safe. Because this is an ongoing investigation, she will not be commenting further at this time.”

Seattle police reported they were called to Jayapal’s home on Saturday reporting a person was driving by the home, and yelling obscene and racist statements. A neighbor also called 911 reporting that someone may have fired a “pellet gun,” displaying a weapon.

Forsell was arrested in the middle of the street, possessing a handgun with it in his waistband. A witness told investigators they heard Forsell yelling, “Go back to India,” and “I’m going to kill you,” driving by the congressperson’s house three times.

Prosecutors asked for an emergency restraining order, but the motion was denied. The judge overseeing the initial hearing said there was “probable cause” for additional hate crime charges.

Jayapal is the first Indian-American woman elected to the House of Representatives and heads the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

The FBI and the United States Secret Service are also investigating. Formal charges are expected to be filed on Wednesday.