Category Archives: Local

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

Health and Lifestyle, Local, National

988 rolls out as national suicide and crisis lifeline number

[OLYMPIA, Wash.] – MTN – You can now dial 988 in the United States for assistance with: thoughts of suicide, Mental health crises, substance use crises, or any other kind of emotional distress.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted the new, nationwide, easy-to-remember, three-digit number in 2020. As of July 16, 2022, people experiencing a mental health crisis, or those worried about a loved one going through a crisis, can call, text, or chat 988 via cell phone, landline, or voice-over-internet device and be connected to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The current NSPL number (1-800-273-TALK (8255)) will continue to be in service; the new three-digit number is intended to be easier to remember and access in times of crisis.

Depending on which area code communication to 988 is made from, the connection will be routed to one of three designated crisis call center hubs. This is the newest addition to the state’s network of crisis care providers and doesn’t replace existing centers.

Washington is one of 21 states that have passed legislation linked to the launch of the new 988 system. Only two other states have joined Washington in legislating a funding source for the services in their states. Washington established a telcom tax as part of House Bill 1477 (E2SHB 1477), which also outlines standards, rules, oversight, integration, follow-up, and accountability.

Ultimately, the 988 system is designed to expand mobile crisis response teams, including trained mental health professionals, to respond to individuals around the state. Sponsors of the bill have voiced their hope that such teams can eliminate the need for armed law enforcement to respond. However, there are still times that activation of an EMS or law enforcement response may be necessary, such as in the case of an active suicide attempt.

Additionally, part of the legislation requires health insurance providers within the state to establish, by January 1, 2023, a system making next-day appointments available to their enrollees with urgent, symptomatic behavioral health conditions. Further, a Crisis Response Improvement Strategy Committee has been established to develop recommendations to the governor’s office and legislature to support additional needs as identified and outlined in HB 1477.

If you or someone you care for needs resources for mental health crises, suicidal thoughts, substance use crises, or other emotional distress, the below services are always available.

Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988

Veteran’s Crisis Line: Call 988, then press 1, or text 838255

Teen Link: 1.866.TEENLINK (833.6546)

The Trevor Project: 1.866.488.7386

Local

One of Tuba Man’s 2008 attackers is back in court after fleeing Seattle police, naked

[SEATTLE, Wash.] – (MTN) Billy G. Chambers, convicted of the crime that resulted in Edward McMichael’s death, appeared in court on July 15 on a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm after he ran from a Seattle area hospital emergency room naked. He is being held in King County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.

On October 25, 2008, Edward “Tuba Man” McMichael, a famous and beloved street musician, was mugged and beaten, later dying from a head injury caused by the attack. Chambers, along with two juvenile codefendants, pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Chambers served only three months in the juvenile system when the court refused to try any of the attackers as adults.

Since McMichael’s death, Chambers has been convicted of five felonies, including a conviction for illegal possession of a firearm back in 2013, for which he was sentenced to six years in prison and three years of supervised release.

This latest incident occurred on the afternoon of July 14. Seattle police responded to a call of gunfire near 27th Avenue and East Spring Street. When officers arrived, they discovered spent casings from multiple firearms. Witnesses reported multiple cars had fled the scene, including a red BMW.

Moments later, a report of a collision between a Fiat and a red BMW with multiple bullet holes around 17th Avenue and East Madison Street came in. A witness reported the driver of the BMW had complained of being shot but left in a different vehicle that arrived after the collision.

Police tracked the driver to Swedish Hospital and questioned him there. Once they identified him as Billy Chambers and discovered a Department of Corrections arrest warrant for an escape related to a robbery case, they reviewed the video of the collision. The footage showed Chambers running into a nearby alley, where he stopped to toss several items into the bushes. A search of the area turned up a partially loaded, privately manufactured polymer 9mm handgun and a bloody Ruger .40 caliber handgun.

Durring the investigation, Chambers fled from officers wearing only a hospital gown. While attempting to escape, he discarded the gown and ran naked until he tried to hide in a garbage can. A passerby flagged down officers to report a naked man running down the street, leading the officers to Chambers’ hiding place.

Chambers was taken to Harborview Medical Center for a mental health assessment and then taken into custody by the Seattle Police.

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.

Breaking News, Health and Lifestyle, Local

COVID Variant BA.5 is Becoming the New Dominate Strain in Washington

[KIRKLAND, Wash.] – (MTN) Health officials and epidemiologists are sounding the alarm about the latest COVID variants, BA.4 and BA.5, spreading across the United States and quietly driving up hospitalizations at an alarming rate.

COVID BA.5, and its close cousin BA.4, not only share mutations with the highly infectious original Omicron strain but has some of the mutations that caused the Delta variant to attack the deep lung tissues and additional adaptations that escape an immune response, including memory T cells. Data out of South Africa for BA.4 showed the R0, a measure of how easily a contagious disease can spread, was 18.6, with a real-world R0 of 10.0 to 12.0.

Previous variants including the original Omicron strains required 15 to 60 minutes of close contact to build up a viral load to cause an infection. The new strains, which represent 40% of new cases in Washington state according to the University of Washington Virology Lab, can be passed along through casual contact. Although masks are not required by regulations anywhere in the United States, healthcare professionals are urging people to mask up again. Including those who had previous infections and the vaccinated.

The current vaccinations are based on the original strain of COVID, which has since mutated tens of thousands of times, producing five major waves that swept the planet. Alpha, Delta, Omicron, Omicron BA 2.12.1, which caused a spike of new cases in Washington in late May and June, and now Omicron BA.5. Each mutation has adapted to bypass our immune systems and therapeutics. COVID variant-specific boosters are expected to be available in the fall.

It is a common belief that viruses always get weaker when they evolve, but that isn’t true. COVID, SARS, and MERS are all part of the coronavirus family which includes the common cold. SARS has a mortality rate of 1% to 2% while MERS, which evolved from SARS, has a mortality rate as high as 40%. While a common cold could be equated to a lazy housecat, COVID is closer to a male lion and MERS would be akin to a pack of starving lions. Cats and lions are felines – a scratch from a cat hurts while a scratch from a lion can kill. COVID lies between SARS and MERS.

The ability to spread easily isn’t the only evolution in BA.5 that has the medical community so worried, pre-print studies show it can evade all forms of previous immunity. Many people who had never caught COVID fell ill in May and early June, with a spike in BA.2.12.1 cases. Before BA.5 became the new dominant strain, a recent infection offered on average five months of enhanced immunity, but BA.5 is infecting people who had COVID just weeks earlier. Although other strains could evade front-line defenses, memory T cells weren’t fooled. Many who had previous infections or are vaccinated had mild symptoms that didn’t require seeing a doctor or hospitalizations. Data indicates that isn’t the case for BA.5, which can slip past the secondary immune response.

In Washington, new case rates are similar to the end of December, when the Omicron surge brought regional hospitals to their knees a few weeks later. Experts believe the case rate is much higher due to widely available home tests which go unreported, the end of COVID testing for international travel, and most employers dropping frequent COVID testing requirements. Fewer mild and asymptomatic cases are being captured. In San Francisco, wastewater data shows that COVID-19 has quietly spread at a faster rate than earlier spikes.

According to the Washington State Department of Health, area hospitals are already strained, in a situation eerily similar to December 2021. Statewide only 8% of acute care beds and 10% of ICU beds are available. Twelve percent of acute care patients have COVID, while ICU occupancy remains at a manageable 7%. A common question is if someone is hospitalized “with” COVID or “due” to COVID, but the point doesn’t matter. A patient that has COVID has to be treated differently and requires more attention, which saps already thin medical resources.

So far, the number of patients on ventilators remains far lower than in previous waves. While immunity to prevent symptomatic infection has declined significantly, protection from severe COVID symptoms appears to be holding.

As with previous waves, people 18 to 34 have the highest case rate while those 65 and older have the highest hospitalization rate. Officially, only three counties in Washington don’t have a “high transmission rate” for COVID.

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.

BIPOC, LGBTQIA, Local, National

Two Men Connected to White Nationalist Hate Group Charged with Vandalism in Olympia

[Olympia, Wash.] – MTN – The City of Olympia Prosecutor’s Office has announced charges against two men in connection to the October 16, 2021, vandalization of the “Respect and Love Olympia” mural that fronted the former Griswold’s Building on 4th Avenue in downtown Olympia.

Colton Michael Brown, 23, of Ravensdale, and Spencer Simpson, 20, of Ellensburg, have been charged with a misdemeanor crime of Aiding and Abetting Graffiti. The pair are accused of defacing the rainbow mural and community statement against hate. Brown is the Pacific Northwest Network Director of Patriot Front, which has been recognized by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a white nationalist hate group. Simpson is also a member.

The Olympia Police Department has been investigating the crime and made use of community information and open-source social media and websites to help identify those involved in the vandalism. This led to the charges against the two men.

Patriot Front began in late 2017 as a splinter group of the violent fascist organization Vanguard America, which fractured after it was tied to Charlottesville car attack murderer James Alex Fields. Its 22-year-old leader, Thomas Rousseau, lives in the group’s current headquarters in Haslet, Texas, where he leads the Neo-Nazi organization.

The group Unicorn Riot released video, audio, and pictures in January 2022 after a data leak exposed 400GB of data about Patriot Front. The information suggests that Brown goes by the name “John WA” in his online presence and in communications to other Patriot Front members.

This isn’t the first brush with the law for the duo, who were among 31 members of the hate group arrested in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho on June 11, charged with conspiracy to riot, a misdemeanor. Prosecutors allege the group planned to force confrontations at a gay pride event in the lakeside Idaho panhandle community.

The plan was foiled when a person alerted police after they saw the group loading up into the back of a U-Haul truck like, “a little army,” according to local officials. Area police stopped the U-Haul truck within sight of the festival. During the search of the suspects and the box truck, police found smoke grenades, shields, batons, and other tactical gear.

Patriot Front members were active in Kirkland from 2018 to 2021. Social media users first started sharing images of flyers posted across the city in October 2018. In 2019, members tossed flyers in plastic baggies with a rock as added weight into residents’ driveways in the Highlands neighborhood. Stencils and stickers appeared sporadically through early 2021. No one was ever identified or charged in any of those incidents.

Photo Credit – Social Media User – Members of Patriot Front left flyers in Kirkland driveways in January 2019
Photo Credit – Social Media User – October 2018 Patriot Front flyer attached to a light pole using the Nazi-era slogan, “blood and soil” on recruitment posters placed in Kirkland, Washington

“I appreciate the work of the investigators, and the community members who stepped forward to assist in the investigation,” said Olympia Police Chief Rich Allen. “Acts like these have no place in Olympia. We will always investigate these kinds of incidents, and we will always work to hold those responsible to account in a court of law.”

Brown and Simpson will be arraigned on their charges on July 13, 2022, at 8 a.m. in Olympia Municipal Court. The work of identifying others involved in the vandalism is ongoing. After Olympia, the pair are expected to be in court in Idaho on August 22, 2022, to face their conspiracy charges.

BIPOC, Local

Charleena Lyles Inquest Concludes Seattle Police Officers Used ‘Reasonable Force’

[SEATTLE, Wash.] – (MTN) After weeks of testimony, the jury considering the evidence presented during the Charleena Lyles inquest concluded after 20 hours of deliberation, Seattle Police Officers used “reasonable force” and were left with no other options beyond lethal force.

Lyle’s grandfather exploded in anger after the verdict was read, and was escorted from the courtroom.

The jurors had to use the legal standard for evaluating user of force police conduct that existed in 2017, which required the finding of “malice” or “evil intent.” In 2019, Washington state law was changed to remove the requirement. Jurors were asked to consider more than 100 questions, including if the officers’ actions were done with “malice.”

On June 17, 2017, Charleena Lyles called 911 to report a burglary. Seattle Police officers had been to her apartment two weeks earlier and knew she was in a mental health crisis. Jason Anderson and Steven McNew were the responding officers and neither had less-lethal options with them. Officer Anderson had stopped carrying his department-provided taser a few days earlier and McNew was not certified to carry one.

Officers enter the apartment, and despite knowing that Lyles was having mental health issues, did not ask her to put away some knives that were on the kitchen counter. During the interaction, the inquest determined that Lyles had grabbed one of the knives and would not comply with the officers’ orders. The inquest found that Lyles threatened Anderson and McNew with deadly force, leaving them no other option due to the tight quarters of the apartment, and not carrying less-lethal weapons. They fired their service weapons seven times, striking Lyles, who was pregnant, multiple times. Lyles died at the scene and her death was witnessed by two of her four children.

In 2018, Office Anderson was suspended for two days after a Seattle Office of Police Accountability investigation determined he had violated department policy but not having his taser. The OPA finds determined that the incident may have turned out differently if Anderson had a less-lethal option available.

Lyles’s family filed a $10 million lawsuit against the city of Seattle in 2020. The lawsuit was dismissed, but reinstated on appeal in 2021. The case was set to go to trial in February, but the family and the City of Seattle reached a $3.5 million settlement in November 2021.

King County Prosecutor Dan Sattenberg said that his office would review the evidence presented during the inquest and make a final determination on whether criminal charges will be filed. Because the pre-2019 standard of proving “malice” or “evil intent” is a requirement to secure a conviction, it is unlikely criminal charges will move forward.

Health and Lifestyle, Local

Omicron COVID Variant Keeps Evolving, Transmission Rates Increasing in Washington

[OLYMPIA, Wash.] – (MTN) Using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) updated criteria for measuring the impact of COVID in a region, 15 Washington counties currently have high community levels of COVID-19. In March, the CDC changed the criteria for defining low, medium, and high to a formula that evaluates new cases, new hospital admissions, and the percent of in-patient staffed beds treating COVID-infected patients.

The University of Washington Virology Lab reported on Monday that test positivity was 15.4% from an Independence Day holiday reduced sample set. The rapidly evolving Omicron variant of COVID has eliminated the tidal waves of new cases that came in spikes every four to six months to a steady but controllable flood.

On November 28, 2021, the first Omicron cases were detected in Washington. A series of superspreader events over the weekend of December 4 in southwestern Washington spread new Omicron cases to 14 counties in less than ten days. By mid-January, Washington hospitals were on the precipice of moving to crisis standards of care.

The Omicron BA.2 variant was detected at the end of January and less than two months later had replaced the original Omicron strain accounting for 84% of new cases. However, on June 12, BA.2 was down to 17% of new cases. The BA.2 variant was replaced with the highly transmissible vaccine and prior immunity resistant BA.2.12 strain, which is already being replaced by BA.5.

Omicron BA.5 is a very vaccine and prior infection immunity resistant variant with similar genetic mutations to the Delta strain. The original vaccines remain effective at preventing hospitalization and severe illness but are offering diminished protection from catching COVID. Prior COVID infections, even from Omicron strains, provide little immunity to the new strains, especially BA.5.

Although the number of people infected by COVID is increasing, the number of deaths remains low due to many people’s broad baseline immunity. Researchers are still trying to understand the impact of long-COVID, defined as experiencing COVID systems or COVID-related complications more than 21 days after infection. It is estimated that 20% to 33% of people infected by coronavirus experience long-COVID. Symptoms can range from “COVID toe,” the loss of taste and smell, to debilitating migraines, joint pain, and fatigue.

Fifteen counties in Washington are feeling the sting from high community transmission of coronavirus, new hospital admissions, and the percentage of hospitalized patients with COVID. Asotin, Chelan, Clallam, Columbia, Douglas, Ferry, Grant, Grays Harbor, Lewis, Lincoln, Pacific, Pierce, Spokane, Thurston, and Walla Walla Counties have been advised to take increased protective measures, including wearing masks indoors.

King County didn’t make the list, but 4,900 people are being tested for COVID daily, and 20.2% of those tests return positive. The figure is artificially high compared to last year when home testing wasn’t widely available, and international travel required a negative PCR test. Additionally, many employers require repeated negative PCR tests in some job fields. Today, most PCR tests are only given to people suspected of having symptomatic COVID and to frontline healthcare workers with recent close exposure.

More troublesome is daily new hospital admissions for COVID cases have climbed to 25 a day in King County, a 54% increase from last week. Hospitalizations are a lagging indicator, spiking two to four weeks after a new case surge.

Many area hospitals are once again at or over capacity. A combination of acute staffing shortages, a return to everyday life, increasing accidents and work-related injuries, and hundreds of patients who can’t be released from the hospital because there aren’t enough transitional and long-term care facilities, has created a perfect storm. The bump in new COVID cases is adding to the problem.

COVID transmission remains low in outdoor, open-air settings. A driver of the increasing number of new COVID cases and hospitalizations has been the region’s cool and wet non-existent spring, keeping people indoors and windows closed. Even with the first days of summer here, the high temperature in Seattle struggled to reach 58 degrees on July 3rd.

While BA.5 is on track to become the next dominant strain in Washington, a new strain is already taking over on the other side of the planet. Omicron BA 2.75 was sequenced in India and is rapidly spreading across the region.