(WSB photo)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Steps away from the sun-splashed grounds of West Seattle Summer Fest, more than 60 people devoted the heart of their Sunday afternoon to a topic that was anything but festive.

They were invited by West Seattle Indivisible to the Center for Active Living‘s upstairs hall for what was billed as a half-hour with Mayor Bruce Harrell answering questions about the city’s response to the federal operation aimed at deporting thousands of immigrants. He instead spent more than an hour and a quarter talking with the group, mostly in Q&A, though he said he was unable to answer some questions because he didn’t expect a large crowd and hadn’t brought an entourage of assistants/cabinet members/etc..

The 66-year-old mayor – who is running for a second term – opened by acknowledging most of those in the crowd appeared to be close to his age, calling them “seasoned” and declaring, “We are unapologetically patriots.” Then he proclaimed, “What we are seeing now is one of the most offensive gestures against human rights that we’ve ever witnessed.”

He said multiple times during his appearance that at both local and national levels. discussions continue regarding “what SHOULD we do?” as well as what is possible. He mentioned a pamphlet that “talks about our values (as) a human-rights city … the 14th Amendment says, due process for all persons, not just for all citizens.”

He veered into personal territory, with the story of his Japanese-American mother’s internment resulting in him growing up “in a household where my mom said, ‘don’t trust the government’.” Then he went back to the aforementioned pamphlet, which he said contained advice such as the right not to open your door, the right to stay silent, the right not to sign anything.

The city government is dealing with federal demands too, Harrell said. observing that “the judicial body is keeping us afloat right now.”

He also had advice for those who choose to participate in protests: “We have to be loud, we need to be organized,” but also, protesters, Harrell said, should be aware they too are being watched, and that they may be infiltrated by “disruptors” whose sole intent is to cause trouble and who “are not dressed like you … but carry signs with what we believe in.” He mused that “there has to be a reason for” the federal administration’s attack on human rights, including LGBTQ people’s rights; he suggested the attacks are rooted in “a vision for this country that’s not healthy and not right.”

Q&A began shortly thereafter. “Are we safe to protest on sidewalks?” Harrell said he wasn’t certain, but audience members quickly answered, “You can protest but you can’t obstruct!” The mayor then suggested maybe the city could print a list of protest do’s and don’ts.

Will Seattle Police collaborate with ICE and federal troops in any way? “No,” Harrell replied, to both. (One attendee later claimed SPD had “cooperate(d) with ICE” at a Federal Building event and that SPD let agents “drive away with kidnap victims in the back of a van”; Harrell said the incident in question is “being investigation” and he’s so far getting “mixed information.” It was also suggested that SPD officers are getting conflicting directives from the police union and Harrell said that is currently the subject of “active discussions.”)

What can police use against demonstrators? The mayor referred to the recent filing seeking to end the federal consent decree, and said he is “confident I have the right people,” including newly confirmed Police Chief Shon Barnes, making decisions.

“What are you and SPD doing to keep people from being taken by masked agents?” This led to a somewhat contentious exchange. The mayor said he’s on record as opposed to agents being masked, “but we are not allowed to interfere” and they don’t get advanced intel on “how they are going to raid, who they are going to raid. We can’t stop an officer when we don’t know what they are going to do.”

“What about when you’re not sure who they are?” That was a reference to operations in multiple states – including one recently in White Center – in which the agents wore masks and vests simply marked POLICE, and traveled in unmarked vehicles. Questioners wanted to know how known authorities – like SPD – could even know for sure that these are authorized federal agents. “To impersonate an officer is a crime,” Harrell noted, and then suggested people call 911 if they suspect impersonation is happening. One person then asked bluntly, “Will you investigate before or after a person is taken?”

Harrell got a bit defensive as this line of questioning went on, saying he had a directive “to protect people from these illegal unauthorized ICE raids” but also acknowledging they may not know who’s “authorized” and who’s not: “Our officers are not going to get into fisticuffs with a federal agent” but suggesting that “police will come between (unverified agents and prospective detainees) to make sure a crime is not being committed.”

How can police verify that agents really are ICE? Harrell said there’s no policy/procedure on that yet because these operations involving masked, generically dressed people are a recent phenomenon. He added that “no mayor in the entire country has this figured out, this is uncharted territory” but says his administration is working on it, as are other mayors (noting that he had spoken to the mayors of Nashville and Portland the day before).

Asked about Lewis County in southwestern Washington expressly declaring itself “not a sanctuary county,” Harrell observed that “we are a welcoming state so I don’t think that’s consistent with state policy” but went on to caution that he has “84 square miles in the city to protect” and doesn’t “have the bandwidth to go out to Lewis County.”

The remainder of the questioning focused largely on what concerned people can and/or should do to help with the immigration situation. (Take “rapid response” training, one attendee suggested; WSI is offering that July 31.) The mayor said he’ll meet with deputy mayor Greg Wong “to develop an answer,” adding that he was inspired by “the energy in this room” but insisted that he’s been “focusing on the people (who’ve been) getting arrested, not the politics.” To that end, he noted, “this isn’t the only thing I have to worry about” from the federal administration – the “big bill,” cybersecurity, “lack of regulations in the AI space…I apologize if I don’t know every answer to every question but …it’s not a great time to be a mayor of a blue city, trust me, we are a big target for them.”

In conclusion, he noted again that he had shown up without an entourage – “I came here a little vulnerable, frankly” – but promised that he would fulfill the “marching orders” presented to him during the Q&A: “The biggest is to come back and strategize what we can do together.”