Spokane leaders aim to quell misinformation and distrust after immigration protests
In a news release Friday, Mayor Lisa Brown said she and police Chief Kevin Hall have asked the city's police ombudsman to conduct a review to ensure law enforcement followed department policy when responding to demonstrators. Shortly after the mayor notified the public of the review, Hall also sent out a release elaborating on his prior statements about nonlethal crowd dispersion tools in an effort to "give a more complete picture" of the evening.
The protest started when two immigrants, who came to the U.S. legally after fleeing persecution in Venezuela and Colombia, were arrested outside of an ICE office in North Spokane. Police deployed foam bullets, bean bags, PepperBalls and smoke canisters to control agitators in the crowd, according to previous reporting from The Spokesman-Review, and some 30 people were arrested. The protest eventually made national news.
"The people of Spokane have placed their trust in the (Office of Police Ombuds) ability to be an independent voice of analysis and reason. Chief Hall and I share that trust and believe an independent review is a commonsense step to take during this important moment," Brown said.
The mayor asked for the ombudsman to review the response "given the high-profile nature of the demonstration" and "potential for misinformation and distrust," city spokesperson Erin Hut wrote in an email. Brown wants a complete and objective assessment of the response, Hut said.
"We exist to evaluate police response," Ombudsman Bart Logue said Friday. "I accepted the request and have already sent out requests for video and documentation. We want to do a good job."
The protest involved hundreds of demonstrators and officers. Logue expects this will take months to review. It's too early for him to weigh in on what was appropriate or wasn't appropriate, but he does believe a review of the event "in general" is necessary, given its size — 185 Spokane police officers and around 50 Spokane County Sheriff's Office deputies responded.
Once a review is completed, the ombudsman office will issue a report recommending any changes to department policy or training to fix potential response errors.
Hall, who was only appointed as Spokane's police chief last year, has made a strong effort to reform the department with data-driven police practices. The difference from the George Floyd protests of 2020 and the ICE protests now is seen mostly in the tear gas and looting of businesses; multiple injuries were reported following strikes of rubber bullets and bean bags, including that of a 13-year-old girl, and countless people inhaled tear gas instead of white smoke.
Hall said PepperBalls and smoke canisters were deployed Wednesday. On Friday, Hall said he learned during his ongoing review of the incident that bean bags and foam projectiles were also deployed.
"From the information we currently have, these tools were used in response to assaultive behavior. We are still reviewing the full context of these interactions, and unless new details come to light, the actions taken appear to align with our use-of-force guidelines," Hall wrote. "I want to acknowledge that I did not have this information available during Wednesday night's press conference. I shared what I knew at the time, and I regret not being able to give a more complete picture in that moment. I'm committed to correcting that now."
Although people at the protest reported they were hit with a rubber bullet, Hall maintains they were not used. Rubber bullets can break the skin and cause significant injury, like a bone fracture.
Saturday brings new caution for Spokane-area law enforcement, as a "No Kings" protest against President Donald Trump is planned as part of nationwide demonstrations. Another large gathering, the annual pride festival, is happening the same day.
Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels issued a statement ahead of Saturday's Pride Festival and protest urging demonstrators to remain lawful and not infringe upon each other's rights in public spaces. He added he hopes police response "will not be needed," but his office is prepared to respond if necessary.
"I hope we all have a safe weekend of celebrating Flag Day, Father's Day, and Pride. For those groups who want to express their opposition or support of political viewpoints and actions, there is room here for all of us," Nowels said in the statement. "Let's make sure the Spokane area is the example to the rest of the country on how diverse people and viewpoints can peacefully coexist."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump finally announces new tariff plan hours before deadline - but delays them yet again
The Trump administration announced its new trade policy and its tariff plan on Thursday, just hours before the August 1 trade deadline. On Thursday night, the Trump White House announced that a "universal" tariff for goods coming into U.S. will remain at 10 percent. That is the same level that President Donald Trump set during his "Liberation Day" even in early April when he first announced the tariffs. However, that 10 percent rate will only apply to countries with a trade surplus — in other words, countries to which the U.S,. exports more than it imports. A senior administration official told the Associated Press that most countries have trade surpluses with the U.S. The new tariff policy will not go into effect on Friday. Trump has delayed the tariffs for another week, until August 7, reportedly to give U.S. Customs and Border Protection time to make changes in how it policies incoming goods and to collect the new duties from imports.
Yahoo
4 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump orders tariffs on dozens of countries in push to reshape global trade
President Donald Trump ordered the reimposition of tariffs on dozens of trading partners Thursday -- his cornerstone strategy for reshaping global trade to benefit the US economy. However in a minor reprieve, the White House said the measures will take effect in a week, not this Friday as previously expected. The tariffs are a demonstration of raw economic power that Trump says will put US exporters in a stronger position while encouraging domestic manufacturing by keeping out foreign imports. But the muscular approach has raised fears of inflation and other economic fallout in the world's biggest economy. And with questions hanging over the effectiveness of bilateral trade deals already struck -- including by the European Union and Japan -- the outcome of Trump's plan remained uncertain. Trump's new measures in an executive order raised duties on dozens of economies up to a 41 percent rate. - Frantic negotiations - Most of these new tariff hikes were first announced in April when Trump slapped a minimum 10 percent levy on goods from almost every country in the world, citing unfair trade practices and US deficits. However, Washington then postponed implementation, amid frantic series of negotiations, alongside announcements of new duties and deals with some partners. Just Thursday, Trump announced he was delaying a tariff hike on products from the major US trading partner Mexico. The postponement by 90 days came after talks with his counterpart Claudia Sheinbaum. The 79-year-old Republican has made tariffs core to his protectionist brand of hard-right politics. On Thursday, he claimed that the US economy had "no chance of survival or success" without tariffs. But the latest salvo came amid legal challenges against Trump's use of emergency economic powers. On Thursday, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit heard arguments in cases brought against Trump's blanket tariffs targeting different countries. And questions linger over the effectiveness of Trump's grand plans, or even whether he will hold firm on his most drastic threats. While Trump has touted a surge in customs revenues since the start of the year, economists warn the duties could fuel inflation. Proponents of his policy argue that their impact will be one-off, but analysts are awaiting further economic data to gauge for more persistent effects. - China question mark - Among those who managed to strike deals with Washington were Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Korea and the European Union. Britain also reached a pact with the United States, although it was not originally targeted by higher "reciprocal" tariffs. Washington did not finalize a deal with neighboring Canada, but Trump reached agreement with Mexico to maintain an existing 25 percent duty on its products. Canada, however, was slapped with duties of 35 percent in the Trump executive order. An exemption for goods entering the country under a North American trade pact remained in place, according to the White House. But transshipped goods to evade the 35 percent duty would face even higher levels. Canada's trade relations with the United States came under renewed threat after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September. Notably excluded from the latest drama was China, which faces an August 12 deadline instead, when duties could bounce back to higher levels. Washington and Beijing had slapped tit-for-tat tariffs on each other's goods, bringing them to triple-digit levels before both countries reached agreement in May to temporarily lower these duties. The superpowers are now working towards extending their truce. bys-sms/ Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
4 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Office cleaner describes coming face-to-face with Manhattan shooting suspect
On Monday afternoon, Sebije Nelovic, a cleaner at 345 Park Avenue in Midtown, Manhattan, began her daily sweep of the glassy high-rise building where she has worked for 27 years. Two hours into her shift, as she was at work on the 33rd floor, came the sound of gunshots. In a lengthy statement shared by the 32BJ Service Employees International Union on Thursday, 65-year-old Nelovic described coming face-to-face with Shane Devon Tamura, the 27-year-old gunman who authorities say entered the office tower shortly before 6:30 p.m., armed with a high-powered AR-15-style rifle, and killed four people, including an off-duty New York City police officer. MORE: Manhattan mass shooting suspect Shane Tamura's Las Vegas activities investigated When Nelovic heard the sound of the gunshots on the 33rd floor, she said she left the office she was cleaning and turned the corner where she could see the glass door by the reception desk. "Suddenly, the glass door was shaking. It started falling down – boom. And this guy came in the middle of the door, and pointed his gun at me," she said in the statement. "He started shooting around me. I put my hands up and said, 'I'm a cleaning lady. I'm a cleaning lady.'" Then Nelovic ran, she said in the statement. She found a closet and locked herself inside. "I started praying," she said, as she heard the shooting continue. "He shot the door to the closet, and I was so scared." MORE: Manhattan shooting victims: NYPD officer, Blackstone executive among the 4 killed While hiding in the closet, Nelovic said she texted with her supervisor, but then, afraid that any noise could give away her position, she powered off her cellphone. For two to three long hours, she said she sat in silence and prayed. When the gunfire finally ceased, Nelovic said she thought about Julia Hyman, the 27-year-old associate at Rudin Management, who she knew was scheduled to be at her desk that evening on the 33rd floor. Later on Monday night, Nelovic returned to her Queens home, and surrounded by family, she turned on the television. "I had to see what happened and why," she said. "That's how I found out about Julia." Police said Hyman was the last person Kamura shot and killed before taking his own life. Investigators say they are continuing to look for a motive, but New York City Mayor Eric Adams said it appears Tamura, a former high school football player, was attempting to target the headquarters of the National Football League, located in the 345 Park Ave. building but took the wrong elevator and ended up in the 33rd-floor office of Rudin Management. In a note found in Tamura's pocket in the aftermath of the attack, the suspect claimed he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disease linked to repeated hits to the head, often seen in military veterans and athletes, including football players, hockey players and boxers, sources told ABC News. In the note, Tamura asked that his brain be studied, sources said. It remains unknown if Tamura suffered from CTE, which can't be diagnosed in a living person with certainty, though doctors may suspect it based on symptoms and a history of head trauma.
