A call for compassion at the ferry terminal
||| FROM ELISABETH BRITT, FIRE COMMISSIONER & ORCAS FERRY LANDING TERMINAL STAFF |||
On the morning of July 14th, I was assigned to manage vehicle boarding at our local ferry terminal—a task I had never performed before, and for which I received little formal training. By 8:50 AM, I found myself in the center of a volatile scene involving about twenty certified medical priority passengers, a crowd of frustrated reservation holders, and one woman who had been yelling at me continuously before using her vehicle to physically push me down the boat loading ramp.
Her claim? That she had a doctor’s appointment. But she was not a verified medical priority passenger. Her actions were not just aggressive, they were dangerous. I live with severe osteoporosis, a condition that makes any physical trauma potentially life-altering. A single fracture could cripple me for life. She only cared about herself.
After she drove her car into me, I stood on that ramp—shaken, humiliated, and crying. Not because I am fragile. But because I had just been endangered by the very community I serve.
That day was not a fluke. It was the product of policy strain, public impatience, and a lack of frontline protections. Washington State Ferries has reduced standby traffic to just 10%, leaving little margin to accommodate medical surges. Some days, we have 0% standby. Reservation holders denied access respond with verbal abuse, refusal to move their vehicles, and hostile behavior toward staff.
Let me be clear: we are not the enemy. We are your neighbors, your first responders, your public servants. We are the ones who—just one day earlier, on July 13th—helped a father whose five-year-old son was unresponsive in the back seat. I staged the vehicle in our emergency turnaround zone and called paramedics. Six emergency vehicles responded, and the child was airlifted to Seattle Children’s Hospital. That is what this job is about.
The woman who assaulted me claimed to be disabled. I do not question her needs—but I, too, live with a disability. And while she weaponized her frustration, I was quietly standing at the landing, serving Orcas Island.
Around 2:00 PM that same day, I loaded Governor Bob Ferguson, Transportation Secretary Julie Meredith, Assistant Secretary for Washington State Ferries Steve Nevey, and his Deputy John Vezina on the 2:20 PM ferry. After everything I experienced that morning—verbal abuse, physical assault, and emotional exhaustion—I was still there. Still serving. Still standing. That is what public service looks like.
But we cannot do it alone. We need training, support, and respect. We need policies that protect both passengers and staff. And most of all, we need our community to understand that anger is not a solution. Turning on the very people trying to help only deepens the crisis. WSF creates the rules and policy. We are expected to enforce them.
This is a call to action—not just for agencies, but for all of us. Let us rebuild trust. Let us prioritize safety. Let us be better than the chaos.
What a sad and challenging experience. I am so sorry you have to deal with inappropriate behavior fueled by frustration over a system not of your making. And it is not even the 1000 Days of August yet. We all need to simmer down. Thank you for your service.
I’m terribly sorry to read of your ordeal, and if that woman in fact needed medical attention and managed to avoid the usual way for obtaining it, I can only hope that she also spent a night in jail for assaulting you with her vehicle. Normally I would ascribe such behavior to someone who doesn’t live here, because those of us who do tend to treat one another with dignity and respect, though from what I understand she in fact does live here. At the very least, a public apology from that person should be tendered ASAP.
Folks, that photo says it all. The Orcas landing staff occasionally have to manage through chaos and still maintain some level of control over what can become an unmanageable situation. I wrote about this a few months ago in these pages in an essay titled “Terminal Chaos”:
https://theorcasonian.com/guest-opinion-terminal-chaos/
As on that day, there were only two terminal staffers on duty Monday when the surge hit, while there should have been three. Thankfully, they both were seasoned veterans with the judgment and compassion to deal with the unexpected situations and unruly customers like Elisabeth describes here.
We are going to miss them when they leave for better-paid positions without all the drama.
Sounds like assault with a deadly weapon. Was the Sheriff’s department notified? What became of it?
I am sad to hear about the assault and a sheriff’s report should be completed.
The fundamental problem is lack of summer ferry capacity in the San Juan Islands. Likely none of this would have happened if the reservation holders actually had reservations honored, and medical priority passengers could get to their medical appointments. 10% standbys, especially on Mondays, is too low of percentage because the reservation systems fills up too quickly when it even works, and commercial traffic has a reservation system priority.
Not a simple problem to solve since it’s a day of the week and time of day volume issue. and a pax only ferries to somewhere from somewhere is not a financially viable solution.
Historically, IN 2009 SJC ferry service was classified recreational routes in the 20 year WSF plan. Commuter routes were the priority with frequent sailings while the objective of recreation routes were to have more fully loaded ferries. The County Council didn’t at that time write an objection to that big picture ferry planning concept. The commuter/recreation concept was not changed in the relatively recent WSF’s 20 year plan update, and Covid cancelled the five ferries SJC had pre-Covid (Sidney route). San Juan County became more popular as both a place to live (lower property taxes, no traffic jambs except with at ferry terminals, and fibre internet that allowed working at home, and no shortage of local and national promotions of San Juan destinations). Good news is that WSF finally’ prioritized SJC service in their COVID recover plan thanks in large part to the SJC Ferry Advisory Committee and County Council. but it largely remains a vessel capacity issue in the summer season with no real solution in site until at least 2030.
This will not be the last time there is an upset public and conflict at SJC’s transportation choke points. It’s not limited to Orcas Island … Thursday, 10 Sept was chaotic all over the SJC system when one crew member fail to show on first sailing of the Yakima resulting in hundreds of travelers plans being disrupted that carried on throughout the day.
That sounds terrible, Elizabeth. Thanks for reminding us how stressful a typical day at the Landing is for ferry staff workers. No one deserves to be treated this way nor be put in harms way.
On a minor note from this thread. 10% standby isn’t 10% standby anymore for the Orcas Anacortes run. 5 cars made the first run at 7 am morning and I believe at most 6 made the next 9 am ferry. I got in line before the 6 am (with 8 estimated drive ups before anyone went in line) and finally got on the 9 am ferry. Lopezians have their own ferry at 6:15 am and get pick ups from Orcas on their way to Anacortes. Didn’t Orcas and Shaw have their own run at one time too? Shouldn’t we at least get 10% standby after losing the higher percentage allocated?
I am appalled, Elizabeth.
That upset woman assaulted you with a potentially deadly weapon.
I am relieved that you are not seriously physically injured, but you have been injured psychologically.
Your job and the jobs of other ferry workers are really, really hard.
I say thank-you to our ferry workers every time I take a ferry.
The 10% standby number is the result of 90% allocated to reservations–30% when seasonal reservations open, another 30% two weeks prior to the date in question and the final 30% two days prior. Thus, increasing standby capacity will only reduce the availability of reservations.
So yes, the problem is a lack of capacity.
According to WSF’s Safety Management System, “Washington State Ferries reserves the right to deny service to any individual who poses a threat to employee safety, including those who commit verbal abuse or physical assault against public-facing staff.”
By now it seems obvious that the woman driving the vehicle into Elisabeth Britt was guilty of “physical assault against public-facing staff” — albeit not a WSF employee per se. Then why on earth did the ferry boatswain allow this woman to board???
And in 2025, Senate Bill 5716 amended RCW 9.91.025 to include Washington State Ferries as a “transit vehicle” under this law. This means that assault or harassment of public-facing employees can result in criminal charges or denial of service.
At the very least, this woman should be barred from further use of the WSF system.
Shows us all the proof by getting the videos from the ferry landing, this woman must be stopped and you MUST make a police report, gather evidence, witnesses…. If she went crazy with you we all have the right to see her in “action” so we can stay away from her.
I have had cancer twice on the face, I have broken my skull and face bones by walking on to a pole for not paying attention…. I understand why you are so angry since you have osteoporosis and could end up in a wheelchair.
Thank you for your service and help to our community. Praying this never happens again.
Keep your chin up
It’s appalling and disturbing to read this. Anyone needing to get off island knows if you don’t have a reservation, especially with the lousy 10% held for standby, you need to leave your house much earlier than ever before to even have a chance to get on a boat – IF it has staff.
Please make a police report and/or get video footage from any witnesses. WSF should be acting on your behalf. She did not have a medical priority pass. That said, the ferry system is so broken and it’s not just that system; it’s compounded by the relentless push by the tourism/real estate industry for more and more and more people in summer and now/ year-round, and WSF’s capitulation to it, most likely for fear of lawsuits.
This is a multi-level issue. Unfortunately, we’ll be seeing more and more desperation and insane behavior in insane times. I’m so sorry this happened to you. It must have been so frightening. Make a police report. Assault with a vehicle is a felony.
This is a disturbing story in so many ways. The system faults are well described or at least alluded to.
In echoing some comments I feel that you have actually done a disservice to other ferry workers and travelers at the terminals or otherwise, by not filing charges for egregious, purposeful vehicular assault. Such an aggressive action toward an officer of the law or MP at a military gate would have allowed a deadly defensive response .
As a public servant in a position of responsibility you are tasked with protecting the safety of everyone….including yourself for the island community’s greater good.
It is simply outrageous that the driver was allowed to board. Please reconsider the entirety of your important position and responsibilities.
Summer is always a hectic time and each year it seems that the ferry system is being pushed to its limits. This sad story is an example of the system being pushed too far and breaking down, resulting in a confrontation that never should have happened.
Some people think that adding more ferry capacity is the solution. But it’s not more supply that we need: it’s less demand. And in the summer, the vast majority of that demand comes from tourism.
The county is run with a pro-growth mindset which views tourism as an inherent public good and the limited resources of the island as a fungible source of tax revenue. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Many islanders have also been led to believe that without the tourist hordes dumping $250 million per year into the local economy, we’d all be left without anywhere to buy food and other basic essentials. This is also false. A majority of the businesses here exist to extract wealth from tourists, not to serve locals, and the majority of the money spent goes into the pockets of a very small number of people.
Zoom out. Get some perspective. Practically ALL of the problems we have here are a direct consequence of overtourism. Communities all over the world, from Japan to Europe to Mexico, are beginning to push back against this problem, which privatizes the profits (funding luxurious estates, expensive vehicles, and large yachts) while socializing the costs (ever-increasing levels of noise, garbage, crowds, and conflict, which we’re expected to tolerate so that a handful of rich people can become even more rich).
Thanks to the relentless marketing efforts of the taxpayer funded San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau and numerous others who are out there on social media hashtagging this place to death, it sometimes feels like we live in a zoo. Stop talking about increasing the supply of ferry capacity and start thinking about how to reduce demand by imposing limits on tourism and ending the public-to-private wealth transfer that taxpayer-funded tourism marketing represents.
I want to express my deepest thanks to our terminal agent and the Washington State Ferries for the care, concern, and professionalism they showed throughout this difficult time. Their support reminded me what it means to truly stand by one another—not just as colleagues, but as people. Together, we found a resolution that sends a strong message: safety matters, and no one should have to face fear at work.
Thank you for listening, for believing me, and for taking action.
David Bowman you are right on the money. Many of us have been trying to gore the over-tourism ox with little success. Given our constitutional constraints not allowing us to charge visitors more to support ferry costs and island impacts that at some price point would depress the madding crowds we are defenseless especially to day-tripping throngs. The most egregious impact of the summer boom/winter bust pattern are low wage jobs that have very little trickle down, exacerbate affordable housing, increase the stress on resource and food centers and weaken growth of a sustainable middle class. We are all burdened by a terrible economic strategy and inertial leadership. It is truly a form of self-inflicted insanity.
You are right that as the pressure increases and strains our ability to come and go as residents the incidents like this will increase.