Stop by The Green on Sunday to sign this important anti-discrimination petition

||| FROM DAVID TURNOY |||

Manuel Ellis

Two and a half months before George Floyd’s life was cruelly ended by a policeman kneeling on his neck, Tacoma resident Manuel Ellis was killed by a police chokehold. He had been walking home from church, some local police engaged him in conversation, and a few minutes later Mannie uttered his last words, “I can’t breathe.” His death has been ruled a homicide, and the state Attorney General is now conducting an investigation.

Here in the state of Washington, as throughout the country, racial discrimination exists among law enforcement as to whom they apply chokeholds to. We have a chance to end that through the Manuel Ellis Washington Anti-Discrimination Act (also known as I-1300), which would ban the use of chokeholds. In addition, it would overturn Tim Eyman’s initiative that has prevented the state since 1998 from being able to remedy discrimination and underrepresentation of disadvantaged groups in the public sector.

Finally, with the much greater impact of Covid 19 on communities of color, the Act would make sure that people in these communities would have access to a vaccine and, if necessary, at no cost. An excellent article about what happened to Mannie, the involvement of his sister in sponsoring this Act, and the evolution of I-1300 can be found HERE. You can read the ACTUAL ACT HERE.

This proposed Act will go to the state legislature for action in the new session next month. But hundreds of thousands of signatures are needed to make this happen, and we have the added challenge of trying to gather signatures during a pandemic. WalMart is generously allowing the campaign to gather signatures at its 67 stores in the state, but we have no WalMart here, so we have to use our creativity. Here on Orcas I will be hosting an opportunity this Sunday to sign a petition at the Village Green between 12:00 and 2:00 in the safest way I can think of. I will have two tables set up on the stage, there will be hand sanitizer available on each table, all of you who come by will need to be wearing masks and stay six feet apart, and I would ask you to bring your own pens so you don’t come in contact with anyone else’s pens. (I will have some pens present in case you forget.) If you would like to wear gloves, that would be an added protection.

2020 has been one of the most tumultuous years ever, but we can end it by doing something really positive. We can help to end systemic racism in this state by getting I-1300 to the legislature, and you can help by signing a petition this Sunday. You can help to make sure no future person of color suffers the same tragic fate as Manuel Ellis.