MYEVERETTNEWS.com

More warnings, fewer citations due to COVID-19 concerns and budget cuts.

Why were these patrols discontinued this year?
In past years, the department used enforcement teams to respond to firework complaint calls. Due to the current increase in COVID-19 cases, coupled with budgetary uncertainty, Operations opted to reactively enforce fireworks complaints and remain focused on life safety calls. This year, patrol units handled fireworks complaints and issued more warnings than in previous years.

Why were fireworks complaints bulk listed as “Patrol Information” as opposed to being directly dispatched for officers to handle?
The guidance to Patrol was to respond to as many complaints as possible. Due to the volume of calls, many were closed as “Patrol Information.” However, we contacted and provided more warnings than in 2019.

How many citations were issued for Unlawful Possession or Discharge of fireworks in 2019?
Five citations were issued in 2019 related to fireworks.

How many citations were issued for Unlawful possession or discharge of fireworks in 2020?
Zero citations issued in 2020 related to fireworks.

Snell did say that there were 25 fireworks warnings issued in 2019 while this year there were 56 fireworks warnings issued.

One man was arrested for shooting not fireworks, but an AR-15 rifle into the air. Here’s that story.

About 20 minutes after 10 PM Everett Police were called to an apartment complex in the 900 block of West Casino Road for reports of a man firing a rifle into the air outside of his apartment. Responding officers talked to witnesses and also heard what they described as gunfire.

Officers moved through the complex and recovered about a dozen shell casings from the ground outside one of the apartments. Witnesses said the rifle the man was firing looked like an AR-15.

According to a police probable cause statement, officers knocked on the door of the apartment near where the shell casings were recovered.

A man answered the door and reportedly told officers he had been asleep. He allowed officers to search the apartment where they discovered an AR-15 rifle.

Two witnesses identified the man as the one seen firing the gun into the air. The rifle was impounded and the man booked into the Snohomish County Jail on suspicion of reckless endangerment and unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree. He posted bond on July5th after spending the night in jail.

On Sunday a privately owned lot in the 3200 block of Rucker filled with tents housing people experiencing homelessness.

The land on which the encampment sits is private property,

People living there are being connected to various social servide agencies.

MyEverettNews.com received multiple inquiries about the encampment and found that it is organized at least in part by Robert Smiley with The Hand Up Project. Here is a Facebook Post by Smiley talking about the site.

This homeless Camp is amazing we’re almost at capacity and people are watching over each other but also keeping everybody on target I’m praying that the next couple days we can start getting resources in here and getting these people helped it’s time for these motel vouchers or housing vouchers to be expedited we have until the 2nd of next month and everybody’s got to be gone that should be more than enough time for the county to help out God bless you all I could not do this with you guys.

Among those who contacted MyEverettNews.com were the owners of Rucker Chiropractic Performance & Rehabilitation at 3231 Rucker. They expressed concern that customers were afraid to get out of their cars with the camp right outside their front door.
We are very frustrated to say the least! We are just starting to open up after COVID-19 and now this! This real problem isn’t being dealt with, it is just being moved around. The City of Everett needs to have this homeless encampment removed as soon as possible. We have a call into Mayor Cassie Franklin, but haven’t heard back from her yet.

Everett Police acknowledged they have received several calls about the camp but have not taken any actions against those staying there.

On June 19th Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin wrote a memo to all city of Everett employees that included the following:

Mayor of Everett, Washington, Cassie Franklin. Photo credit: City of Everett

This year you will all receive an additional floating holiday in your leave bank. In following years, the City will operate on a holiday schedule on June 19th.

The Mayor did not appear to check with the City Council or publicly ask for input before announcing she was giving another floating holiday to employees. Per city charter the Mayor is not allowed to arbitrarily just give more paid holidays to city staff.

At least two Everett City Council members, Scott Murphy and Brenda Stonecipher after hearing of the announcement to city staff reached out to the Mayor citing legal concerns and the financial impacts of adding another paid holiday for city employees just weeks after layoffs and voluntary separations for dozens of staffers.

On June 22nd Mayor Franklin issued a statement to Everett City Council members that said in part:

Dear Council Members,
Thank you for sharing your honest feedback and concerns.

And I sincerely apologize for my error in not bringing this before Council in the form of a resolution. David Hall shared two Everett Municipal Codes with me this morning that confirm your point that this action should have been brought forward in that form. I apologize that this was not the case and I will prepare a resolution to amend our holiday schedule for your consideration very soon.

I will also follow up with you with detail as to the cost of the proposed Juneteenth holiday so that you have that information as well.

I feel it’s important to address your concerns on the motive of justification for this, and the importance of this step at this time in our City.

We are experiencing multiple crises simultaneously some of which most of us have not experienced in our lifetime: a public health crisis + economic devastation/unemployment/recession + racial tensions/civil unrest. These crises are affecting everyone in our community and our City family. I’ve never experienced such overwhelming loss or pain across all people in our City – and we’re not yet through it. Our community needs hope and action from their leadership.

Our City has not done nearly enough to address inequities and racism in our organization, or throughout our community. We’ve started – and made some progress – but we haven’t backed those intentions with adequate staffing, resources or priority status that this work deserves. This needs to change. Declaring Juneteenth a holiday is a very small step in that direction, a signal that we are doing more than paying lip service to this challenging issue, and an opportunity for us as leaders to be bold.

You are very correct that we are in an incredibly difficult financial position. This City has struggled with our structural deficit for nearly two decades. And it’s only in the past two years that we started to take meaningful steps to address this problem. Due to lack of resources and perhaps lack of motivation by those in leadership, addressing institutional racism has been back-burnered, under-funded, and under-prioritized. This action may cost some of our very valuable and limited resources, but it’s an important signal to the community and to our staff team of the importance we place on promoting equality and justice for all.

Here is the list of current paid Holidays per city ordinance.

2.74.030 Holidays.
The following days are hereby designated paid holidays for those appointive officers in pay status on the day before and the day after the holiday:
New Year’s Day
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
President’s Day
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Veteran’s Day
Thanksgiving Day
Day after Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day
Two floating holidays.
(Ord. 2879-05 § 1, 2005: Ord. 1594-89 § 1(C), 1989)

This Wednesday the Everett City Council will be briefed on the plan to give city workers their 13th paid holiday. Final action, a public hearing and vote is currently set for July 22nd, 2020.

Everett City Council member Brenda Stoncipher told MyEverettNews.com via email Sunday of some of her concerns about the idea.

I object to her subsequent calculation of the cost as being a few thousand dollars, but the essence of this issue is, to me, not really a financial matter but one of efficacy. If the goal is to create a stronger environment for racial justice within the City and in our community, I doubt that giving another paid holiday to the (disproportionately white) city workforce is the best way to accomplish that. It is my hope that the Council can have a conversation with our community to prioritize the issues and determine the best way to approach them.

Everett City Council member Scott Murphy also expressed concerns when contacted by MyEverettNews.com.

I look forward to hearing an explanation from the mayor as to the calculation of the costs of providing all city employees an additional holiday. As budget chair, I do not see how an estimate of $6,950 could be anywhere close to an accurate estimate of the cost. It is possible that the estimate provided by the Mayor is the incremental cost of additional overtime for certain city staff who may be required to work on that day to cover critical services, excluding police and fire services.

I believe that if an additional 13th holiday is provided to city employees, the actual estimate of cost for that holiday would be the cost of the city’s payroll for one day which I estimate at over $400,000. Another way of looking at this….Giving 1,200 employees an additional 8 hours off is the equivalent of the city paying for nearly 10,000 hours for which there will be no productive work or Services provided to Citizens, thus I believe that is how the cost should be calculated.

The driver is taken by medics away from the Marina.

The car jumped a curb, went through the barrier into the water.

The hatchback is open as the car is under water.

Divers from Everett Police get ready to go into the water.

A diver works to hook a strap around one of the rear wheels.

Dick’s Towing begins to lift the car from the water.

The car is now completely out of the water.

Another successful removal for Dick’s Towing

It happened just before 9:30 PM.

Bystanders were able to pull the driver out of the car and safely onto the dock.

The driver was transported by medics to Providence Regional Medical Center and was the only person in the car.

Divers from Everett Police Marine Unit checked the car and hooked straps to the rear tires while crews from Dick’s Towing lifted the car out of the water.

Here are a few MyEverettNews.com photos.