Letter to the Editor: A Tale of Two Cities
Devin L. González describes what he saw at the September 8 City Council meeting.
Written by Devin L. González, Port Townsend
I attended the September 8 City Council meeting and witnessed something that hasn't been reported.
Salish Rescue volunteers came to City Hall directly from the Wooden Boat Festival, still in their gear, to speak during public comment about their struggles with affordable housing. Before they could speak, Musa Jaman attempted to have them removed from the meeting for "having weapons." She accused them of carrying flare guns and knives. There were no flare guns, and city staff and council determined that what they carried were tools of their trade. Some had sheathed, blunt-tipped rescue knives. They were allowed to stay and speak.
What struck me was the sequence. A group of working people showed up to tell the council, in their own words, what housing costs are doing to them—and the first response was an attempt to have them silenced before they could say a word. The only threat they posed were their voices.
That wasn't the end of it. Ms. Jaman was later witnessed seeking out Salish Rescue members at the Wooden Boat Festival, took photos of them, and attempted to get them in trouble with festival organizers and the harbormaster.
Now AHPT supporters are trying to demonize the city for allowing "thugs with weapons" into City Hall. Let's be clear about what actually happened: rescue volunteers in their working gear were briefly accused of being armed, that claim was investigated and dismissed, and they were permitted to exercise the same right to public comment as anyone else.
Salish Rescue volunteers literally save lives here. Earlier this year, they saved two people from a burning boat after it suffered a gas explosion.
It's also worth correcting the record on how they got there. Salish Rescue was not directed to attend by any councilmember. They were inspired by the PT WorkForce group, which has been urging workers to get involved in the housing conversation. They came as private citizens, on their own time, to advocate for themselves.
If we're going to debate density and housing in this town, we should be able to do it without trying to have our neighbors removed from the room first.
Devin L. González (He/Him/El)
