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In a small, conservative town in central Washington, sidewalk chalk has become a highly contentious issue between residents and the City Council. The situation came to a head time and time again in the spring and summer months of 2020. In one such confrontation, young adults and children writing “BLM” and other slogans in chalk on a suburban street were sprayed with a pressure washer by city workers.
This clear attack on free speech in general and the Black Lives Matter movement in particular eerily echoed images of civil rights activists attacked with fire hoses during the civil rights movement of the mid-20th century. Over the summer, it became clear to Selah residents that the city administration had every intention to crush this uprising and enforce the status quo of racism and repression.
Selah pays $45K to settle lawsuit over open meetings
Selah will settle two lawsuits alleging the city violated open-government laws in connection with a chalk-art controversy By Associated Press
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SELAH Selah will settle two lawsuits alleging the city violated open-government laws in connection with a chalk-art controversy.
Council members unanimously voted this week to approve the settlement, in which the city pays Trent Wilkinson $45,000 and hands over an unredacted copy of an email he had requested, The Yakima Herald-Republic reported. In return Wilkinson will drop the lawsuits with prejudice, meaning that the cases cannot be filed again.
City Attorney Rob Case said under the settlement, the city does not admit to any wrongdoing or liability and that it’s the best outcome the city could achieve.
Selah pays $45K to settle lawsuit over open meetings sfgate.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sfgate.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Protesters draw chalk art on the sidewalk and steps in front of Selah City Hall on Tuesday, June 30, 2020, in Selah, Wash. About 35 people marched from the Selah Civic Center to Selah City Hall where people took turns speaking about racism and LGBTQ discrimination before drawing and writing messages in chalk.
Evan Abell / Yakima Herald-Republic file