Black Lives Matter of Jefferson County requested a police escort for its Juneteenth march down Port Townsend’s Water Street. They got it, at taxpayer’s expense.

A public records request by Port Townsend Free Press has obtained the application for the special use permit under which BLM Jeffco was able to block off and claim the use of Water Street and part of Sims Way for its June 19 march. They also were granted use of Pope Marine Park. The application was submitted by Sean Vinson, who has identified himself as lead organizer for the event. He was the keynote speaker at the conclusion of the march.

The application also covered painting of a block-long mural on Water Street outside City Hall. Vinson requested that that portion of Water Street be closed to traffic through midnight of Sunday June 21.

BLM has called for the abolition and defunding of police across the nation. On a recent KPTZ show, another lead organizer of the local BLM said there was nothing police could ever do to satisfy them. Police were inherently racist, white supremacist and must be abolished altogether so that “the people” could do the job themselves.

But BLM of Jeffco wanted a police escort enough to ask for it twice in its application.

At this time, while our public records request has not received a complete response, it is unknown exactly how many law enforcement officers and vehicles were provided in response to the request of BLM Jeffco for an officer escort. Photos of the event published in local newspapers and on social media show law enforcement officers at the front and along the route–as BLM Jeffco had requested.

“Special use permits will not be issued until insurance has been approved.“

So states the application submitted by BLM Jeffco.

Every special use permit seeking use of city spaces requires that the organizer provide proof of insurance to indemnify the city in the event of damage to property, personal injury or other loss.  City businesses that seek to use a portion of a sidewalk or the edge of a street for outdoor dining and display of merchandise must prove that they have obtained adequate insurance.

Coverage under the required insurance policy must be primarily for the City’s benefit. It must provide a minimum of $1 million commercial general liability coverage and $500,000 automobile liability.

Evidence of insurance meeting these requirements must be submitted no less than 15 days before the event.

In this case, BLM Jeffco was given exclusive use of nearly all of Water Street, Pope Marine Park and part of Sims Way. They had an entire block of Water Street for several days while painting the BLM mural on a city street with paint supplied by taxpayers.

By June 19th, the nation had seen massive violence and destruction in the wake of BLM protests and marches. Criminals in these “protests” killed or attacked people in dozens of cities, most of them Blacks or other minorities. Seattle by June 19 had experienced destructive and violent rioting, resulting in the torching of police vehicles, injuries to scores of officers and first responders, arson of private property, hundreds of smashed windows and the vandalism of hundreds of businesses.

BLM Jeffco could not have obtained the required insurance. It was not at the time any sort of legally recognized entity that could sign a contract. It had no structure, no officers, no board of directors nor any registered agent. BLM Jeffco did not file for non-profit status until July 22. That action followed our report published July 17 raising questions about where donations to BLM Jeffco were going.

So far, no proof of insurance for the event has been produced in response to our request for public records.

Even now one thing is clear: the City did not obtain any proof of insurance as required by its own special use permit law. Proof of acceptable insurance must be submitted no less than 15 days before the event. This is intended to give city staff adequate time to examine and verify the insurance. Vinson submitted the application for a special use permit less than two days before the march.

In light of its preferential treatment of BLM Jeffco, the City will have a hard time in the future enforcing its special use permit regulations against other groups. It cannot enforce the law in a way that discriminates on the basis of the content of the message advanced by groups wanting to march in its street. It cannot enforce against other groups the regulations it chose not to enforce against BLM Jeffco.

A young man who has been involved with events in Portland and Seattle told me has been thinking about organizing an armed open-carry march down Water Street, something that is completely legal. The requirement for insurance in the name of a legal entity may have been an obstacle he could not overcome. But no longer need he be concerned about obtaining insurance if he moves forward with his idea.