October 18, 2024 — Bremerton, WA
Originally printed in the Kitsap Sun on September 21, 2024
Seeking a way to 'disagree better,' and respect public safety
For nearly a year, the Puget Sound area has slowly descended into two parallel sets of laws: one for the average resident, and another for the anti-Jewish protesters seemingly obsessed with making the region more dangerous through their actions and rhetoric.
One example was a protest at the gates of the Port of Tacoma in Pierce County, which targeted a U.S. Navy ship just one month after Hamas slaughtered 1,200 people in Israel on Oct. 7. The apparent lack of arrests, despite vandalism around port property and the blockage of a port entrance, was shocking.
Then came the January I-5 shutdown in King County which created extremely dangerous conditions for everyone involved – the protestors included – and had the potential to be far worse had an ambulance or other public safety vehicle needed access, or a large truck not seen the blockade in time.
The limited punishments for those I-5 antics – misdemeanor charges for half a dozen of the few hundred present – essentially incited another incident.
Having seen that the law enforcement response was little more than shrugs and slaps on the wrist, protesters moved on to blockading the entry road to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in April. This was part of a coordinated nationwide effort to shut down avenues of U.S. commerce and transportation.
Now, SeaTac prosecutors have dropped charges against dozens who participated in that stunt, and confirmed that others who could not get a public defender would not have charges refiled.
Here in Kitsap County, we do not have the luxury of alternative routes like King County. As we all know, should an accident happen in Gorst (as a major one just recently did), north-south traffic can be impacted around the county because there is no decent alternate route. If our ferries are delayed or canceled for any reason, our only other option is the long drive via Tacoma.
Now, imagine if these restrictions of our freedom of movement were deliberate, frequent, and designed to spread hate for a tiny minority of Americans whose ancient homeland half a world away is under assault, rather than infrequent, unintentional, and with no ulterior motive.
Local and state law enforcement must ensure that the full force of the law is brought to bear against these protestors. Some of the struggles with this are undoubtedly due to our elected officials – not all of whom believe harsh punishment alone sends the right message.
And yes, some of this is due to a lack of funding and resources in our justice system, which is clearly in need of more public defenders and law enforcement officers. But when people utilize hateful, violent language to attack the local Jewish community and our homeland in Israel, there is no excuse for abandoning the pursuit of justice.
Failing to respond fully to such dangerous actions legitimizes these tactics while creating conditions for copycat incidents, and it signals to Jews that the safety of some communities matters more than others. What message does this lackluster response send to those who might wish to try similarly ill-advised blockades at targets outside King and Pierce Counties? Are we, Kitsap County residents, prepared to live in a state, and, indeed, a world, where our economy, freedom of movement, and military installations operate normally only at the whims of the most extreme ideologues among us?
I believe we cannot accept such a scenario. I hope SeaTac prosecutors will bring new charges against the airport protesters, and that our state will respond with increased funding for our justice system, so criminal activity is always prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
I also pray that here in Kitsap County, we remain able to, as the National Governors Association puts it, “disagree better.” In my view, American society depends on it. At the end of the day, all laws, especially those meant to ensure public safety and security, must be enforced. Because what happens in King County, does not stay in King County.
Jackson Pincus is the Assistant Director of American Jewish Committee in the Pacific Northwest, and a Bremerton resident.