Emergency officials to monitor protests, possible threats when Tacoma police trial begins
Emergency management and court officials have spent months preparing security measures in case protests related to the upcoming murder and manslaughter trial of three Tacoma police officers threaten public safety.
Jury selection is expected to begin Monday in the trial of Tacoma Police Department officers Christopher Burbank, Matthew Collins and Timothy Rankine. The men are accused of killing Manuel “Manny” Ellis, who died in police custody March 3, 2020. Burbank and Collins are charged with second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter. Rankine is charged with first-degree manslaughter.
Hundreds of people took to Tacoma’s streets to protest police brutality and racial inequality, demanding justice for Ellis and others like George Floyd, who was restrained and murdered by Minneapolis police officers on May 25, 2020. Both men called out, “I can’t breathe,” and died while restrained by police. The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Ellis’ death a homicide, citing respiratory arrest due to hypoxia from physical restraint as the cause of death.
The trial will take place at the County-City Building at 930 Tacoma Ave. S. In June 2020, members of the National Guard were assigned to surround the building for several days in light of two planned protests nearby, and the Pierce County Superior Court closed its doors early in response.
County officials have said they support people exercising their First Amendment rights so long as demonstrations are peaceful, but preparations are in place to respond to threats and maintain the integrity of the court process.
Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier, in a Sept. 6 meeting with The News Tribune Editorial Board, said Pierce County Superior Court administrator Chris Gaddis and the county’s deputy director of Emergency Management Amy Gillespie have led the planning process.
“To say that the upcoming trial of the Tacoma police officers who are accused of killing Manny Ellis is very significant for our community would be a significant understatement,” Dammeier said. “It is going to be obviously the most important thing in the world for the officers, and families of the officers and families of Manny Ellis.”
No downtown road closures or similar restrictions are planned, according to emergency management officials, but it’s unclear if security at the courthouse will be heightened. Dammeier said the goal is to keep operations as normal as possible while keeping everyone safe. Sgt. Darren Moss with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said he cannot discuss security measures the department is taking at the courthouse.
“What I can tell you is security inside the building will be the responsibility of the Sheriff’s Department, and everything outside will be controlled by Tacoma Police and the City of Tacoma,” Moss said in an email to the News Tribune. “We will be working hand in hand with the Tacoma Police Department to ensure the safety of everyone in our building and make sure the court process can continue without any disruption.”
Starting Monday, the county’s Emergency Operations Center will be activated to support Superior Court. Emergency Management director Jody Ferguson said in the meeting with the newspaper’s editorial board that the center’s staff will be monitoring protests and weather, fact-checking rumors and keeping in contact with law enforcement, fire departments, school districts and businesses.
“We’re not watching every single person who gathers at the County-City Building. It’s kind of a higher level approach,” Ferguson said.
Dammeier said he isn’t aware of any specific threats, and he and Ferguson aren’t too concerned about protests from local people. They’re more concerned about groups outside Pierce County that want to come in and do harm.
“It’s important that we be able to understand where these groups are and where they’re moving. In that case we do pay attention to where people might be and coming in,” Ferguson said.
The emergency operations center is frequently activated. It was online for more than a year-and-a-half during the coronavirus pandemic, and Ferguson said it was activated last month when members of the county’s Urban Search & Rescue team were sent to Maui to help with wildfire rescue efforts. During the trial, she said it will be staffed by 30 to 50 people.
As part of planning efforts, county representatives traveled to Hennepin County, Minnesota, where a district court tried and convicted former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin of the murder of George Floyd in 2021.
Pierce County Superior Court’s presiding judge, Timothy Ashcraft, who is responsible for the management and administration of the court’s business, said during the Sept. 6 meeting that a “contingent of folks” toured the Minnesota facilities, spoke with the presiding judge and learned about the pros and cons of their experiences.
A web page to share trial information was developed as part of planning efforts, and anyone who wishes to attend the trial in person would need to use it to reserve a seat. Seating will be limited during jury selection, according to Ashcraft, but he estimated that once opening statements and testimony begins, about 30 to 40 seats would be available. Opening statements are projected to begin Oct. 2, and that’s when the county’s livestream of the trial will begin.
At noon each day, court goers could request a seat for the following day. Anyone who wants to go could only request a seat for themselves, according to Ashcraft, and they would instantly receive email confirmation as to whether a seat is open.
