By Tim Clifford

On April 27 Burien City Hall was swarmed by demonstrators from S.A.F.E. and their allies to protest Ordinance 606/621 and Mayor Lucy Krakowiak. What made this march starkly different from actions of the past was the proverbial “deafening silence” that accompanied it.

Entering City Hall dressed in all black with dark duct tape across their mouths demonstrators silently entered the council chambers baring signs with slogans such as “shame on you Burien” and “RIP civil rights”. With sheriff’s deputies at the ready the protest remained peaceful yet tense throughout.

The city council meeting proceeded normally, uninterrupted, as protestors silently walked in circles through the chambers. At one point the train of demonstrators snaked its way through the library as well.

The week before, at the April 20 city council meeting, S.A.F.E. member Bryce Phillips was ejected from the proceedings during public comments. Mayor Krakowiak ordered King County deputies to remove Phillips as he spoke about instances of police brutality against the homeless.

“The mayor used her discretion in determining when the language got a little bit on the threatening side and told him that he needed to keep his comments in line. It escalated at that point just a little bit,” described Burien Communications Officer Katie Whittier Trefry.

Once outside of city hall Phillips discovered that the doors to the building were locked, a violation of the WA State Open Public Meetings Act.

Councilmember Lauren Berkowitz minutes later also found protestors locked out of city hall during the meeting and, along with Councilmember Gerald Robison, decided to leave the meeting before being found in violation of the Act. The remaining councilmembers continued the meeting with the doors locked.

Last week Burien announced that the doors will remain unlocked past 9 p.m. with either a deputy or staff member manning the entryway. The blame for the locked doors has been laid on the library, which shares the building with City Hall and according to Trefry it has been library staff that are locking the doors after 9.

Once the protestors were finished marching through the meeting they gathered outside City Hall where Phillips gave a statement about the night’s demonstration to the media.

“We’re here today to mourn the loss of the idea that a human life is worth something. Just a human life. You know you can hear from the statements of the councilmembers and their actions this idea that a human being can be measured in the amount of their bank account, whether they own property, whether they own a business or not and that the inherent human being is worth nothing to them,” stated Phillips.

When asked about the incident with Mayor Krakowiak Phillips said “I was kicked out of the Burien City Council by sheriffs on the orders of the mayor for talking about things that police have been doing with public money in terms of beating and abusing citizens here in Burien, apparently we can’t talk about that”.

The protest ended peacefully and quietly before 8 p.m.