Three members of Burien’s city council faced a room packed full of Democrats on Wednesday evening, Sept. 13 to appeal for help.

Austin Bell, Nancy Tosta and Lauren Berkowitz attended the monthly meeting of the 34th District Democrats to tell them they were facing a major problem –white nationalists seeking to impose their views on Burien residents.

“We need your help,” Berkowitz said. “We need you at every meeting. Donate your time. Burien really, truly needs your help.”

Tosta and Bell encouraged Burien residents in the crowd to attend council meetings and speak up during public comment sessions.

The agenda’s focus on Burien is a result of a ballot item in the city.

Burien Initiative No. 1 would repeal the city’s Ordinance 651, which requires city staff and law enforcement personnel not to inquire about the immigration status or religious affiliation of its residents.

Craig Keller, co-founder of Respect Washington, is leading the effort to fight the ordinance, which he says makes Burien a “sanctuary city.”

David Ginsberg, chair of the 34th District Democrats, explained that Respect Washington is funded by a white nationalist group called U.S. Inc. located in Michigan.

“U.S. Inc. has been recognized by Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group,” Ginsberg said. “They are coming after Burien.”

Washington state representative Joe Fitzgibbon, D-Burien, agreed.

“They’re pretty out in the open about it,” Fitzgibbon said. “That’s where the money for Respect Washington comes from. It’s really scary.”

The three Burien council members also spoke about how the upcoming election could be a factor in whether or not white nationalism takes root in the city.

They said some of the current council members – and a few of those on the ballot for the position – have voiced support for the petition.

Bell encouraged the 34th District Democrats to knock on doors and become active campaigners against Respect Washington, as well as the candidates who would support Ordinance 1.

“We have an organization from out of state dumping all of this money,” Bell said. “We need to show them what grassroots can do.”

Three candidates who oppose the ordinance and the Respect Washington petitioners – Pedro Olguin, Jimmy Matta and Krystal Marx -- attended the meeting and were met with a standing ovation when they came up to the microphone to speak.

“We need to not be the party that sits back and watches something happen,” Marx said. “That happened unfortunately on our watch before. We can’t stomp them out unless you actually help. I need you to show up.”

Olguin asked, “Are we going to have Trump’s America in our backyard?” and received a resounding “No!”

The 34th District Democrats voted to donate $2,000 to the campaign against Initiative 1 – and $1,000 to each progressive candidate.

“There is nothing we can work on that’s more important than what’s happening in Burien right now,” Ginsberg said. “People’s lives are at stake. Families are at stake.”

He asked that the 34th District Democrats to make Burien a top priority. “We can’t let this happen on our watch,” he said. “If we can’t organize and defeat this, I don’t know what we’re doing here.”

For more information about the elections, visit https://info.kingcounty.gov/kcelections.

For more information about the 34th District Democrats, visit www.34dems.org.