CURRENT
CURRENT STATE REPRESENTATIVE AND FORMER SNOHOMISH COUNTY SHERIFF COUNTY EXECUTIVE AND
LONGTIME STATE TROOPER.
ALL RIGHT.
SO WE'RE ROLLING.
WHERE ARE WE?
WE REIOGN SNOHMISH.
YEAH, A SMALL LITTLE
COFFEE STAND THAT I'VE HEARD
OF STARBUCKS.
EXACTLY.
EXACTLY.
EXACTLY. EXACTLY. ANNOUCNED SNOHMISH FFOR YEARS I
USED TO PATROL OUTSIDE OF THIS
AREA I'M THINKING UP TO ABOUT
FORTY FIVE HUNDRED PEOPLE NOW.
WONDERFUL LITTLE TOWN.
YOU'VE HAD QUITE THE JOURNEY TO
SNOHMISH FROM FROM YOUR DAYS
DATING BACK TO LOUISIANA.
RIGHT.
IT CAME HERE TO 50 YEARS AGO IN
THE COAST GUARD AND I CALL MY
MOTHER RIGHT AFTER I REPORTED
TO THE SHIP I WENT OUT TO A
PAYPHONE AND CALLED MY MOM AND
I SAID WEDEN WANT TO STAY HERE
FOREVER.
AND SHE SAID WHAT I SAID MY
DEAR, THIS PLACE IS BEAUTIFUL.
50 YEARS LATER I'M STILL HERE
AND YOUR FAMILY FROM WHAT I
UNDERSTAND HAD TREMENDOUS
HISTORY IN LOUISIANA.
YES.
YOUR GREAT GRANDFATHER WAS
GREAT GREAT GRANDFATHER, GREAT
GREAT GRANDFATHER.
HIS NAME IS THOMAS HOLDEN.
HE WAS BORN IN 1863 AND HE WAS
ACTUALLY BORN A SLAVE.
SO SNOHMISH COUNTY HIS HAS
NEVER BEEN THE MOST DIVERSE
SPOT IN THE PUGET SOUND AREA.
DID THAT EVER CROSS YOUR MIND
WHEN YOU'RE MAKING THIS
DECISION TO MOVE TO THE COUNTY?
YOU KNOW, CHRIS, IT DIDN'T I
THOUGHT IF YOU'RE GOING TO
BRING DIVERSITY TO A COMMUNITY
OR TO A COUNTY, YOU HAVE TO BE
ONE WILLING TO STEP UP.
AND SO WHEN I STEPPED UP I SAID
I WANT TO MOVE TO SNOHMISH AND
THEN I KNOW OTHER FRIENDS,
PEOPLE OF COLOR WHO HAVE MOVED
TO SNOHMISH YOU'VE SERVED AS
SHERIFF, YOU SERVE AS EXECUTIVE
.
YOU SERVE AS STATE
REPRESENTATIVE.
YOU'VE BEEN THE INTERIM HOUSE
SPEAKER.
I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY'S GOT A
RESUME QUITE LIKE THAT.
YOU KNOW WHAT I THINK OF MOST I
THINK OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO PAVED
THE WAY TO GIVE ME THE
OPPORTUNITY AND THE HONOR
OF SERVING THESE POSITIONS.
I THINK OF MY GRANDMOTHER
WALKING THROUGH THOSE COTTON
FIELDS.
I THINK OF MY GREAT GREAT
GRANDFATHER WHO WAS BORN A
SLAVE.
THEY NEVER HAD THE OPPORTUNITY
TO DO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT
I'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO
AND I LEFT OFF YOUR RESUME
THIRTY ONE YEARS IN THE STATE
PATROL YOU WERE THE TROOPER
OF THE YEAR?
YES, I WAS.
AND IT WAS QUITE AN HONOR THAT
WHEN YOU FIRST GOT TO THE STATE
PATROL YOU WERE ONE TEN
AFRICAN-AMERICAN TROOPERS, ONE
OF TEN WE WENT THROUGH THE
ACADEMY IN NINETEEN SEVENTY
FIVE THERE WERE THREE MEMBERS
OF COLOR.
WE BROUGHT THE TOTAL BLACK
TROOPERS ON THE STATE PATROL
FROM SEVEN TO TEN.
ARE THERE CASES WHERE WHERE YOU
FELT THAT YOU WERE TREATED
DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE OF RACE?
WHAT I ALWAYS SAID TO MYSELF I
ALWAYS ENJOYED COMING TO WORK
BUT AT TIMES I HATED BEING AT
WORK BECAUSE OF THE WAY AT
TIMES THE THE TEN OF US WERE
TREATED.
I'M CURIOUS WHAT WHAT YOU
THOUGHT WHEN YOU SAW THE VIDEO
OF GEORGE FLOYD.
WELL, IF I IF I CAN ANSWER THIS
QUESTION WITHOUT GETTING TOO
EMOTIONAL, THE FIRST THING I
THOUGHT ABOUT IS THAT THINGS
HAVE NOT CHANGED IN 60 PLUS
YEARS.
FIFTY SIXTY YEARS THINGS HAVE
NOT CHANGED.
BUT I CAN'T UNDERSTAND AN
OFFICER STRUGGLING WITH THE
SUSPECT WITH HIS LEFT HAND IN
HIS POCKET AND HIS GLASSES ON
TOP OF HIS HEAD.
THE PERSON IS HANDCUFFED WITH
AN OFFICER'S KNEE ON HIS NECK.
YOU CANNOT LOOK AT THAT AND NOT
FEEL THAT WE HAVEN'T CHANGED
MUCH.
YOU DID SPAWNED ON THE
CONVERSATION AS YOU'RE WELL
WHERE IN THE PHRASE DEFUND THE
POLICE.
FIRST OF ALL, I CAN HANDLE
REIMAGINING BUT I ONLY THE ONLY
TIME I USE THE WORD DEFUND IS
WHEN I'M IN AN INTERVIEW.
I THINK IT IS THE WORST
SOUNDBYTE I'VE HEARD WE'RE NOT
IN THE BUSINESS OF DEFUNDING
POLICE.
I HAVE A BILL TO LOOK AT DATA
COLLECTION TO REALLY TELL US
THE NUMBER CASES OF USE
OF FORCE, HOW THEIR BDAY HOW
YOU FORCE IS BEING USED.
I HAVE ONE THAT DEALS WITH
POTENTIAL IMPEACHEMNT
DISCLOSURE WHICH TELLS US WHAT
IF AN OFFICER HAS A MISCONDUCT
THERE WOULD BE A LIST
OF WHETHER HE HAS ACTED
IMPROPERLY OR HAS LIED ON THE
WITNESS STAND.
I KNOW ONE OF THE OTHER BILLS
THAT YOU HAVE WORKED ON IS
MAKING JUNETEENTH A STATE
HOLIDAY.
WHEN I CAME TO WASHINGTON I
THOUGHT JUNETEENTH WAS A
NATIONAL HOLIDAY SO WHEN I CAME
TO WASHINGTON I REMEMBER
WONDERING WHERE'S THE
JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION?
THEY WEREN'T CELEBRATING IT
HERE AND WE'VE TRIED TO DO IT
BEFORE.
BUT THIS YEAR WE ARE GOING TO
MAKE JUNETEENTH A STATE
HOLIDAY.
THE GOVERNOR'S COMMITTED TO IT
.
WELL, THESE WILL BE THE TTHINGS
WE'LL WATCH IN THE DAYS TO
COME.
BUT FOR NOW I APPRECIATE YOU
HAVING A SOCIALLY DISTANCE
DRINK WITH ME AT THIS SMALL
LITTLE COFFEE SHOP IN SNOHMISH
THE LITTLE TINY SHOP HERE.
BUT THANK YOU, CHRIS.
IT'S ALWAYS GREAT TO SEE YOU.
I LOVE IT.
I THINK WE GOT SOME REAL CANDID
AND STRAIGHTFORWARD ANSWERS
THERE.
THAT GUY HAS HE JUST HAS A LOT
OF EXPERIENCE AND A LOT
OF KNOWLEDGE FROM SO MANY YEARS
WORKING AND CONGRATS TO HIM.
DON'T FORGET TO TUNE THE REST
OF THE WEEK INCLUDING SATURDAY
AND SUNDAY TO HEAR FROM SOME
OTHER LOCAL LEADERS BLACK
HISTORY MONTH TOMORROW WE WILL
HEAR FROM THE REVEREND PHYLLIS