Mayor Schilling Frustrated at Sheriff's Flat Refusals to Discuss Burien's Camping Ordinance

Burien mayor says [King County reps] "have refused to show up for the 'meet and confer' in court for their own lawsuit they've filed."

In lieu of "Thursday with the Mayor," the following is a post issued by Mayor Kevin Schilling today. We will continue with our weekly interviews next week.

[From Kevin James Schilling, Facebook May 9, 2024.]

I want to put my full statement on this here for my friends to see.This situation is beyond frustrating, and could go away in an instant if the Sheriff enforced our law. A lot of folks are asking me why they're not, and the truth is we honestly have no idea because they have refused to sit down in the Sheriff Oversight Committee process, and have refused to show up for the "meet and confer" in court for their own lawsuit they've filed.

Moreover, the Sheriff's Deputies here did not do this in any official way. They didn't go through their union, they didn't file an HR or employment complaint.

Sometimes I feel like I'm in Wonderland with this. But the fact of the matter is, at present, the Sheriff is not enforcing our law for no real, legal reason.

Here's my statement below on the letter put out by the Sheriff's Deputies that the City of Burien pays to enforce our laws to regulate open drug use and tent encampments:

"The City of Burien is focused on getting folks off the street and into shelter and services. The City Council prioritizes treatment over tents, and public safety over politics.The Burien City Council appreciates the work of the deputies and officers in protecting Burien. We understand they are in a difficult position while this political issue plays out.Burien Police Officers are employed by the County Sheriff' Office and are Sheriff's Deputies. They are here to protect and serve our community every day. For years we've heard from the police about the short comings of county service providers and the need to get drugs and public camping under control. Then, with a council that wants to do that in place, we're now in this scenario where the Sheriff is not enforcing those laws.A judge has not ruled that this law is unconstitutional, but instead, it falls squarely in line with federal requirements as well as in line with the argument of the administration of President Joseph Biden: that these laws are common sense and practical, and cities have the authority to put time, place, and manner restrictions on public camping.We hope we can come together and find common ground and get a path toward enforcement of our public camping ordinance and drug use laws.We are disappointed the Sheriff has unilaterally decided not to enforce a law passed by the democratically elected city council. And we look forward to the decisions of the courts."

LINK to Kevin James Schilling's Facebook post, including a link to the Seattle Times article "Burien police have 'no confidence' in mayor after attempt to oust chief."

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(Image from Seattle Times Article 5/9/24)[/caption]

King County Sheriff's Office has yet to respond to our questions about this conflict or the meeting they held on May 6. Burien-News will report as more information becomes available.