The Progress Pride-flag raising ceremony outside of the Washington State Capitol was a joyous event - until about 50 Washington State Patrol (WSP) graduates marched straight through the assembled crowd. Community leaders and elected officials were making remarks, including Lisa Keating, the director of the Washington State LGBTQ Commission.
“We unfortunately didn’t know that the [cadet] ceremony was happening at the same time, and we had speakers at the podium, and so there was a lot of confusion,” Keating told the SGN. “Some people - I did hear that they felt it was intentional, and I tried to intervene and we tried to calm folks down and allow the graduates to go through. It was really just an unfortunate timing that they already had that event happening, we had this event happening.”
Keating said she understands how the attendees were alarmed by troopers marching directly at the crowd, considering Queer history with policing.
“I’m saddened by the impact and that there was harm that was done during an event that is so celebratory,” she added.
Click here to view video of the incident.
Attendee Marianne "Moaz" Ozmun-Wells was distracted, surprised, and shocked to see WSP graduates marching through the middle of the event.
“It detracted from the speakers and from our event. I was very confused and it ended up causing some conflicts in our group. We have one day a year where we get to acknowledge LGBT pride and it was very confusing and very distracting,” Ozmun-Wells said.
Ozmun-Wells reiterated Keating’s remarks about how some viewed this disruption as intentional, rather than an accident or scheduling conflict, but noted how some in the audience attempted to reframe the narrative.
“We have a long history of being targeted by law enforcement. Our movement started by, en large, as the result of being targeted by law enforcement, and that hasn’t stopped,” Moez told the SGN, noting how Trans and Queer People of Color are disproportionately targeted.
Many in the LGBTQIA+ community are traumatized, generationally or first-hand, from experiences with law enforcement, and Ozmun-Wells said she didn’t know how to react in that moment. After processing how the cadets divided the attendees in half when a speaker was at the podium, she said she counted at least 15 WSP parked SUVs.
”It was a presence and marching in military cadence, it felt like a flex of power and control,” Ozmun-Wells said.
Amasai Jeke, vice chair of the Washington State LGBTQ Commission and SPEaC Change Program coordinator at UTOPIA Washington, told the SGN that she adored the event, and it was remarkable to see people come out, but noted how the WSP graduates were “disrespectful.” Jeke said if roles had been reversed, the Queer group would not have done what WSP did.
“They could’ve done it respectfully,” Jeke said. “It’s just disrespectful to do that—it’s common sense. There’s not only one way to the capitol building there are other entrances.”
The SGN reached out to WSP and Gov. Bob Ferguson’s office and did not receive a response at the time of publication.
UPDATE 1(4:56 p.m.): In a comment provided to the SGN, Gov. Ferguson said, “It was an honor to participate in the raising of the Pride flag this afternoon, and I appreciate the State Patrol quickly issuing an apology for the disruption of this wonderful event.”
UPDATE 2 (6:08 p.m.): The WSP issued a public apology on Facebook late in the afternoon:
"The Washington State Patrol offers our heartfelt apologies for disrupting the raising of the Pride Flag on Capitol Campus today. The team leading our cadets to their graduation ceremony did not adequately communicate about the alternate route planned around the crowd. It was never our intention to disrupt an important community event. Our motto is “Service with Humility,” and our mission is to protect, defend and respect the rights of all. We apologize for our misstep on what should be a great day for us all as we celebrate Pride."
UPDATE 3 (6:20 p.m.): Chris Loftis, director of public affairs at the WSP, told the SGN that there was a graduation ceremony for its 120th trooper basic training class, as well as its 3rd and 4th lateral trooper training class.
"We schedule the use of Capitol Campus areas with the Department of Enterprise Services and in the case of graduations, that scheduling is done many months and even more than a year in advance," Loftis said.
Loftis said the WSP "immediately recognized there had been a miscommunication and an alternative route up the legislative steps had not been taken, causing the unfortunate incident."
He added how the WSP chief met with Gov. Ferguson to talk about what actions would have been appropriate, and that the chief reached out to "event participants and advocates and personally apologized." Furthermore, Loftis noted how the WSP and the Governor's Office created the apology and posted it on WSP social media accounts during its graduation.
The WSP academy captain who was emceeing the event made an annoucement to kick off the ceremony, and according to Loftis, the person said:
"We are glad everyone is here today and as some of you may know, while our cadets were marching into the Capitol earlier today, our route unfortunately and regrettably interfered with the annual raising of the Pride flag in front of the building.
"I'd like to apologize to anyone in attendance of either event who was made uncomfortable or inconvenienced due to this situation and assure you there was no intent to offend or distract from the flag raising.
"The error was ours and we apologize. The Washington State Patrol is made up of and offers our enthusiastic service to all individuals and communities in our state. Our motto is 'Service with Humility' and our mission is to protect, defend, and respect the rights of all.
"Please accept my apologies for any miscommunication and missteps on what should be a great day for us all as we enthusiastically celebrate Pride and dutifully celebrate humility in our service to our shared great and welcoming state."
UPDATE 4: On June 6 Keating provided a statement on the interruption on behalf of the LGBTQ Commission:
"On June 4th, the Pride flag raising ceremony at the Capitol was briefly interrupted by the graduation ceremony for Washington State Patrol (WSP) cadets that was happening at the same time. The first step in repairing any harm is accountability. The Washington State LGBTQ Commission is grateful for the swift action the Washington State Patrol took to take responsibility for incident. As the Commission, we also take responsibility for the scheduling oversight that allowed these two events to take place at the same time.
"We appreciate WSP’s heartfelt apology and offer our own. As we know that in these times of struggle, we need the solace of a shared celebration that centers the importance of 2SLGBTQIA+ lives and hopes. I and my leadership team are working to better understand the reasons for the events and miscommunication that took place and seek to prevent any future disruptions of our public activities. We know this does not undo the harm done on June 4th and we are grateful to our community members who attended and continue to advocate for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community."
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