RYPAC hosts discussion on Ferguson decision

Published 1:44 pm Wednesday, November 26, 2014

On Tuesday, the Redmond Youth Partnership Advisory Committee (RYPAC) hosted a discussion in response to the St. Louis County grand jury’s decision to not indict officer Darren Wilson.

About 10 people attended, including a few teens, City of Redmond staff members and officers from the Redmond Police Department (RPD).

“When the verdict came out, we checked in with teens to see how they were doing and suggested we offer a space to have an open discussion and they were for it,” said Ken Wong, teen program administrator for the City of Redmond.

RYPAC youth chair Madison Minsk organized the forum, letting people know about it, researching facts about the incident and developing questions to ask to start the discussion.

“We had a meaningful discussion about the Ferguson case and the issues it brought forward,” said Minsk, who is a senior at Tesla STEM High School. “In particular, we talked about the impact of poverty and the role of protest in our community, as well as the power of the youth voice in Redmond.”

Wong said those in attendance shared their feelings about the Ferguson incident and how it impacts teens in Redmond.

“They shared that it all has impact and that there was a buzz in school most of the day,” he said. “Teachers allowed time to talk about it.”

Minsk added that it was especially helpful to have Redmond police officers participate and listen to their concerns. She said the officers shared “helpful insights about policing in our community and nationwide.”

Wong said the two officers shared their perspective — not about the Ferguson case, but from their point of view and what they need to do as officers.

Janessa Rosick, public information coordinator for the Redmond Police Department, added that they did not experience any activity in town Monday night in response to the Ferguson decision that involved a police response and they were not called in to the response in downtown Seattle.

The issue of race also came up and attendees discussed what race issues in Redmond look like and how the city has grown in diversity, but they were “not more specific than that,” Wong said.

Leandra Shelton, a recreation program coordinator for the city who was also in attendance, said the discussion was positive and perceptive, saying many insightful thoughts were shared on various topics including the public’s (local and national) reactions and responses, how the media affected perceptions, how people make decisions and how the Ferguson decision impacts the Redmond community and communities across the country.

The Reporter will follow up with a larger story in its Dec. 5 issue and online.