tester’s civil rights to forcibly remove them from the premises.” Unfortunately, many businesses choose not to initiate criminal trespass proceedings because of concerns about negative press. Often businesses that do initiate trespass proceedings end up dropping the charges because they do not want to participate in the prosecution proceedings. “It can be frustrating, because it takes a lot of time for the crisis disturbance unit to come in and make arrests,” explained Deputy Police Chief Dave Doll. “Then charges get dropped later. There’s no accountability, and it emboldens the protesters. We need your support from arrest through prosecution to make a difference in the long term.” Following are a few suggestions from the Bellingham Police Department: •When you hear of an upcoming protest that could affect your business, hire off-duty police or private security – law enforcement presence can be a deterrent. •If the demonstration remains peaceful and on public property, as a business owner, you are confined to monitoring the situation. •If a demonstration on public property turns violent, report it to the police. •If demonstrators enter private property: Communicate to the group the parameters in which they will be allowed to continue their protest on your property, or demand the protesters leave, and if they do not leave then contact the police. •Send your employees home and/ or close your business to help ensure personal safety of non-protestors. •Act as monitor for your business – keep an eye on protestors, make notes of any person who is acting in a threatening manner or damages property, and report them to police when they arrive. •When the police arrive, you can request they remain on site to monitor the demonstration or request they initiate criminal trespass proceedings.
NW BUSINESS CONFERENCE AND EXPO If you are a business owner, manager, entrepreneur, budding leader, or someone just interested in learning how to do things better, I would strongly encourage you and your leadership team to join us at the NW Business Conference and Expo on Oct. 25. Take a look at the topics and presenters in this edition. All five are successful leaders of top businesses and all have track records of success.
They will share insights, and each will offer direct takeaways that will benefit you and your business. At this conference, the WBA will also make an announcement about new resources available to assist your business, organization, and leadership team in reaching new levels of success. This event is worth sending your leadership team, and anyone else you see as a future leader in your company. It will be good for them and you. We’ll see you there.
Logistics for the fresh and frozen food industry!
Temperature-controlled trucking. From fresh vegetables to frozen fish, Lynden moves temperature-sensitive commodities while maintaining the product in top quality condition. We offer scheduled service from the Pacific Northwest and Alaska to points throughout the Lower 48. Lynden provides solutions and expertise in handling even the most complex logistics challenges.
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