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FRIDAY, JAN. 2, 2015
CAN FERGUSON HAPPEN HERE? PART 1 of 3:
TOP
STORIES
2014
of
Police useof-force at a 10-year low in Renton
As the debate over police use-of-force and minority relations continues to be one of the major stories of 2014, the Renton Reporter is looking into police tactics, procedures and relations in our community. BY TRACEY COMPTON
tcompton@rentonreporter.com
Inclusive playground gets rave reviews Renton opened its first ever all-inclusive playground at Meadow Crest Early Education Center this year. In May 2014, the city’s new playground, designed with all age levels and abilities in mind, hosted a grand opening celebration that allowed kids of all ages – including the Blue Thunder Drum Line – to get their first shot at the one-acre playground. It was the brain child of Terry Higashiyama, community services administrator for the City of Renton. She wanted to have Renton’s service organizations all pitch in to create the city’s first inclusive playground.
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The project is possible due to an interlocal agreement between the Renton School District and the city. The playground sits on land owned by both entities. Funding came from multiple sources, including $200,000 from the Renton Community Foundation’s Custer Fund. The playground was well-received by the community and even won the Governor’s Smart Community Award for 2014.
The Landing sold for $165 million One of the biggest business stories of the year came in January when it was announced that The Landing would begin 2014 under new ownership. A Massachusetts-based company purchased the 18-acre shopping center from Pearlmark Harvest Lakeshore for a total of $165,400,000. Though the deal was filed Dec. 23, 2013, it was not reported until January. The sale is for the retail portion of the development only and does not include the apartments, which were developed by other entities. Target is also excluded from the sale as they own their own space. [ more TOP STORIES page 5 ]
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As 2014 comes to an end, the Renton Reporter staff is taking a look back at some of the stories that most affected our readers this year. From the sale of major local business assets to the opening of a new playground to the final word on the UW strategic alliance and the death of a Renton City Council member, this past year provided us with a lot of news and a lot of memories. Here are some of the stories that we followed this year:
After the death of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager shot by Darren Wilson, a white police officer in Ferguson, Mo., the nation once again erupted into a national debate about use-of-force tactics and police relations with communities of color. It had been a little more than a year since the Trayvon Martin case was decided and George Zimmerman would go free after a confrontation that resulted in Martin’s death. Then, this fall in New York City, protests erupted anew following the death of Eric Garner, who died from a chokehold applied by a police officer during an arrest, and the subsequent decision by a grand jury not to indict the officer. Renton has not had an incident like that of Brown’s or Martin’s, but is there the potential for something like that to happen here? Comments from the Renton Police Department suggest that the potential for an incident like the Brown case is not known, but the numbers point to a downward trend in use-of-force incidents in the city. Following the incidents in Ferguson and New York City, the Renton Police Department has not changed any of its use-of-force or community engagement tactics. Renton’s use-of-force policies are based on case law decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. “Could it happen here?” said Chief [ more HERE page 12 ]