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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2016
Speaking out against racism
Haggart pleads guilty to 2nd-degree murder SAMANTHA PAK spak@redmond-reporter.com
Shane Coakley (center) addresses the crowd at Redmond City Hall on Wednesday during a demonstration against racism. Behind, from left: Leona Coakley-Spring, James Whitfield, Mark Manuel, Redmond Mayor John Marchione, Suzanne Kagen and Rana Shmait. SAMANTHA PAK, Redmond Reporter
Community members, mayor address crowd at demonstration at Redmond City Hall SAMANTHA PAK spak@redmond-reporter.com
Just because racism is not openly discussed in a community, does not mean it is nonexistent in that community. This was a common sentiment among people who spoke at a demonstration at Redmond City Hall Wednesday afternoon. The event, organized by the Eastside Race and Leadership Coalition (ERLC), was a response to a Redmond business
— From Rags to Riches — being targeted on Jan. 20 when a white suspect delivered Ku Klux Klantype items to the consignment shop. Owner Leona CoakleySpring and her son Shane Coakley, who are black, were both in the store at the time of the incident. Additional demonstrations are planned to be held in Bellevue, Renton, Sammamish, Cascadia College in Bothell and Lake Washington Institute of Technology in Kirkland.
DOMESTIC TERRORISM, SOLVED WITH LOVE
“My life will never be the same,” Coakley told attendees. He said he had never experienced anything like this before and to go through it with his mother made it that much worse. “This is domestic terrorism,” said Bobby Alexander. Alexander, a Seattle resident who also addressed the crowd Wednesday, said Coakley-Spring
and Coakley now must enter their store and wonder whether there will be a Klan member waiting for them at their place of business. He also asked the audience what people are supposed to tell their children. Alexander, who is also black, said CoakleySpring and Coakley are educated. That didn’t save them. They pay their taxes. That didn’t save them, either. Black people are being penalized for their success and [ more RACISM page 6 ]
Redmond residents help a family in need SAMANTHA PAK spak@redmond-reporter.com
Things have not been easy for Stuart Miller and Kelly Scott lately. A few months ago, the couple had been living in Florida when they got in their car to drive across the country. “We needed to get away from a
bad situation,” Miller said. They ended up in Washington, staying with some friends in Renton. But with a newborn baby girl who would often wake up and cry at all hours of the night, Miller said they were soon asked to leave. They weren’t able to gather their belongings before they left and so the new family of three found
themselves on the streets of Renton — their car was no longer running — about a week and a half before Christmas. As they were trying to figure out their next steps, employees from Friends of Youth (FOY) found them and brought them to Redmond United Methodist Church, which was hosting the Eastside Emergency Winter Shelter
(EWS) at the time.
HELP FROM THE COMMUNITY
During their stay at the shelter, Miller said a woman at the church told them about Buy Nothing Redmond, a network of three Facebook groups (separated by neighborhoods) that offer people a [ more FAMILY page 5]
On Jan. 27, Daniel Haggart of Redmond pleaded guilty to second-degree murder with a deadly weapon enhancement in the stabbing that killed 17-yearold Cara Neil in July 2014. Cara Neil The 26-yearold Haggart is now looking to serve between 219 and 319 months in prison, or about 18-26 and a half years. According to Dan Donohoe with the King County Prosecuting Attorney Office, prosecutors will recommend 269 months or almost 22 and a half years. “The victim’s family supports the resolution in the case,” he said. Donohoe said they will proceed with sentencing later this month. Haggart’s sentencing is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Feb. 19 — one year, seven months and one day after Neil was assaulted — in courtroom W-905 of the King County Courthouse in Seattle. Judge Mary Roberts will be presiding. Donohoe said it is not uncommon for a case like this to have several months to more than a year pass before a resolution is found. He said it varies from case to case, but sometimes one side or the other will request a continuance. Donohoe added that [ more NEIL page 6 ]