History
The Coalition membership and values grew out of advocacy for Initiative 940, which was approved in November 2018. Initiative 940 changed the standard for justifiable use of force, put training standards for de-escalation into state law, required first aid be rendered at the scene, required that criminal investigations of police use of force be separate from the involved agency, and mandated that implementation of these policies include the impacted community.
This success began a power shift in Washington state and created credibility and a presence for the families of those killed by the police and for other advocates.
The WCPA formed on June 1, 2020 to address the significant gaps from I-940 and to broaden the scope of the work overall to address police violence generally and put a greater focus on accountability.
The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the killing and ensuing cover up of the death of Manuel Ellis in Tacoma, were the tragic backdrop to this work in Washington State.
Timeline - Washington State
2006
March 20: Otto Zehm, a resident of Spokane, Washington, was a person working as a janitor who had learning disabilities and mental illness. Otto passed on March 20, 2006 after what was a tormented, police-initiated homicide by beating, taser, restraint, and suffocation. The death was a marker in the history of Spokane due to the proven extensive coverup by law enforcement and has spurred the need for police reforms.
2010
August 30: Native woodcarver John T. Williams was killed by Officer Ian Berk in Seattle on August 30 and his death galvanized the community, with the eventual establishment of the Seattle Community Police Commission and oversight of the Seattle Police Department by a federal consent decree.
2015
May 21: Olympia Police seriously injure two young Black men, Andre Thompson, 24, and Bryson Chaplin, 21, who were allegedly shoplifting beer, and organizing begins to address Washington state law requiring that malice be proved in order to hold officers criminally accountable for using deadly force.
2016
The Washington State Legislature fails to address the “malice and good faith” clause. It establishes a joint task force on the use of deadly force and, at the insistence of activist organizers, includes multiple community stakeholders.
January 28: Tacoma Police killed Puyallup Tribal member Jackie Salyers, who was pregnant, while arresting her boyfriend.
February 21:Che Taylor was killed by Seattle Police.
2017
June 14: Tommy Le, a student walking home holding a pen, was shot in the back and killed by a King County deputy.
June 18: Charleena Lyles, who was pregnant, was killed after calling 911 for help.
June 24: Giovonn Joseph-McDade, a student, was killed after being pulled over in a routine traffic stop.
The Legislature introduced legislation to remove the “malice and good faith” clause but could not muster the will to push back against law enforcement and ask the community to compromise. The community organized the DeEscalate Washington campaign, filed Initiative 940, and delivered signatures to the secretary of state on December 28, 2017.
2018
Initiative 940 is approved by Washington voters, changing the standard for justifiable use of force by law enforcement and changing how the community is included in policy discussions at the legislature.
2019
May 31: Jesse Sarey was killed by Auburn police
The De-Escalate Campaign begins monitoring the implementation of I-940. Despite the new law, police killed 42 residents of WA state in 2019 and no officers were criminally charged.
2020
March 3: Manuel “Manny” Ellis is killed by Tacoma Police
The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the brutal death and cover-up of the death of Manuel Ellis by Tacoma Police and ensuing protests spur the WA State Legislature to tackle the policing profession.
The coalition working on I-940 reorganizes and forms the Washington Coalition for Police Accountability and structures its governance and decision-making to center families impacted by police violence.
The King County Prosecutor charges Officer Jeff Nelson with the 2019 killing of Jesse Sarey in Auburn, the first time an officer is criminally charged since the passage of I-940.
2021
The Legislature passes a record 14 bills addressing a wide range of police accountability issues, including a ban on chokeholds, a new statewide office of independent investigations, creating statewide standards on the use of physical force, and transforming the Criminal Justice Training Commission so that it is majority non-law enforcement.
Following an investigation by the Washington Attorney General’s office, three officers are charged for the killing of Manuel Ellis in Tacoma.
2022
Law Enforcement organizes to roll back the bills meant to reduce violence. The WCPA managed to defeat 12 bills aimed at weakening the gains of 2021.
2023
December 21: The trial of three officers charged with killing Manuel Ellis begins in October. All three officers are acquitted on Dec. 21. The city of Tacoma agrees to pay each of the officers $500,000 for agreeing to leave the Tacoma Police Department.
2024
Western Washington’s U.S. Attorney's Office opens an independent review of the case of Manuel Ellis’ death.