Chief Roger Morningstar speaks to attendees of a public meeting in Morton on Monday.
Morton Mayor Dan Mortensen, left, talks to Rich Vanderlip during a public meeting on Monday.
Crowds gather outside the Bob Lyle Community Center during a public meeting in Morton on Monday.
Community leaders gather for an in-person meeting Monday in Morton.
Two Lewis County residents intending to address the Morton City Council on policing issues were removed from the agenda and not allowed to speak at its regular meeting Monday evening.
The meeting was attended by roughly 80 people after online rumors swirled that “Antifa” and a local group would be calling for the removal of Morton Police Chief Roger Morningstar.
“I have concerns about whether or not we need to entertain all the items that are on the agenda, particularly the ones that refer to either support or nonsupport for Chief Morningstar and his position on the police department,” Councillor Richard Vanderlip said.
Sarah Brown, a Chehalis resident and Amnesty International volunteer, said her allotted time would have been spent on a presentation on “good practice for law enforcement policing demonstrations,” while Morton resident Rick Yearout said Morningstar has not enforced the state’s mandates and wanted to discuss with the city council whether it warranted his removal.
Vanderlip added: “I don’t see where we even have any reason to take and entertain the argument for him to be removed simply because of the fact that there are so many reasons why the person may not wear a mask.”
Another councilmember noted that it isn't the council’s role to decide on firing a police chief, rather that was Mayor Dan Mortensen’s decision to make. Mortensen was previously Morton’s police chief. Brown had no intention of asking for his removal while Yearout thought it was, at the very least, worth a discussion.
“Is there a motion to remove 2 (Brown’s agenda item) and 8 (Yearout’s agenda item) from the agenda?” Mortensen asked
City Clerk Tamara Clevenger interjected saying, “I would think you should know what number two is about, they called today and said they are not about any of this that is going on here,” referencing a call to remove Morningstar from his position.
Vanderlip said he had received an email that implied Brown’s agenda item was connected with asking for Monringstar to be fired, and apologized for the confusion.
Even so, Vanderlip made a motion to dismiss the two items, it was seconded immediately, and both Brown and Yearout were advised they no longer had time to speak.
Brown made an attempt to plea with the council that she was not responsible for the email that connected Amnesty International with calling for Morningstar’s removal, but she was cut off by Mortensen.
“Ma’am, you can’t speak, the council has made the decision,” Mortensen said.
Many of the people in attendance at the meeting cheered with Brown and Yearout’s agenda items were removed.
Yearout left the meeting immediately after the decision was made and told The Chronicle on Tuesday morning that the meeting was “a sham.”
“I had something I wanted to read, it was about 60 seconds, I thought it was worth a minute, you know?” Yearout said.
Yearout wanted to have a discussion with the council about what he called Morningstar’s blatant disregard for face covering mandates, saying it warranted a discussion about removing him from his post.
“I believe that Chief Morningstar would rush to defend and protect our children if there was an armed gunman on school grounds,” Yearout said. “But why will he not protect and defend an ailing 90-year-old woman who is walking into the pharmacy from a potential COVID carrier?”
Despite both Brown and Yearout being removed from the agenda, Brown said she will apply again to the next city council meeting where she hopes to give her presentation.
Word that Antifa and members of the Southwest Washington Anti Racist Movement, a Facebook group with 251 followers, were coming to the meeting to demand Morningstar’s removal spread quickly via social media.
Most notably, Jennifer Hedge, who has sounded the alarm for Antifa coming to Morton in the past, made the call once more on the private Facebook group “East Lewis County Heads Up.”
“Morton, Wa — SWARM and ANTIFA are planning to attend the City Hall meeting to demand the chief be recalled. Please show your support!,” Hedge wrote in a post Sunday evening. “Roger Morningstar supports your constitutional rights. He volunteers to teach our local kids their constitutional rights.. lets stand up for him!”
Approximately 80 people showed up for the meeting.
There was such a desire to attend the meeting that Mortensen distributed numbered tickets to prospective attendees outside of the door and do a raffle to decide who would get to fill the 20 allotted seats in the Bob Lyle Community Center.
Despite being dismissed from the meeting’s agenda, Brown says she intends on reapplying and giving her presentation at the next city council meeting.
