The Memorial Day service at the Freedom Walk Memorial in Centralia’s George Washington Park Monday allegedly ended on a sour note, according to an attendee.
Ally Pickard, of Centralia, attended the Centralia City Council meeting the following evening and recounted a story of her and some fellow attendees witnessing what she described as two men shouting at each other and striking each other with axes near children after the service.
“Two groups of individuals had been hanging out on the library side of the monument all day, and two men, one from each group, began shouting at each other,” Pickard said. “Earlier, I had noticed that one of these men was swinging a large stick around like a weapon. The two men began sparring in the middle of the park, striking each other with large sticks.”
Pickard said she was talking with Councilor Adrianna Garibay, former Councilor Elizabeth Cameron, city council candidate Chuck Kifer and a local business owner when they witnessed the incident. As she alerted the business owner to call their children to safety, one child stood frozen in shock while the men screamed and fought, she said.
“One man then lost control of his stick, which flew out of his hand and landed within a foot of that frightened child. This stick turned out to be the handle of a large ax, probably 2 and a half feet long. We quickly drew the children behind us to safety and called 911,” Pickard recalled. “The man who lost his stick charged the other and began punching him. Mr. Kifer approached the men, attempting to calm the situation.”
Pickard said police arrived moments later with four patrol vehicles surrounding the park. After the meeting, Centralia Police Chief Andy Caldwell told The Chronicle that her testimony was the first he had heard of the incident. It is not clear if any arrests were made.
The police, per Pickard’s recount, surrounded both groups and “assessed the situation” while being met with “verbal abuse, shouting and continued aggressive behavior.” She requested that the city council take action and live up to its priority of public safety in the city.
“At the last council meeting, you highlighted that the number one priority of the city is public safety. Washington Park is a beautiful gem in our downtown core, yet many are afraid to visit or attend events there,” she said. “I ask that you consider adding a permanent surveillance security system for Washington Park to your strategic planning and begin setting aside funds for this purchase. Ideally, we could install a permanent system or purchase a second surveillance trailer for the police department.”
Pickard offered to volunteer her time to help the city apply for grants to support the initiative. During council reports, Garibay thanked police for their timely response in handling the incident.
“It was definitely not something that I was happy to watch. We were just having a good conversation with the (business owner) and, all of a sudden, you see the big stick flying away. The kids were so close,” she said. “As soon as the police were gone, one of the guys came again and was saying all of these nasty words and screaming. I want to see if we can do something about it. It’s a beautiful part, and we want the community to feel safe and the kids to be able to come and play.”
Councilor Norm Chapman said the aggressive behavior in George Washington Park is affecting the culture of the city.
“One of the top three comments I get is aggressive behavior in Washington Park. You can’t walk there with your kids without aggressive behavior,” he said. “It’s clearly a transient situation because you usually have a shopping cart full of belongings and they hang out at Washington Park all day in groups. It’s sad, and I know a lot of that population is unwilling to accept help from social service agencies or religious organizations.”
