Court documents show that City of Edmonds Prosecutor Aaron Walls dropped charges against Edmonds resident and Washington State 21st District House of Representatives candidate Bruce Guthrie Tuesday, following his arrest at the Edmonds Arts Festival last month.
Despite the dropped charges, Guthrie still plans to sue the city. He alleges that the city violated his First Amendment rights that day at the city-owned Frances Anderson Center Playfield where the event was held.
“I never hurt anybody, and I never actually broke any laws,” Guthrie said in an interview. “What I did was, I disobeyed the police when they gave me an unconstitutional order.”
Walls did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday afternoon.
Guthrie was collecting signatures for a petition to place third-party presidential candidate Chase Oliver on the Washington ballot in November when the event’s organizer asked him to leave the playfield. Guthrie declined, stating the event was at a public park and that he was allowed to be there, he said in an interview Thursday.
The event organizer then called the Edmonds police, who asked Guthrie to leave, he said. Guthrie once again declined and the police arrested him, taking him to the Snohomish County Jail in Everett.
He was held in jail for a few hours before his wife posted the $500 bail.
“This is a direct violation of the First Amendment,” he said. “There’s special provisions in Washington State Constitution, protecting not just free speech, but specifically the act of petitioning government. This is like the pinnacle of freedom of speech in Washington. And I was being totally peaceful. I went along like a little lamb. All I did [was] I stood there and I stood up for my rights.”
An agreement between the City of Edmonds and the Edmonds Arts Festival Association says the arts festival is a public event. Section 2.3 of the agreement reads: “…the Festival Association will permit citizens attending events open to the general public during the Edmonds Arts Festival to exercise therein their protected constitutional right to free speech without interference on City property.”
Guthrie is confident he and his attorney, Mark Lamb, will win the suit.
“I’m going to sue for absolutely as much money as my lawyer thinks we can get,” Guthrie said. “I’m not gonna get a single cent for me and my family beyond my legal expenses… I’m going to donate any proceeds to local political causes.”
— By Ashley Nash
Given that this was such clear violation of a citizen’s constitutionally protected rights, what steps has the police chief and/or mayor taken to ensure this never happens again. Are the involved officers being held to account. Have there been any suspensions? Or are we just going to let the Edmonds PD run roughshod over the community. If the officers had any questions regarding Mr. Guthrie’s rights, maybe they should have contacted the officer in charge to discuss. The powers that be need to step up and do something. Finally, if this is what the Edmonds PD has time to do, maybe we don’t need as many officers as the chief thinks.
Boneheaded action by the Arts Festival organizer and especially the Edmonds Police Department in a public park.
The Lynnwood Times report on this story provided a brief legal analysis that includes the Edmond’s Art Festivals position regarding political activity at its events. The Lynnwood Times reported the law on the subject is ambiguous, and not as clear cut or one-sided as this My Edmonds News story implies
Truly a major violation of Mr Guthrie’s First Amendment rights.
How mean spirited and misguided by the Edmonds Arts Festival Organizer and sadly by the EPD.
Who is the Edmonds Art Festival Organizer?
My understanding is that Mr Guthrie received permission beforehand from the Edmonds Art Festival to collect signatures.
What’s happening to our little city of Edmonds we’ve affectionately called home now for over 30 years…
Certainly bad behavior, judgement, and publicity for Edmonds, so unnecessary.
There has to be consequences to those who were responsible for the arrest of Mr Guthrie;
they must be held accountable.
People that come to the arts festival don’t need to be harassed by political campaigners.
There’s a time and a place for everything.
This guy obviously thinks HE’s the main character, but if he had any genuine character, he would have respected this space and had common sense, instead of being such a nuisance.
Regardless of what you think. This is a Constitutional right. Time and place public property and he was in the right. Our police department needs Constitutional rights training before they cost us taxpayers more money. Another hit to our already budget issues.
So, free speech should only be exercised when you think it’s appropriate?
You miss the entire point of the Constitution! Your feelings, personal idea of what respect is, and sense of “character” mean absolutely exactly the same as every other U.S citizen. THAT’S what makes this country so dang AWESOME!! Our Constitutional rights. You don’t have to like it , love it, or “respect” that yourself but, speaking for myself and every single one of my brothers and sisters in arms living and dead; we took an oath. Some bled, some shed blood, some never came home… and will again to defend those rights. The same oath cops take but theirs (police” happens to include words like “honor” “integrity” “character”. We The People bruh. We left Edmonds for a reason….
Talk about creating a problem where none really existed and enabling someone to proclaim himself a victim (something that’s all the rage now in America – no one is responsible for anything, they are “just innocent victims of “the system.”) Just let the guy parade around for a couple hours of being ignored or told to “buzz off,” and he’d soon have been gone by his own accord. In the meantime, go arrest a real criminal or give someone a speeding ticket that might actually help society or make our broke city a little cash. The Perp. shot with the handcuffed highly dangerous suspect will be a great city asset at the trial too, if it gets that far (this has give me money and I’ll settle out of court written all over it.) Also good PR for the County request for Public Safety funding that is already on the ballot and the similar City request that is coming right down the road. Stuff like this makes you really want to vote more taxes on yourself to cover the costs of such silliness.
Think about just how obnoxious he must have been for them to have taken him away!. It’s no surprise he’s now so emotionally playing the victim. Constitutional right, or disturbing the peace? Why didn’t he simply cease and desist after multiple requests by festival organizers, why doesn’t he just go away and campaign / bother people elsewhere!
Why don’t we just not allow any form of public speech. Ban all photography in public except for government cameras, ban all public speech, except for government approved speech, ban all forms of artistic expression, except for government approved art. That way, we can all not be annoyed and just enjoy what is “approved”.
Rights have consequences for all of society. The rights of others sometimes annoy the public, but that doesn’t make them illegal or illicit. Annoying, sure, but sometimes, societal freedom is annoying.
I feel like the photograph of Mr. Guthrie used above should be a violation of some constitutional right. Pretty unflattering choice and on this alone I feel bad for the guy.
lol
I want prompt response and parking enforcement vigilance to drivers parking illegally on arterials; that is parking on the wrong side of the street…. at 5th & Main fountain in front of jewelry store … on Main Street in front of the photography store (by Salt & Iron) … on Main Street at Francis Anderson play field … on 900 block of Walnut…. on 7th Ave by construction trucks … on 9th & Dayton by construction workers … on 3rd Ave at City Park … breaking the law for the driver’s personal convenience.,, no care that it is dangerous and illegal. This is America and driving laws are nation-wide, so no excuse is acceptable. This disrespectful stupidity must stop. A 911 non-emergency call can get action.
Chase apparently is quite the gun nut. Too bad Guthrie has to choose an arts festival attended by lots of children and disabled people to promote his gun causes.
Careful. Your comment borders on defamation and Chase would be justified in coming after you and this paper for the same. Do you have the budget for that?
Just to be clear, under the terms of the City’s agreement with the Festival Association, Mr. Guthrie was fully within his rights to be petitioning on festival grounds. This agreement reads in relevant part~
“2.3 The Festival Association agrees that the Edmonds Arts Festival is a public event. The Festival Association further agrees that areas provided by the City that are covered under this Agreement, including but not limited to public right of way, streets, sidewalks, parks, parking lots, gardens, meeting halls and squares, are traditional public forums. As a result, the Festival Association will permit citizens attending events open to the general public during the Edmonds Arts Festival to exercise therein their protected constitutional right to free speech without interference on City property.”
This seems to be standard boilerplate language common to most such festival agreements. City officials, especially the Chief of Police, should make clear what steps they are taking to assure that acknowledged and protected rights are fully respected in the future.
This gets even better today. Now we see Mr. Guthrie is running for state Representative office and what could be better than a little free publicity compliments of the City of Edmonds Police Dept. and our Crown Jewell Art Festival. I cannot believe we actually arrested this guy, taking what amounts to a mugshot handcuffed in the police car, and then even hauling this desperado up to County Jail. This looks like the police demanding respect gone mad no matter how well intended it was on their part. To cap it off the City Prosecutor drops the charges. We’ve become Edmonds – The Lawsuit Capitol of Washington. Please, just a little common sense everyone, before we all have to sell out and move to Brier.