One of five students shot in a deadly rampage at a Washington state high school Friday is improving, but answers as to why freshman Jaylen Fryberg opened fire on two of his cousins and three girls were still elusive Saturday, as the town of Marysville struggled to heal.
Dozens of people attended a small vigil at a church Saturday, the second held in as many days since the 10:30 a.m. shooting at Marysville Pilchuck High School that left a young girl dead and four wounded. Fryberg killed himself after being confronted by a teacher.
“Someone described what happened as a rip in our tapestry, our life in Marysville,” Pastor John Mason said during a prayer at Mountain View Presbyterian Church. “There are many threads left hanging. It will take time to weave the threads back together.”
Nick Brouchard, a student at a nearby school, Marysville-Gretchell High School, came to the vigil out of a feeling of powerlessness. “You never think it will happen to you or in your home,” he said. “I felt like I had to do something, because at first I couldn’t.”
Outside Marysville Pilchuck High School, well-wishers left balloons, flowers, stuffed animals and other tokens at a makeshift memorial on a chain-link fence. Some salvaged whatever bright spots they could.
“Our school and community, we’re all so much closer than we ever have been before,” said MPHS junior Madison White, 16. “It’s bringing everyone together.”
Nate Hatch, 14, regained consciousness overnight but couldn’t speak because he is intubated, his family said. Harborview Medical Center said he was in intensive care and was improving Saturday. Andrew Fryberg, 15, remained in critical condition at the hospital.
Two teenage girls, Shaylee Chuckulnaskit and Gia Soriano, both 14, were shot in the head and hospital officials said Saturday that “the next three days are going to be crucial.” The name of the girl that was killed has not been released.
Police did not release a motive in the rampage, although students said Fryberg had recently been in a fight and law enforcement sources believe he may have been upset over a girl. Among the students in Marysville, there were plenty of rumors but no answers.
A student who witnessed the shooting told NBC News that Jaylen himself seemed surprised at the damage he’d wrought.
“I looked up and Jaylen, he was looking at us, but he didn’t look like him. He looked like different person” Alex Hatch, a distant cousin and friend of Jaylen’s, said. “He had a look on his face like he was just realizing what he did.”
MARYSVILLE, Wash. — A student walked into his Seattle-area high school cafeteria on Friday and without saying a word opened fire, killing one person and shooting several others in the head before turning the gun on himself, officials and witnesses said.
Two people were found dead, including the male shooter and a female victim, inside the school north of Seattle. Three other students were critically injured and the shooter, a student at the school, killed himself, according to police, student and hospital reports.
The shooter is freshman Jaylen Fryberg, according to students and his family members. Marysville Police Commander Robb Lamoureux would not confirm whether the second person killed was a student or not.
Three of the victims had head wounds and were in critical condition. Two young women were taken to Providence Everett Medical Center.
A 15-year-old boy, Andrew Fryberg, was at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle in critical condition, hospital officials said.
Austin Taylor said he was sitting about 10 feet from the shooter inside the cafeteria.
“I was sitting at the table right next to the round table (where the shooter was). I just got done eating my food. He was quiet, everyone was talking. All of sudden he stands up, pulls something out of his pocket. At first I thought it was someone making a really loud noise like a bag, a loud pop. There were four more after that. I saw three kids just fall from the table, like they were falling to the ground dead. I jumped under the table as fast as I could. When it stopped, I got back up and saw he was trying to reload his gun. And when that happened, I just ran in the opposite direction and I was out of there as fast as I could.”
Another student described his experience on campus following the incident.
“We all heard the fire alarm. We didn’t hear any gunshots because we were so far away,” said Bryce Vitcovitch, student. “We all started to evacuate into the field. Right when we got to the field, a teacher came running out obviously in a hurry and he was yelling to go back into the classrooms…We got into the classrooms immediately and from there rumors started flying.”
The Marysville-Pilchuck football coach said he was not at school, but checked in with his players by text.
“I’m just making sure my kids are safe,” Coach Brandon Carson said. “I don’t know if any players are involved. I have checked in with a few, and I have talked with a handful of kids.
“They said there’s a shooter in the lunchroom and that’s all I know.”
Di Andres, whose 17-year-old son is a student, said her son texted her about the shooting.
“He said that the school has been in lockdown and he’s been hiding in a closet in a classroom with some classmates,” said Andres. “As far as we know, he’s okay and safe with those other classmates.”
Governor Jay Inslee was briefed about the shooting.
A statement from his office said that he “like everybody is keeping these students and families in his prayers.”
The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office is assisting Marysville Police in the investigation.
FBI spokeswoman Ayn Dietrich said the agency was also assisting and providing specialists to work with victims and their families.
Marysville-Pilchuck High School has many students from the Tulalip Indian tribe. State Sen. John McCoy, a tribal member, said the shooting had devastated the community.
“We’re all related in one shape or form. We live and work and play together,” he said.
Classes were canceled for the week of Oct. 27, according to the Marysville School District. Counselors will be available Friday from 6pm to 8pm and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at 4220 80th St. NE in Marysville.
A prayer vigil was planned for 6:30 p.m. Friday at The Grove Church, according to Pastor Andrew Munoz. Gov. Jay Inslee was among those in attendance.
Elizabeth Wiley and Susan Wyatt contributed to this report.
In the aftermath of the shooting at Marysville-Pilchuck High School, the Washington Office of Public Instruction offered information for parents.
Children react to trauma differently than adults. Some may react right away; others may show signs that they are having a difficult time much later. Adults don’t always know when a child needs help coping. The Department of Health and Human Services offers the following tips and information:
Children and youth between 6 and 19 may have some of the same reactions to trauma as younger children. Often younger children want much more attention from parents or caregivers. They may stop doing their school work or chores at home. Some may feel helpless and guilty because they cannot take on adult roles as their family or the community responds to a trauma or disaster.
Children 6–10 years old may fear going to school and stop spending time with friends. They may have trouble paying attention and do poorly in school overall. Some may become aggressive for no clear reason. Or they may act younger than their age by asking to be fed or dressed by their parent or caregiver.
Youth and Adolescents 11–19 years old go through a lot of physical and emotional changes because of their developmental stage. So, it may be even harder for them to cope with trauma. Older teens may deny their reactions to themselves and their caregivers. They may respond with a routine “I’m ok” or even silence when they are upset. Or, they may complain about physical aches or pains because they cannot identify what is really bothering them emotionally. Some may start arguments at home and/or at school, resisting any structure or authority. They also may engage in risky behaviors such as using alcohol or drugs.
How parents, caregivers, and teachers can support children’s recovery
Parents, teachers, and other caregivers can help children express their emotions through conversation, writing, drawing, and singing. Most children want to talk about a trauma, so let them. Accept their feelings and tell them it is ok to feel sad, upset, or stressed. Crying is often a way to relieve stress and grief. Pay attention and be a good listener.
Ask your teen and youth you are caring for what they know about the event. What are they hearing in school or seeing on TV? Try to watch news coverage on TV or the Internet with them. And, limit access so they have time away from reminders about the trauma. Don’t let talking about the trauma take over the family or classroom discussion for long periods of time. Allow them to ask questions.
Adults can help children and youth see the good that can come out of a trauma. Heroic actions, families and friends who help, and support from people in the community are examples. Children may better cope with a trauma or disaster by helping others. They can write caring letters to those who have been hurt or have lost their homes; they can send thank you notes to people who helped. Encourage these kinds of activities.
If human violence or error caused an event, be careful not to blame a cultural, racial, or ethnic group, or persons with psychiatric disabilities. This may be a good opportunity to talk with children about discrimination and diversity. Let children know that they are not to blame when bad things happen.
It’s ok for children and youth to see adults sad or crying, but try not to show intense emotions. Screaming and hitting or kicking furniture or walls can be scary for children. Violence can further frighten children or lead to more trauma.3
Adults can show children and youth how to take care of themselves. If you are in good physical and emotional health, you are more likely to be readily available to support the children you care about. Model self-care, set routines, eat healthy meals, get enough sleep, exercise, and take deep breaths to handle stress.
PRESCHOOL CHILDREN, 0–5 YEARS OLD
Give these very young children a lot of cuddling and verbal support.
– Take a deep breath before holding or picking them up and focus on them, not the trauma.
– Get down to their eye level and speak in a calm, gentle voice using words they can understand.
– Tell them that you still care for them and will continue to take care of them so they feel safe.
EARLY CHILDHOOD TO ADOLESCENCE, 6–19 YEARS OLD
Nurture children and youth in this age group:
– Ask your child or the children in your care what worries them and what might help them cope.
– Offer comfort with gentle words, a hug when appropriate, or just being present with them.
– Spend more time with the children than usual, even for a short while. Returning to school activities and getting back to routines at home is important too.
– Excuse traumatized children from chores for a day or two. After that, make sure they have age-appropriate tasks and can participate in a way that makes them feel useful.
– Support children spending time with friends or having quiet time to write or create art.
– Encourage children to participate in recreational activities so they can move around and play with others.
– Address your own trauma in a healthy way. Avoid hitting, isolating, abandoning, or making fun of children.
– Let children know that you care about them-spend time doing something special; make sure to check on them in a nonintrusive way
Students and faculty stand on a playing field outside Marysville-Pilchuck HS following a shooting at the school this morning. (Photo by Mark Harrison / The Seattle Times)
Two students are dead after one of them opened fire Friday morning in the Marysville-Pilchuck High School cafeteria before turning the gun on himself, according to law-enforcement sources.
Police said a girl was killed and two other girls and two boys were wounded in the 10:45 a.m. shooting. Several students identified the shooter as freshman Jaylen Fryberg.
Zach Yarbrough, a junior, said he saw the shooter “extend his arm across a round table and fire his gun three to four times.” He watched the shootings but didn’t see what happened afterward because he “was already out of the cafeteria.”
Four young people — two boys and two girls — were taken by ambulance to Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett. Three victims are alive and in very critical condition with gunshot wounds to the head, said Dr. Joanne Roberts, chief medical officer for Providence.
One of them, Andrew Fryberg, a 15-year-old cousin of Jaylen, had surgery then was transferred to Harborview Medical center in Seattle. One of the girls came out of surgery and is in intensive care. The other girl remained in surgery Friday afternoon, Roberts said.
The fourth, a 14-year-old boy shot in the jaw, was earlier transferred to Harborview. He was out of surgery and in serious condition Friday afternoon. He also is a cousin of Fryberg.
“His family is coming to grips with what happened,” a hospital spokeswoman said.
Jarron Webb, 15, said the shooter was angry at a girl who would not date him, and that the girl was one of the people shot. He said he believes one of the victims was his friend since kindergarten.
Freshmen Brandon Carr, 15, and Kobe Baumann, 14, said they were just outside the cafeteria when the shooting happened.
“We started hearing these loud banging noises, like someone hitting a trash can,” Carr said. They heard screaming and yelling.
“Once I knew it was gunshots, we just booked it,” Carr said.
They eventually joined about two dozen kids inside of a classroom with police and FBI. Police told them to stay in there. “Everybody in the classroom was just freaking out crying,” Carr said. Eventually, they were told they could leave, and were loaded onto buses.
Carr said he knew Fryberg and that both were on the freshman football team. He said that Thursday at practice Fryberg was in good spirits.
“He was all happy, dancing around and listening to music. I don’t know what happened today,” Carr said.
Baumann said he was in fourth-period English class with Fryberg right before the shooting, and that he seemed kind of nervous.
“He sits right up in the front. He got called on, but he just kept his head down and didn’t really say anything.”
Students reported pandemonium in the lunchroom after the shooting, with dozens rushing for doors and then jumping a fence to escape.
Freshman Austin Wright said every exit in the lunchroom was jammed with kids escaping gunfire. “I heard three gunshots and I ran.”
Richard Young, who knows the Fryberg family and has a son at the high school, said he’s heard community members describe Jaylen as “a really good kid.”
“He was well liked,” Young said. “It’s just a big shock to everybody.”
Fryberg’s postings on Twitter are full of angst, with his most recent posting on Thursday morning saying, “It won’t last…. It’ll never last….”
“I should have listened…. You were right,” he wrote in another message earlier in the week.
Other images on social media showed him joyful, playing sports and spending time with his girlfriend. One image shows him proudly holding the antler of a deer, with a hunting rifle next to him.
Jaylen comes from a family that is prominent in the Tulalip Tribes. His grandfather is director of fish and wildlife at the tribe.
As residents gathered at the Don Hutch Youth Center on the reservation, one Tulalip resident said many members heard the last name on the news and immediately knew who the broadcasters were talking about. By process of elimination, they realized it was Jaylen.
“We’re all one family,” he said. “You never imagine it’s going to happen here.”
A crisis team is providing counseling services at the center. Anyone in the area is welcome to come, behavioral health executive director Diane Henry said.
“We’ll be here as long as we’re needed,” Henry said.
At a noon news conference, Marysville Police Cmdr. Robb Lamoureux called the scene an active investigation and said police officers were going door-to-door to ensure that the campus was safe. They were leaving tape to mark the doors of rooms that had been cleared. Officers were finding students and staff members hiding alone or in small groups.
“We are confident that there was only one shooter and that the shooter is dead,” Lamoureux said.
Some of the school’s 1,200 students were evacuated, walking out and across the fields with their hands up. Others were told to stay inside classrooms.
Sophomore Arlene Cortez, 16, says she locked herself in a classroom with other students for about 45 minutes before police came in.
Some were bused to the nearby Shoultes Gospel Hall, where they are being accounted for. Lamoureux urged parents and family members of students to stay away from the scene, saying authorities would provide information on a location for them to be reunited with students.
At the church, tearful parents and students were being reunited, and hugging.
Students are escorted to buses for evacuation. (Mark Harrison / The Seattle Times)
Parents and students reunite at Shoultes Gospel Hall (John de Leon/The Seattle Times)
“I never thought I would be standing here after a school shooting,” said Heather Parker, whose son, Corbin, is a senior. “He’s pretty shook up. He just said ‘I’m OK.’ He was trying to calm me down.”
Adam Holston, 14, a freshman, was just leaving the lunchroom when the gunfire broke out. “Everyone just started running. I could hear the gunshots and my heart was racing and we didn’t know what was going on.”
Some ran out to the parking lot, some to the field.
“Someone opened a door and we all ran into classrooms and just stayed there.”
He said all students had been loaded on buses. His sister is a senior. He’s been texting with her and she’s OK.
“The person who everyone thinks did it was just acting normally. It didn’t seem like there was anything wrong.”
Jery Holston has two children in the school now communicating with him by cellphone. They are both OK. Adam is a freshman; Kayliegh is a senior.
Holston said Adam called him this morning yelling, “Dad, dad, hurry, someone is shooting. Please come.” He said his son ran and hid outside in the field by the stadium.
Jery was in Stanwood at the time. “I probably did a hundred miles per hour to get there. I didn’t stop for anything. My heart went into my stomach. As a father, this has been my fear since my kids have been in school, that something like this would happen.”
Ayn Dietrich-Williams, a spokeswoman for the FBI in Seattle, said agents are in Marysville to offer assistance.
All school activities and sports have been canceled Friday.
Marysville is among three school districts recently chosen to share a $10 million federal grant for improved student mental-health services, which have been identified as a pressing need. Administrators were working on plans for the money just as news came about the shooting Friday morning.
“We’re stunned,” just stunned,” said Jodi Runyon, assistant to Marysville superintendent Becky Berg.
Jerry Jenkins, who supervises Marysville and several other districts for the Puget Sound Educational Service District, said, “The tragedy that happened in Marysville could have happened anywhere. We used to have a much greater social safety net. Marysville has been willing to sit down and work with mental health providers to get mental health services to kids who need it, even though that is not a school’s traditional role.”
Students hug family at at Shoultes Gospel Hall. (Ken Lambert / The Seattle Times)
Richard J. Seward of Sto:lo First Nation and Pilalt Tribes welcomed the Washington Tribes with songs and ceremony. Chilliwack is the traditional lands of the Sto:lo people.
New pipeline threatens way of life of Coast Salish tribes
Brad Angerman, Pyramid Communications
CHILLIWACK, British Columbia—Tribal representatives from four U.S. tribes spoke in unified opposition today against oil giant Kinder Morgan’s new proposed tar sands oil pipeline. The announcement took place in Chilliwack, a rural town of 80,000 about 50 miles (86 kilometers) east of Vancouver, B.C. Tribal elders, fishers, leaders and youth presented testimony opposing the project to Canada’s National Energy Board, which will make a recommendation on the future of the pipeline to Canada’s federal government, the ultimate decision-making body for the project.
Swinomish Chairman and NCAI President Brian Cladoosby with Cultural Coordinator of the Swinomish Tribe and members of First Nations.
“We can no longer allow the Salish Sea to be used as a dumping ground,” said Swinomish Chairman Brian Cladoosby. “For more than 150 years we have lived in a pollution-based economy, and today face increased threat of an oil spill in our traditional fishing grounds on the Salish Sea—an event that would very likely lead to irreparable damage to salmon and shellfish habitat, and destroy our way of life along with it.”
The Kinder Morgan proposed oil pipeline would roughly triple the capacity of the existing pipeline, from 300,000 barrels per day to 890,000 per day. It would run alongside an existing pipeline that stretches from the Alberta tar sands oil fields to an oil shipping terminal in Burnaby, B.C., a suburb of Vancouver, greatly increasing the traffic of oil tankers carrying diluted tar sands bitumen through Canadian and U.S. waters.
“The proposed pipeline, if approved, will increase the risk of oil spills and cause more disruption of our fishing fleet. The Suquamish Tribe has a duty to stand up to further threats to our Salish Sea fishing grounds, which have sustained our people since time immemorial,” said Suquamish Chairman Leonard Forsman.
Glen Gobin, Tulalip Tribal Member and Tulalip Tribe Board of Directors Treasurer along the shores of the Fraser River after the ceremony.
“If the pipeline is approved, there will be a massive increase in tanker loadings,” said Tulalip Board of Director Glen Gobin. “This increased traffic will directly interfere with access to traditional and treaty-protected fishing areas, and put the safety of tribal fishers at risk—not to mention drastically increase the chance of a catastrophic oil spill,” he said. “My father, Bernie Gobin, fought side by side with leaders such as Billy Frank Jr. to ensure that salmon, the very essence of who we are as Coast Salish peoples, live on from generation to generation. We fight for our past and our future.“
Canada’s Coast Salish First Nations also oppose the oil pipeline, and testified before the National Energy Board last week. Those tribes included Shxw’owhámel First Nation, Tsleil-Waututh Nation, Kwantlen First Nation, Musqueam Indian Band, Peters Band. Katzie First Nation and Hwlitsum First Nation also provided testimony.
“Like the sea, Coast Salish people acknowledge no boundaries. We are united to protect the Salish Sea,” said Chemainus First Nation member Ray Harris. “It’s a danger to the environment, a violation of aboriginal fishing rights, and a threat to all people who call this unique place home,” he said.
Coast Salish peoples are the indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest, and have traditionally lived along the coasts of Oregon and Washington in the United States, and in British Columbia, Canada. The Salish Sea is a network of waterways between the southwestern tip of British Columbia and the northwestern tip of Washington State, and includes the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Haro Strait, the Strait of Georgia and the Puget Sound.
From left, Suquamish Tribal Chairman Leonard Forsman, Suquamish tribal member Shaylene Jefferson and Suquamish tribal member Cassia Rose pouring waters from their homelands on the Port Madison Indian Reservation alongside the Fraser River.
In this photo taken Sept. 25, 2014, students walk between buildings at the Little Singer Community School in Birdsprings, Ariz. on the Navajo Nation. Like other schools in the Interior Department’s Bureau of Indian Education, remoteness, extreme poverty, bureaucracy and a lack of construction dollars have enhanced the challenges at Little Singer. The Obama administration is pushing ahead with a plan to improve the schools that gives tribes more control. But the endeavor is complicated.
By Kimberly Hefling, AP Education Writer
WINSLOW, Ariz. (AP) — The federal government finances 183 schools and dormitories for Native American children on or near reservations in 23 states. The schools are some of the nation’s lowest performing.
An effort is underway to improve them.
Five things to know about the Interior Department’s Bureau of Indian Education schools:
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THE IMPROVEMENT PLAN
The Obama administration wants to turn day-to-day operations of more of the schools over to tribes, bring in more board-certified teachers, upgrade Internet access and make it easier to hire teachers and buy textbooks. The plan also seeks to provide more support to schools to advance American Indian languages and culture.
But many the schools are in poor physical condition. An estimated $1.3 billion is needed to replace or refurbish rundown facilities, and not much money is coming from Washington. There also is much mistrust of the federal government, given the history of forced assimilation.
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TAINTED HISTORY
The system of government boarding schools to educate Native American students was established in the 19th century as part of an assimilation policy to “eradicate Native cultures and languages through Western education,” according to a government study group.
One of the first to be run directly by Washington was the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania, which opened in 1879. It was founded by Richard Henry Pratt, an Army officer who said, “Kill the Indian in him, and save the man,” according to Jon Reyhner, an education professor at Northern Arizona University.
Many commissions have called for improvements to Indian schools. One, in the 1920s, said the students should be treated as “human beings.”
In 1966, what was then called the Rough Rock Demonstration School opened in Chinle, Arizona, a prototype of the schools that are today owned by the federal government but run by tribes.
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MODERN HISTORY
While about 7 percent of Indian students attend a bureau school today, the great majority are at traditional public schools.
Only a few bureau schools fully immerse students in a Native American language or culture. Others offer them in lesser degrees. But this type of instruction is a draw for parents.
About 6,900 students live in dorms operated by the bureau.
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ONE SCHOOL
Little Singer Community School outside Winslow, Arizona, was the vision in the 1970s of a medicine man who longed for area children to attend a local school. Today, it serves 81 students and school leaders emphasize a nurturing environment. But the rundown classroom buildings have problems with asbestos, radon, mice, mold and flimsy outside door locks. The school has been on a government priority list since at least 2004 for new construction.
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PERFORMANCE OF NATIVE AMERICAN STUDENTS
Indian students overall score higher overall on assessments than those who attend bureau schools.
Native American students overall have high school graduation rates that are lower than the student population as a whole, 68 percent compared with 81 percent, according to government figures from 2011-2012. They also lag peers on a national assessment known as the “nation’s report card” and have lower rates of college completion.
In a 2011 survey conducted as part of the national assessment, 56 percent of Native American and Alaska Native students reported knowing some or a lot about their tribe or group’s history. The rest reported knowing little or nothing.
Tribal representatives from both sides of the border spoke in unified opposition today against oil giant Kinder Morgan’s proposed oil pipeline.
Elders, fishers, leaders and youth presented testimony opposing the project to Canada’s National Energy Board in Chilliwack. The NEB will make a recommendation on the future of the pipeline to Canada’s federal government, the ultimate decision-making body for the project.
“We can no longer allow the Salish Sea to be used as a dumping ground,” said Swinomish Chairman Brian Cladoosby. “For more than 150 years we have lived in a pollution-based economy, and today face increased threat of an oil spill in our traditional fishing grounds on the Salish Sea—an event that would very likely lead to irreparable damage to salmon and shellfish habitat, and destroy our way of life along with it.”
The proposed oil pipeline would roughly triple the capacity of the existing pipeline, from 300,000 barrels per day to 890,000 per day. It would run alongside an existing pipeline that stretches from the Alberta tar sands oil fields to an oil shipping terminal in Burnaby, greatly increasing the traffic of oil tankers carrying diluted tar sands bitumen through Canadian and US waters.
“The proposed pipeline, if approved, will increase the risk of oil spills and cause more disruption of our fishing fleet. The Suquamish Tribe has a duty to stand up to further threats to our Salish Sea fishing grounds, which have sustained our people since time immemorial,” said Suquamish Chairman Leonard Forsman.
“If the pipeline is approved, there will be a massive increase in tanker loadings,” said Tulalip treasurer Glen Gobin. “This increased traffic will directly interfere with access to traditional and treaty-protected fishing areas, and put the safety of tribal fishers at risk—not to mention drastically increase the chance of a catastrophic oil spill,” he said. “My father, Bernie Gobin, fought side by side with leaders such as Billy Frank Jr. to ensure that salmon, the very essence of who we are as Coast Salish peoples, live on from generation to generation. We fight for our past and our future.“
Canada’s Coast Salish First Nations also oppose the oil pipeline, and testified before the National Energy Board last week. Those tribes included Shxw’owhámel First Nation, Tsleil-Waututh Nation, Kwantlen First Nation, Musqueam Indian Band, Peters Band. Katzie First Nation and Hwlitsum First Nation also provided testimony.
“Like the sea, Coast Salish people acknowledge no boundaries. We are united to protect the Salish Sea,” said Chemainus First Nation member Ray Harris. “It’s a danger to the environment, a violation of aboriginal fishing rights, and a threat to all people who call this unique place home,” he said.
“We do find lots of support from far and wide, actually surprising support from the Mayors of the Lower Mainland, huge environmental groups that are on our side. I got lots of faith in the future. Hopefully that’ll be there for our kids and grandkids.”
Tulalip councilwoman Deborah Parker said she hoped the protest would be a day for healing.
“Really my hopes are that the NEB and Kinder Morgan will hear our words. and I know they will be some pretty powerful words,” she said. “The words need to keep coming forward so we’re not living in this fear and in as much pain we have been.
“I hope today is not only a day to hear and to listen, but a day to heal.”
Coast Salish peoples are the indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest, and have traditionally lived along the coasts of Oregon and Washington in the United States, and in British Columbia, Canada.
The Salish Sea is a network of waterways between the southwestern tip of British Columbia and the northwestern tip of Washington State, and includes the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Haro Strait, the Strait of Georgia and the Puget Sound.
Tulalip Bay Fire Chief Teri Dodge, pictured third to last in back row, with a handful of the volunteer firefighters that serves the northern half of Tulalip from Priest Point area to Fire Trail Road. Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News
By Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News
TULALIP – Firefighters at the Snohomish County Fire District #15, known as the Tulalip Bay Fire Department, are asking Tulalip tribal members to consider them when voting in this year’s general election, held on November 4.
The fire department, which services 12,000 people living in an area of 22 square miles on the Tulalip Indian Reservation, is seeking permanent funding by way of an Emergency Services Property Tax levy. The levy will expand the department’s services to include Basic Life Support ambulance transport and improve current emergency medical services if passed.
Tulalip Tribes Board of Directors supports the levy and has promised to match the requested $80,000 in the levy. This will provide funding for additional staff to transport patients to local area hospitals during medical emergencies.
The fire department receives 700 calls a year, with 90 percent requiring medical transport. If the levy passes, Tulalip Bay Fire Chief Teri Dodge states the funding will minimize the department’s need for private ambulance services and provide essential training for staff.
“With the addition of the Tulalip Early Learning Academy in Tulalip, the need to have our own transport has increased,” stated Dodge.
“We’ve never had a levy not pass, but we need a 60 percent majority for it to pass,” said Fire Chief Dodge.
The station currently has a rotating shift of 32 volunteer firefighters, but due to a lack of funding the department has not been able to staff for their own ambulance transport.
If the levy passes it would eliminate wait times for ambulances and cut patient costs.
According to the Tulalip Bay Firefighter’s Association, if the levy is passed, “the maximum tax increase per $200,000 assessed valuation will not exceed $50 per year or approximately $4.16 per month.”
“This levy will help us help the people who are like family to us. We have a great history with the community. This department is different than any other fire department. Our staff goes through extensive cultural training and it is reflected in the diversity of our staff. If the levy passes the cost will be a third of what it is now for our community,” said Dodge.
Brandi N. Montreuil: 360-913-5402; bmontreuil@tulalipnews.com
