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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 16, 2019)
A3 THE ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2019 Armed man attacking Tacoma’s ICE detention center is killed Man shot by police By BRIAN CONTRERAS and PAIGE CORNWELL Seattle Times TACOMA, Wash. — A protest outside the federal immigration detention cen- ter in Tacoma last year drew headlines when a 68-year- old man wrapped his arms around a police offi cer’s throat and shoulders in an apparent attempt to free another protester. When police got the man into handcuffs, they found a collapsible baton and knife in his pocket, leading to criminal charges. Early Saturday morn- ing, that man, Willem Van Spronsen, of Vashon Island, returned to the Northwest Detention Center, the hold- ing facility for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, this time armed with a rifl e and incen- diary devices, according to Tacoma police. Police said Van Spron- sen tossed lit objects at vehi- cles and buildings, causing one car fi re, and unsuccess- fully tried to ignite a propane tank. Offi cers were called by an ICE employee who saw the rifl e. Soon after they arrived, offi cers reported “shots fi red,” said Tacoma police spokeswoman Loretta Cool, although it is unclear who fi red fi rst or if Van Spron- sen fi red at all. The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Offi ce classifi ed his death as a homicide. The four responding offi - cers all opened fi re and then took cover, uninjured. After medical aid arrived, offi - cers found Van Spronsen dead. He had multiple gun- shot wounds, according to the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s offi ce. Immigration is increas- State Senate Republicans face penalties over walkout Senators fl ed the state to protest climate legislation By AUBREY WIEBER and CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE Oregon Capital Bureau Seattle Times Offi cers stand guard in front of a roadblock near the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma. ingly a fl ashpoint Ameri- can politics, and Van Spron- sen’s death came on the eve of national raids by ICE tar- geting thousands of undocu- mented immigrant families who the government said missed court hearings or who had received removal notices. Deb Bartley, a friend of Van Spronsen’s for about 20 years, described him as an anarchist and anti-fascist, and she believes his attack on the detention center was intended to provoke a fatal confl ict. “He was ready to end it,” Bartley said. “I think this was a suicide. But then he was able to kind of do it in a way that spoke to his politi- cal beliefs ... I know he went down there knowing he was going to die.” She and other friends of Van Spronsen got letters in the mail “just saying good- bye.” He also wrote what she referred to as a mani- festo, which she declined to discuss in detail but pre- dicted would be taken by authorities. Maru Mora-Villalpando, an activist with the group La Resistencia, which has fre- quently protested the con- ditions at the detention cen- ter and broader immigration policy, said she did not know Van Spronsen. Nor was La Resistencia involved with the June 2018 protest at which he was arrested, she said. However, the group believes, based on informa- tion provided to them, that Van Spronsen was target- ing the detention center’s parking lot, which includes a fl eet of buses that trans- ports immigrants to the Yakima airport, where they are deported. Van Spronsen had worked as a self-employed carpen- ter and contractor, accord- ing to court documents. He was also a folk singer, play- ing shows on Vashon Island and around the Seattle area. The 2018 protest involved about 160 people outside the detention center. About 40 people blocked a police car that had arrived, prompting the offi cer to call in backup; about 25 offi cers responded. In court documents, Van Spronsen was accused of lunging at a police offi cer’s neck to help free a 17-year- old protester who was being detained. Van Spronsen refused to comply with offi - cers’ orders, and as he was led through a crowd of pro- testers, police said he tried to pass the baton to another protester. Van Spronsen was punched in the face at least once during the alterca- tion. Nine other people were arrested as well. He ultimately pleaded guilty in Pierce County Superior Court to one count of obstructing an offi cer, a gross misdemeanor, and received a one-year deferred sentence in October, accord- ing to court documents, which labeled him indigent. The four male offi cers involved in Saturday’s fatal shooting — whose tenure with Tacoma police ranged from 20 years to 9 months — were placed on paid admin- istrative leave per depart- ment policy. ICE spokeswoman Tanya Roman confi rmed the shoot- ing incident and said no ICE employees were hurt nor involved. She referred ques- tions to Tacoma police. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Seattle division said it will be supporting the investigation. La Resistencia had ini- tially planned a protest of the facility for Saturday after- noon, but postponed the event after reporting road closures around the center. SALEM — When Republican senators fl ed the state in June to avoid voting on controversial leg- islation, they were gone for nine days. They drove or fl ew out of state, stayed in hotels or cabins, and otherwise lived out of sight. Most went to Idaho, though state Sen. Fred Girod, R-Stayton, told the Oregon Capital Bureau he was in Texas. A spokesman for Sen. Dennis Linthi- cum, R-Klamath Falls, said he was on the E ast C oast attending a conservative conference. Some legislators and lobbyists remaining in the Capitol speculated that the 11 senators would tap their political campaign accounts to cover their travel costs. That doesn’t appear to be the case. And they also so far hav- en’t faced the $500-a-day fi nes threatened by Sen- ate Democrats that would likely total $3,500 for each. Senate President Peter Courtney’s staff said Friday he still intended to bill the absent senators, but shared no fi rm plan for doing so. Senate Republican spokeswoman Kate Gillem said the threat of fi nes now “looks like a bluff.” Sen. Herman Baertsch- iger, the Senate Republi- can leader, questioned the legality of imposing fi nes. He said outside attorneys have been hired to look into it. “I have a feeling this is going to get complicated,” Baertschiger said. There was talk about the fi nes being deducted from senators’ pay. “The fi nes shall be col- lected by forfeiture of any sum that becomes due and payable to the absent mem- ber, including salary and per diem,” Sen. Ginny Bur- dick, D-Portland, said on the Senate fl oor in June . But now Senate Dem- ocrat leaders say they will send invoices. When the Legislature is in session, lawmakers receive $149 a day for liv- ing expenses. The traveling Republicans still collected that money while they were absent, according to Legis- lative Administration. All said they used their own money to pay for travel and confi rmed they haven’t been fi ned yet. Sen. Brian Boquist, R-Dallas, did voluntarily pay $3,500 in fi nes and said he did so to set up a legal challenge to such punishment. Baertschiger said he never advised the caucus to use personal funds but believes each senator did so on their own. When asked if he was exploring reimbursements for those senators, such as through campaign funds, Baertschiger said, “No, I think we’ve just all agreed to pay for it with personal money.” Sen. Cliff Bentz, a Republican from Ontario, agreed there was no direc- tive on how to pay for expenses, but said the caucus is looking into reimbursement. “The only thing that was really said was save your receipts in case there is a reimbursement opportu- nity,” Bentz said. “I know people are looking into it, but I know the safest thing was for me to pay out of my own pocket, so that’s what I did. I haven’t decided whether I will ever ask for reimbursement.” We invite you to join us as we celebrate and thank our customers for 75 years of business. Friday, July 19th 7:30am to 5:30pm 95 Hamburg Ave., Astoria Great Giveaways & Raffle Prizes! Sale On Select Items! Regatta Court Appearance at 11:30! And So Much More! www.Eng lundMarine.c o m
