I just went down to City Hall and filed a complaint against the Olympia Police Department.

I stated that the video shows the Olympia Police ignoring both chain of command and rules of engagement policies. These policies are there to prevent riots from forming out of peaceful demonstrations. Their negligence and stupid bravado caused the event to escalate needlessly putting officers and students in danger.

I stated that the Thurston County officers at the car who never felt threatened enough to use crowd control actions were engaged in the process of a peaceful resolution. The Evergreen policewoman had announced to the crowd that she would let him go, after being advised that that would be the best solution, and was in the process of getting his name and contact information.

The police on the scene first, and therefore in command of the situation, gave no indication that they approved or condoned the other officers coming in and using force. The police on the outside of the circle did not have a strategically limited position like the cops inside the circle making their use of force seem unwarranted and dangerous to the officers surrounded.

The Evergreen policewoman gave no indication that she knew they were coming or that they would be using force. During the forum on Tuesday she stated that she stood up to receive pepper spray in her face. Every indication in the video shown gives the impression that after an hour of the same level of commitment to a peaceful resolution shown by both police and students that letting the man go would have served as a symbolic gesture that would have dispersed the crowd peacefully.