PORT TOWNSEND — In response to the planned posting of American Civil Liberties Union signs on Jefferson Transit buses in March, GOP of Jefferson County officials say they hope to put up their own signs on buses to “present both sides.”
Ron Gregory, chairman of the county’s Republican Party, said that the signs would constitute a simple response to the ACLU signs that will advise bus riders about what to do if they are questioned about their citizenship by federal Border Patrol agents.
“It’s a very vanilla-pudding sign,” Gregory said.
“The gist of it is to cooperate with, and not confront, the Border Patrol.
“I thought that was a fair balance to the ACLU ad that says you don’t have to say anything.
(Click here https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20090219/NEWS/302199995 to see the ACLU’s sign and an earlier report.)
Silent confrontation
“If you don’t say anything, that’s confronting and our message is to be accommodating.”
Signs telling bus riders their civil rights, as delineated by the ACLU, will be posted inside Jefferson Transit buses.
The signs are the result of Jefferson Transit officials wanting to make their buses a “safe haven” for riders. The transportation agency is not charging the ACLU for the space for the signs, one per bus.
Border Patrol officials have said they are interested in boarding buses that travel across county lines, such as those running between Sequim and Port Townsend.
They have not boarded public transit buses since checkpoints and other Border Patrol efforts to protect the U.S. border heightened on the North Olympic Peninsula since late last year.
Sees little difference
County Commissioner David Sullivan, who also chairs of the Transit Board, said he read the two signs and didn’t see much of a difference.
“It seemed a bit repetitive when I looked at it today,” Sullivan said.
“I suggested that we put it on the [Transit Board] agenda and discuss it.”
Sullivan said he wasn’t opposed to the sign’s message, but that he didn’t want to take up space on the community information board if it wasn’t needed.
“We will take a look at it,” he said. “We took a while to get the ACLU one on there, so we’ll just take them as they come.”
Dave Turissini, manager of Jefferson Transit, said that in the past, signs of this nature have normally not been discussed.
“Typically, these are just service signs, and they go right up without any discussion,” he said.
“But with this, it’s a controversial issue, so I understand.”
Turissini explained that for a sign to be put up free of charge as a service sign, a group must be nonprofit, not selling anything and adhere to restrictions on content.
Just by applying policy to the signs, Turissini said both the ACLU sign and the GOP sign could be placed on the buses.
The board “will first discuss it,” he said.
“But to me, speaking as an individual, it does seem like the same thing being said again.”
The Transit Board will meet at 1:30 p.m. March 17 at the Port Townsend Fire Station, 701 Harrison St.
Signs from the ACLU are not currently on buses, but Turissini said they would go up as soon as they are shipped to his office from the organization.
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Reporter Erik Hidle can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at erik.hidle@peninsula dailynews.com.
