An active and informed citizenry — and respect for local law enforcement

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, February 25, 2026

The nation witnessed the death of two of our fellow citizens in Minneapolis last month. Their deaths, roughly two weeks apart, happened in the days just prior to our regular city council meetings. I grappled with a decision of whether or not to speak to these events from the privilege of my seat on the council, and if I were to speak, what words would be appropriate.

The following is an edited combination of the two statements I decided to speak into the record during open council discussion on Jan. 12 and Jan. 26.

I have been finding it difficult to find the right words to speak into the record following the death of Renee Good and Alex Pretti over the last weeks in Minneapolis. I’ve settled on three themes:

1: It is so disheartening to observe how the same events are interpreted so differently depending on the lens one wears when viewing them. It is my hope and aspiration that our community, those of us who live in the beautiful city of Sequim and our neighbors in the unincorporated parts of our county will continue to rise above the division and continue to work toward our common goal of making this the best possible place to live for anyone who wants to live here.

2: In my faith community we have as a part of our liturgy a reminder to pray for our elected officials and our unelected policy makers. I have found this to be a challenging reminder. We also pray for an informed and active citizenry. I am grateful that the residents of Sequim are an encouraging reminder that we live in a community of informed and active citizens.

3: I want to clearly say to Chief Hill and our police force that we respect you and value you and your professional example of responsible law enforcement in our community. I am grateful there is an appropriate separation in the minds of our residents, just as in the minds of our friends in Minneapolis, between the responsible law enforcement of our police and the actions of many of the federal agents we have witnessed.

I want to remind the council as well as the citizens of Sequim that we have recognized and celebrated in this chamber lives saved by the sacrificial efforts of our officers this past year. I confidently speak for my fellow counselors when I say thank you Sequim police and pray you will continue to be safe as you serve us.

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Dan Butler holds the Position 2 seat on the Sequim City Council