Walla Walla resident admits chalking over hateful sidewalk graffiti, urges council to act

David Schmaltz, a Walla Walla resident, told the City Council on Dec. 4 that he spread garden lime on sidewalks downtown to cover racial and other invective he said had been chalked near Colville and Maine.

"My granddaughter's afraid to go downtown," Schmaltz said. He described the messages as "racial slurs common to the Jim Crow South" and said visitors had told friends they felt unsafe while downtown during a recent wine‑tasting weekend. "I intended only to undo harm," his wife, Amy Schwab, added, asking the council to cite any ordinance that imposes civility requirements.

Councilmembers acknowledged the harm described but cautioned that municipal authority to prohibit or remove chalked messages is legally constrained. Councilmember Robinson, who identified himself as an openly gay man, said the graffiti makes him fearful and thanked staff for work on the issue: "I have to believe that if staff are telling me that we are interpreting things a certain way, that they would not be saying something like that unless there was a reason."

Mayor Scribe and city staff said the city attorney is researching case law and options and that the city will continue to explore enforcement or other remedies consistent with state and federal law. No formal action was taken; staff will continue review and report back to council.