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Students urge action after Everett teen’s death; Mukilteo land-acknowledgment prompts divided public comments
Summary
Students and community members urged the council to address adolescent gun violence and memorialize victims; a separate exchange among commenters and councilors debated whether Mukilteo should regularly read or otherwise act on a land-acknowledgment statement and whether the city should create a tribal liaison role.
Multiple public commenters at the Mukilteo City Council meeting on May 18 urged action on two civic concerns: youth gun violence and the council’s land-acknowledgment practice.
Students from local high schools, including Jeremiah Pineda of Kamiak High School, described the impact of a recent teen death in Everett and called for formal recognition and support for grieving students. "Every young person deserves the chance to grow up safely," one student said. Council members thanked the students and noted the value of youth participation in public meetings.
Several public commenters then debated the city’s land-acknowledgment statement. Commenter Steve Schmaltz read a land-acknowledgment text and urged the council to read it at every meeting and to acknowledge the Snohomish people and Tulalip successors. Online commenters Elaine Knapp and Laurie Stewart expressed support for more frequent acknowledgment and for creating a tribal liaison position to build relationships with local Indigenous communities.
Opposing commenters raised concerns about wording and historical phrasing. Sharon Damoff said the statement’s language (for example, calling the groups the "original inhabitants") was historically inaccurate and that the term "colonization" was improper for Washington State; she recommended an annual proclamation rather than repeated readings. Council members responded by saying they collectively want a deeper relationship with the tribe and indicated further discussion would continue outside the public-comment record; no formal council action on the land-acknowledgment wording or a tribal-liaison position was taken at the meeting.
Separately, a member of the public raised concerns about a possible future closure of the Sounder commuter rail station and asked the council to press Sound Transit about service continuity and what would happen to the station facility.
The council did not take formal action on the land-acknowledgment issue or student requests at this meeting; members encouraged further conversation and said they would explore options for actions beyond public comments.
Next steps: Council members said they want to deepen engagement with tribal leaders and that staff and council will consider potential next steps; no deadline or formal direction was adopted during the session.
