Citizens pushed for inclusiveness. Richland plans special session

After months of citizen pressure, the Richland City Council plans a special session Thursday to talk about inclusiveness.

What does that look like?

Some citizens have pushed for the city to celebrate people from all segments of the community and to do a better job of rejecting hate, bigotry, homophobia and antisemitism.

The council meets at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at 505 Swift Blvd. City Manager Cindy Reents will lead the discussion on a proposed “welcoming statement.”

In September, the city council voted 5-0 to ask city staff to draft a proclamation declaring it a city that celebrates people from all quarters, a concession to citizens who for months have wanted a stronger statement of inclusiveness.

“Inclusiveness” has been a surprisingly divisive topic in the Tri-Cities. It is often confused with “sanctuary” cities and counties, which offer shelter to undocumented immigrants. No Mid-Columbia entity has turned itself into a sanctuary.

In March, Consejo Latino Tri-Cities, Indivisible: Washington State 4th Congressional District and other groups launched an online petition, calling on Richland to pass an “inclusive city” document.

A similar proposal to the Kennewick City Council failed, with the council saying it wanted to give its diversity commission time to complete its job.

In February, the city of Pasco released a statement on immigration status, noting it does not ask about immigration status when providing services.

This story was originally published October 31, 2017 at 12:10 PM with the headline "Citizens pushed for inclusiveness. Richland plans special session."