Signature Gatherer Sues Puyallup After Police Told Him To Move

PUYALLUP, WA - A prolific signature gatherer is suing Puyallup over an incident that happened at the 2018 Spring Fair. Two police officers asked Roy Ruffino to move out of a "pedestrian safety zone" that had been set up specifically for the busy event - but Ruffino says the police violated his First Amendment right to petition in a public space.

Ruffino sued City Manager Kevin Yamamoto and two police officers in federal court in Seattle on Monday. Ruffino and another signature gatherer were standing outside the fair on April 19 when two officers approached and asked them to move along. The police showed Ruffino and the other signature gatherer a copy of Yamamoto's executive order on pedestrian safety zones, which says nothing can block the pedestrian safety zone.

The pedestrian safety zone was set up at the intersection of Meridian and 9th Avenue Southwest.

Ruffino is one of the two principals behind Citizen Solutions, a signature gathering company that has mainly been used by Tim Eyman. Ruffino was gathering signatures outside the Spring Fair for an initiative for $30 car tabs.

Read Ruffino's full complaint here:

Image via city of Puyallup

Correction: An earlier version of this story mistakenly inferred that Tim Eyman is the owner of Citizen Solutions.