Burien's Respect Washington Group Added To SPLC 'Hate Map'

BURIEN, WA - A Burien anti-immigrant group that sought to repeal the city's sanctuary city policy has been classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The group Respect Washington was recently added to the SPLC's "hate map," joining other groups active in Washington like the Ku Klux Klan and the Northwest Front.

Respect Washington drew scrutiny in October when its members sent out an inaccurate flier to Burien residents listing crimes allegedly committed by immigrants in the Seattle area. The flier also included the names and addresses of allegedly undocumented Burien residents.

The group supported City Council candidate Deborah Wagner, and Wagner's name appeared on that October flier. Wagner donated $300 to Respect Washington.

Respect Washington was behind Proposition 1, a 2017 ballot initiative to overturn Burien's sanctuary city policy. A judge blocked that measure from appearing on the November ballot. Wagner lost her 2017 reelection bid to labor organizer Jimmy Matta, who is now mayor of Burien.

According to state campaign finance records, Respect Washington ended 2017 with about $1,000. During the height of the Proposition 1 push, Respect Washington had raised nearly $40,000, but more than half ($25,000) came from a Michigan group called US Inc.

US Inc. was founded by John Tanton, who the SPLC said, "spent decades at the heart of the white nationalist movement."

Patch has emailed Respect Washington founder Craig Keller for a reaction to group's listing on the hate map. The group's phone number was not working. We will update this post if we hear back.

File photo by Neal McNamara/Patch