Manny Ellis’ sister questions Thurston Sheriff about decision to hire acquitted officer

The sister of a man who died in Tacoma police custody publicly questioned the Thurston County Sheriff on Thursday for his decision to hire one of the officers involved in her brother’s death.

Monét Carter-Mixon, sister of Manny Ellis, attended a public forum Sheriff Derek Sanders organized to hear “grievances” over the hiring decision. She told the gathered group she moved to Thurston County after facing threats in Pierce County.

She wondered why Christopher Burbank, a former Tacoma police officer who was acquitted in the murder trial of Ellis, wanted to work in the same county.

“It just so happened to be Thurston County, where my young Black children ride around the neighborhood?” Carter-Mixon said. “I don’t want someone like that patrolling my neighborhood that I do pay taxes in and where I do live at.”

Sanders swore in Burbank on April 1. Burbank resigned almost immediately following community backlash and Sanders said he was “wrong” to have hired him.

The poignant exchange between Sanders and Carter-Mixon occurred before a crowd at the county’s government building on Pacific Avenue in Olympia. More than 80 people attended the forum and more than two dozen people spoke, offering comments that ranged from admiration to calls for Sanders to resign.

Sanders said he chose to hold the forum because he felt he deserved to be in the “hot seat” after seeing the public comments at the Board of County Commissioners meeting last week.

“Moving forward, I will slow down,” Sanders said at the end of the meeting. “I will think about my decisions and the impact that it has on everyone in our community. And I will consult more outside of my initial circle.”

What else did Carter-Mixon say?

Carter-Mixon was the last to offer public comment. She asked Sanders how he could hire Burbank given his history and an ongoing federal review of Ellis’ case.

Sanders said he understood the review was a routine examination of a high-profile case rather than a formal criminal investigation. He said he did not know Carter-Mixon had moved to Thurston County and he had not discussed her whereabouts with Burbank.

Carter-Mixon said Burbank should have known she moved to Thurston County because it was mentioned during his trial.

She went on to say she thinks the Sheriff’s Office, which is short-staffed, should not get more funding due to a lack of transparency and accountability. She said the decision to hire Burbank was hurtful to her, her family and people who look like her.

“I would hate it if Burbank remembered my husband and decided that he was just going to say, ‘You know, I could get away with it here. They hired me. No one did anything about it,’” Carter-Mixon said.

“He’s seen my kids in court. He’s seen my mother who comes to my house frequently. That’s scary. Maybe not for y’all, but for me it is. I didn’t ask for this.”

What did others have to say?

Thelma Jackson, a Thurston County resident with a storied background in local community service and civil rights, commended Sanders for owning up to and admitting his mistakes.

“It took a man to do that,” Jackson said. “He’s young in his career as a sheriff in this county. He is expressing the fact that there were lessons learned, that he is wiser, brighter, smarter as a result of this unfortunate incident, which it was.”

Cade Walker, chair of the Thurston County Democrats, said members of his party recently voted on whether to rescind their prior endorsement for Sanders due to this incident.

The vote failed, but he said it caused members to reflect on his unfulfilled campaign promise to create a community advisory board for the Sheriff’s Office.

“I believe that there is a way to help further assure that the wrongs are avoided or mitigated in the future,” Walker said. “I think this is through the creation and following through on that promise you made in your campaign of establishing this community advisory board. We’re happy to help you.”

In response, Sanders said he still intends to create a community advisory board. However, he said the legal process to create one is more complicated than he thought and he lacks the staffing to be able to manage such a board at this time.

Jeff Sowers, chair of South Salish Progressive Alliance, said Sanders’ decision hurt the county and the Sheriff’s Office.

“The decision that Sheriff Sanders, that you made, really to me was a clear communication to a large segment of this community that they don’t matter, that their dignity doesn’t matter and that their lives don’t matter.”

Peggy Madsen, a Thurston County resident, said she supported the hiring of Burbank but felt disappointed when Sanders announced Burbank’s resignation.

“While I support your transparency, social media posts can be toxic, and they can whip public opinion into a frenzy…” Madsen said. “You managed to thoroughly anger all facets of our community.”