| — NEWS RELEASE — FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  |
| Feb. 12, 2021 AG Ferguson: Federal judge blocks sale and closure of Seattle’s National Archives facility SEATTLE — Attorney General Bob Ferguson issued the following statement today after a federal judge in Seattle blocked the federal government’s plan to expedite the sale of Seattle’s National Archives facility and ship the un-digitized records out of the region. Judge John C. Coughenour, Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington, said he will issue a preliminary injunction next week in which he will rule that Ferguson’s coalition was likely to prevail in its lawsuit asserting that the federal government acted unlawfully when it moved to sell the National Archives facility and scatter the archival records thousands of miles away. Ferguson, working with a coalition of regional tribes, community organizations, the City of Seattle and Oregon’s Attorney General, asked the court in January to enjoin, or block, the sale while the litigation continues. The coalition filed nearly 600 pages of declarations from 79 individuals. “Today’s legal victory blocks the federal government’s unlawful plan to sell the Archives and scatter the DNA of our region thousands of miles away,” Ferguson said. “This victory preserves our ability to physically connect to our history by visiting the Archives and accessing the un-digitized records that are deeply personal to so many. The federal government callously ignored deep concerns raised by the decision to ship these records to California and Missouri, including issues related to racial equity, tribal relations, conservation, good government, and the rule of law. The judge just did what these federal agencies should have done – consider the facility’s importance to our region and apply the law.” Assistant Attorneys General Lauryn Fraas and Kristin Beneski are handling this case for Washington. -30- The Office of the Attorney General is the chief legal office for the state of Washington with attorneys and staff in 27 divisions across the state providing legal services to roughly 200 state agencies, boards and commissions. Visit www.atg.wa.gov to learn more. Media Contact: Brionna Aho, Communications Director, (360) 753-2727; Brionna.aho@atg.wa.gov General contacts: Click here |
Tag Archives: National Archives
Public Comment on Sale of Seattle National Archives Building
| — NEWS RELEASE — FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
| Dec. 29, 2020 AG Ferguson to host remote public comment meeting on National Archives facility and records Feds did not solicit input in the Pacific Northwest before deciding to sell the building and move the region’s records SEATTLE — Attorney General Bob Ferguson today announced he will host a remote public meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, so the public can share their comments on plans by the federal government to sell Seattle’s National Archives building and move the records thousands of miles away. The federal government did not hold any meetings of its own in the Pacific Northwest, and did not consult with state, local, or tribal leaders in the region prior to announcing its decision to sell the Archives facility. One member of the Public Buildings Reform Board (PBRB) recently said the sale would allow the Archives building to “become a part of the community, as opposed to what it is today.” The office will record the public comments and forward them to the PBRB. Ferguson will also formally invite the PBRB members to attend the remote public hearing. The public meeting will be held via Zoom from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 19, 2021. Zoom link: https://atg-wa.zoom.us/j/83852186385?pwd=amIvSHA4MHJJdzRVcDgzRSthQjdpQT09 Meeting ID: 838 5218 6385 Passcode: 426894 Phone: 253-215-8782, 838-521-863-85# Find your local number: https://atg-wa.zoom.us/u/kBnoJrmI5 Individuals with questions about the meeting or looking to provide assistance with the case should use this form. “The federal government continues its complete indifference for the communities, tribes and individuals impacted by its plan to sell the National Archives facility and export archival records out of the region,” Ferguson said. “The bare minimum American taxpayers should expect is the ability to provide public comment before bearing the brunt of important government actions that cannot be undone. Unfortunately, in this matter, the federal government utterly failed to meet that low bar, which is why my office is forced to do it for them. I’m inviting Washingtonians to tell the federal government what this building, and the millions of records it houses, means to them and their communities.” On Thursday, Dec. 4, Ferguson announced that his office recently uncovered a dramatic change in the plan for the proposed sale of the National Archives building buried in a 74-page meeting minutes document from October. During the October meeting, the PBRB disclosed that it would move to immediately sell the Archives facility, along with a “portfolio” of other federal properties, in early 2021. It had planned on selling the properties individually over the next year. Ferguson’s legal team is finalizing a lawsuit to stop the federal government from proceeding with an expedited sale of the National Archives facility in Seattle. Additionally, Ferguson’s office already filed four lawsuits seeking access to public records about the PBRB’s decision. Judge Robert S. Lasnik of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington will preside over the four cases. On Dec. 10, Ferguson filed a motion for summary judgment in the records case against the PBRB. Decision to sell the Seattle National Archives building Last year, the PBRB identified a dozen federal properties around the U.S. as “High Value Assets” and recommended their sale in a manner that will “obtain the highest and best value for the taxpayer” and accomplish the goal of “facilitating and expediting the sale or disposal of unneeded Federal civilian real properties.” Among those properties — many of which involved abandoned or unused warehouses or buildings — was the National Archives building in Seattle, a building housing critical historical documents of the Pacific Northwest, including extensive tribal records. No local, state or tribal officials were consulted in its initial selection. In January, OMB approved a recommendation from the PBRB to sell the building on Sand Point Way in Seattle. The board’s recommendation included removing the contents of the Seattle archives and relocating them to facilities in Kansas City, Mo., and Riverside, Calif. The Seattle archives contain many records essential to memorializing Washington’s history, including tens of thousands of records related to the Chinese Exclusion Act, records of the internment of Japanese Americans, and tribal and treaty records of federally recognized tribes throughout the Northwest. Researchers, historians, genealogists and students routinely use these records. Washington’s tribal leaders, historians and members have noted the federal government has excluded them from most discussions on selling the building and moving documents — many of which are the only tribal treaties or maps in existence — more than a thousand miles away. Notably, tribal officials were never consulted regarding the proposed sale notwithstanding agency tribal consultation policies requiring such consultation. |
| – 30 – The Office of the Attorney General is the chief legal office for the state of Washington with attorneys and staff in 27 divisions across the state providing legal services to roughly 200 state agencies, boards and commissions. Visit www.atg.wa.gov to learn more. Contacts: Brionna Aho, Communications Director, (360) 753-2727; brionna.aho@atg.wa.gov |
Sale of Seattle National Archives Building Update
Just receive an E-Mail on an update about the sale of the National Archives Building in Seattle. Check out the article on the sale here:
Closure of the Seattle Archives
A nice article at MyNorthwest on a possible compromise on the closure of the National Archives in Seattle .
Closing of Seattle National Archives
Officials from Washington DC were in Seattle meeting with Puget Sound Native American Tribes: Click Here to read the whole story. https://mynorthwest.com/1715022/national-archives-tries-re-set-seattle-closure/
Meanwhile, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson continues to weigh legal action, and last week sent document requests to multiple federal agencies involved in the Seattle facility. Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman is leading an effort to identify alternatives to the priceless materials being shipped to California.
Closing of the Seattle National Archives
Well it looks like there is a lot of people interested in keeping the Seattle National Archives open, including our attorney general: click here or use this URL: https://mynorthwest.com/1691475/solutions-emerging-seattle-national-archives-debacle/?fbclid=IwAR02wvH4L2pQe1c8w5tXQL1u_TjeP-k2U_9XV6tqVmSffTGuRBnmTsLeePM
Closure of Seattle National Archives
Closure of the National Archives in Seattle
On Monday, January 13, 2020, the staff at the National Archives at Seattle received notification that within the next four years, the facility will be closed, and the records will be transferred to the NARA facilities in Kansas City, Missouri or Riverside, CA.
The National Archives at Seattle has 50,000 case files from the Chinese Exclusion Act from Chinese who entered the U.S. through the ports of Seattle, Sumas, Port Townsend, Washington; Portland, Oregon; and Vancouver, B.C. from 1882 to 1943. A dedicated staff of local volunteers is indexing these files. If these records are moved 1,000 miles away, this valuable work will end.
Anyone who has ever gotten research assistance from the National Archives staff appreciates their vast institutional knowledge of the records. This will be lost if the National Archives is closed and moved from the Pacific Northwest.
More background information on the closure can be found at Save National Archives at Seattle.
For a thorough discussion of the proposed closure and updates go to Feliks Banel’s My Northwest online column
See Public Buildings Reform Board (PBRB) for the complete report. Submit your comments to the PBRB at fastainfo@pbrb.gov
Call the National Archives at 1-86-NARA-NARA (1-866-272-6272) or contact them at archives.gov/contact
Please call your senators, congressional representatives and let them know you want these records to remain at the National Archives in Seattle.
Thank you.
Trish Hackett Nicola
Blog Editor
Closing the Seattle National Archives
Seattle Branch of the National Archives to Close
Posted on January 25, 2020 by Leland Meitzler —
It has been announced that the Seattle branch of the National Archives is being closed. I’ve spent a lot of time researching at the Sandpoint Way facility. Not only did I research my family (using the Federal Census microfilm prior to digitization), but I’ve done a lot of local history research, most relating to the early history of Pierce and King County, Washington. That was all working with original documents. However, the biggest losers in the move may be the many Native American tribes of the area – some 272 of them!
They say that the records can be stored in Kansas City and Southern California. Historians researching Alaska, Washington, Oregon and Idaho will have a long way to go to search the records. They say that .001% of the collection is digitized, so that’s not going to help. This is about the money. I’d bet that no one working on the OMB board that made this decision has Pacific Northwest roots. Suddenly it all comes close to home, making us realize how much power a few unnamed bureaucrats in D.C. have over us lowly taxpayers.
Following is an excerpt from an article published in the January 25, 2020 edition of the Seattle Times:
The decision to pack up and move the National Archives at Seattle to Southern California and Kansas City, Missouri, has rattled those who have spent hours doing research in the mammoth facility.
A panel charged with looking at ways to trim federal properties deemed excess has recommended the 73-year-old building and its 10-acre site be sold. The U.S. Office of Management and the Budget (OMB) agreed and announced its decision late Friday that the facility should be closed.
“I’m deeply disappointed that OMB failed to heed bipartisan Congressional requests & approved selling #Seattle’s archives facility w/out engaging state & local officials & affected communities as required by law,” tweeted Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal, the Democrat whose 7th Congressional District includes the Sand Point archives property. “We must get answers about why the law wasn’t followed in this case.”
The move comes despite a letter sent Friday to the OMB by all senators from Washington, Alaska, Oregon and Idaho, and eight of the 10 Washington state representatives to Congress. The letter concluded the recommendation to close the archives “was flawed” and should be rejected.
On Saturday, after learning of the approved closure, Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell said, “Trying to move these articles from the region with their historic content just shows an absolute disregard for the importance of them and their significance to our region.”
Thanks for letting me post this Leland.
Seattle Genealogical Society Save the Seattle Archives
| Your Help is Needed to Keep the National Archives in Seattle! Act Now! The National Archives at Seattle is slated for closure. Please act now to try to keep this invaluable facility in Seattle. In the Seattle Times today, Saturday, January 25, 2020, the article on the closure has the headline, “Terrible and disgusting: Decision to close National Archives at Seattle a blow to tribes, historians in 4 states”. We at SGS agree. Genealogists all over the Northwest will agree. Tribal members and Alaskans will agree. The deadline for public comment is Tuesday, January 28, 2020. Please take the time to contact your senators and your representative now! There are some talking points and insight into the issues at the bottom of this message. For more information, please read the note written by Trish Nicola Hackett that has been inserted here. Also read the Seattle Times articles in the Saturday, January 25, 2020, and Sunday, January 26, 2020, editions. Note from Trish Hackett Nicola, genealogist, historian, and researcher of Chinese Exclusion Act files at the National Archives in Seattle : As you have probably heard from several sources, the Seattle branch of the National Archives will close in the next two to four years and the records will be transferred to Kansas City, Missouri and Riverside, CA. It is important for genealogists to let our government officials know what an outrage this is and that this move will deprive researchers of access to local records. As researchers we know that it is a myth that all records are or can be digitized. Records are being digitized as quickly as possible, but it takes time, money, and staff to do this overwhelming job. Archivists add important metadata to enable researchers to find the material they are seeking. Digitization is a goal, but it is far from reality at this point. I have attached a summary of some more talking points. Please,call or write your senators, congressional representatives, local officials, the members of SGS, and anyone interested in keeping the records from Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and Idaho in the Pacific Northwest. If possible add a short personal anecdote from your research experience. The Seattle Times will feature a version of this essay in the newspaper on Saturday, January 25. Sunday’s issue will include a dramatic story and photos of a National Archives volunteer finding her aunt’s Native American file with a completed 4-generation pedigree chart. Help save the National Archives for the Pacific Northwest! Thank you. Trish Trish Hackett Nicola Familytraces.com ChineseExclusionFiles.com 2908 27th Ave West Seattle, WA 98199-2853 Talking Points and Insight into the issues: Closure of National Archives in Seattle On Monday, January 13, 2020, the staff at the National Archives at Seattle received notification that within the next four years, the facility will be closed, and the records will be transferred to the NARA facilities in Kansas City, Missouri or Riverside, CA. There was no advance notice of this decision. The staff or the public was not notified that public hearings were held in Washington, D.C., Laguna Niguel, CA; and Denver, CO in June and July 2019. No meetings were held in the Pacific Northwest. The National Archives at Seattle holds 58,000 cubic feet of historic records from the Pacific Northwest for Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Alaska. These records belong in the Pacific Northwest. People here need access. These records should not be stored a thousand miles away. When the Alaska regional facility of NARA was closed in 2014 and the records transferred to Seattle, the residents of Alaska were promised that the records would stay in the Pacific Northwest in perpetuity. Tribal members use these files to establish or keep membership in tribes. Proof of tribal citizenship is used to obtain education funds. Tribal records have been used for retaining fishing rights, as in the Boldt Decision. Native school records from Alaska and Oregon are included in the NARA collections. Another broken promise to Native Americans… These historic records are used for research by students at the University of Washington and other local colleges and include Federal court cases for over 100 years, 1890 to 2000, and naturalization records. There are 50,000 case files from the Chinese Exclusion Act from Chinese who entered the U.S. through the ports of Seattle, Portland, Sumas, Port Townsend, and Vancouver, B.C. from 1882 to 1943. Genealogists and historians rely on these records. They’re the basis for scores of books and articles. Among the many authors who have used the collection are Lorraine McConaghy, Eric Liu, Jennifer Ott, Knute Berger, Karen Abbott, Bennet Bronson, Chuimei Ho, and Marie Rose Wong. Countless stories about the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair and the building of the Ballard Locks could never have been written without NARA’s documents. It is a myth that all records are or can be digitized. Records are being digitized as quickly as possible, but it takes time, money, and staff to do this overwhelming job. Archivists add important metadata to enable researcher to find the material they are seeking. Digitization is a goal, but it is far from reality at this point. Nothing can replace the feeling of holding an original, historical record of your ancestor. These original documents connect you directly to your ancestor. If the National Archives is closed and moved from the Pacific Northwest, the vast institutional knowledge of the staff will be lost. The National Archives depends on volunteers to help make records accessible to researchers. If these records are moved 1,000 miles away, this valuable work will end. Closing the National Archives at Seattle and moving the records to Missouri or California does not reflect the mission and values of the National Archives Mission of the National Archives https://www.archives.gov/about/info/mission Our mission is to provide public access to Federal Government records in our custody and control. Public access to government records strengthens democracy by allowing Americans to claim their rights of citizenship, hold their government accountable, and understand their history so they can participate more effectively in their government. Values of the National Archives Our Values reflect our shared aspirations that support and encourage our long-standing commitment to public service, openness and transparency, and the government records that we hold in trust. Purpose of the National Archives https://www.archives.gov/about/info/whats-an-archives.html The National Archives holds historical documents of the U.S. Government (federal, congressional, and presidential records) on behalf of the American public so that citizens, public servants, Congress, and the Courts can obtain the information they need to exercise their rights and responsibilities. FASTA (Federal Assets Sale and Transfer Act) identifies the factors for consideration during the review and assessment of property recommended for disposal, consolidation, or re-development of the government property. According to the FASTA Factors report: “Mission Alignment: Disposition of the property will better support mission alignment.” The mission of the National Archives is to provide public access to Federal Government records. Moving the Pacific Northwest historic records 1,000 miles away does not provide public access. It makes it difficult for citizens to participate more effectively in their government. According to the FASTA Factors report: “Access to Services: A portion of the property is open to the public for research purposes. NARA has determined that it can fulfill its mission needs at the target relocation facilities.” It does not matter if the facility is open to the public. Pacific Northwest citizens would still need to travel over 1,000 miles to have access to their records. This puts an extreme burden on anyone wishing to do research of the Pacific Northwest records. The FASTA report says their conclusions align with the mission, values, and purpose of the National Archives. They don’t. NARA is saying that they can fulfill its mission in spite of moving the records. They can’t. For the complete report, see Public Buildings Reform Board (PBRB), https://www.pbrb.gov Go to Recommendations, then go to Official Updated PBRB Submission to OMB, December 27, 2019. Submit your comments to the PBRB at fastainfo@pbrb.gov And please, if you care about history, call your senators, congressional representatives and anyone interested in access to the past. Call 1-86-NARA-NARA (1-866-272-6272) or contact them at archives.gov/contact |
Closing Seattle National Archives
Greetings Fellow Family Historians and Pacific NW History Enthusiasts,
I am addressing you in this email not as the president of the Skagit Valley Genealogical Society but as a member of the genealogy community who shares your interest in our regional history. Please be clear that this email reflects my private thoughts and concerns that I wish to share with my fellow family-historian and enthusiast of local and regional history. At this time, this is not a reflection of SVGS or any other organization that I belong to.
Today, on Dick Eastman’s genealogy blog ( www.blog.eogn.com) I came across this surprise announcement (Please see PDF attached). Mr. Eastman’s article was about the Office of Management and Budget’s plans to close the National Archives and Records Administration (aka NARA) branch in Seattle. I thought you would care to be informed about this decision that was made without public input by the Office of Management and Budget.
This behind-closed doors, without public input, decision to close and move this regional archive to either Southern California or Missouri so the Office of Management and Budget can sell the property, and heavens knows what this valuable Seattle property could potentially yield for developers, perhaps building some corporate building or luxury condos, of course, o the highest bidder. To me this seems selfish, greedy and at best, short sighted.
NARA’s facility in Sandpoint, Seattle and its close proximity to the University of Washington has enabled countless academics, professional historians and researchers from the general public to publish theses, books, and a sundry of educational materials to enlighten all of us about the Pacific NW’s rich and fascinating past. Countless genealogy researchers also make the journey to Sandpoint in Seattle from across the Pacific Northwest region to make productive use of NARA’s valuable primary sources.
In 2014 17 genealogist-mentors and 17 Burlington-Edison Alternative High School seniors visited NARA in Seattle. Those students, who were at-risk for not graduating, learned so much about our state and regional history and the shear magnitude of the vast historical resources available to them and to all students of history. I know it left a lasting life-long impression on their young minds. They joined the countless visitors to NARA that left better informed, more knowledgeable about research methodology and with a deeper interest in history.
I tend to be long-winded in my writing, so I will leave off here so I do
not overstay my welcome and your attention.
Below is the contact mailing address if you wish to express your opinion
about NARA Seattle staying in Seattle – not moving Washington and
Alaska’s (etc) historical records and primary sources to Missouri or
California where those local communities would have little to no interest
in these resources.
Thank you for your time and for joining me in supporting our national and pacific northwest regional treasures housed at NARA in Sandpoint, Seattle, Washington – where they belong and for all of us to freely access and enjoy our region’s history. Please write to:
The email address for Mr. Russell T. Vought is: Russell.t.vought@omb.eop.gov
With my sincere appreciation,
Margie Wilson
Amateur Family Historian and History Enthusiast