News Tribune Headline: Police investigating after Puyallup planning official reports disturbing threats
“Shannon and I are absolutely appalled at this morning’s report in the Tribune. It’s not Puyallup, and it’s not American.
Kenya Jones-Lowell is a dear family friend that we have known for years. Her kindness, courage, and commitment to service inspire me to be better. We are horrified at how those same qualities made her a target for this despicable attack. We are praying for her and her family in this time. We stand with Kenya side by side as she navigates this incredibly stressful and traumatic event.
The kinds of racist and violent threats detailed so gruesomely in this letter are something we might associate with the depravities of the Deep South of the 1960s — yet here we are in 2025, seeing them unfold in our own backyard in Puyallup. It is heartbreaking, and it is unacceptable.
The Comprehensive Plan was a carefully crafted document, years in the making — and Kenya’s leadership throughout that process was exceptional. The Planning Commission, with near-unanimous agreement, delivered a thoughtful and legally sound plan that accounted for all of our neighbors as equals.
Yet, a lone dissenting voice on that commission successfully pushed changes that were adopted by a narrow majority on this current City Council. What’s even more disturbing, is the very real possibility that these changes were approved after council members were made aware of these threats against Kenya. If that’s the case, it speaks volumes about the judgment and priorities of those four council members. Puyallup deserves better than the ignorance and cowardice they showed in that moment.
I trust that my friends and former colleagues at the Puyallup Police Department are treating this case with the seriousness it warrants. I know they are pursuing all leads and will bring whomever is responsible to justice.
Please continue to keep Kenya and her family in your thoughts and prayers. Puyallup needs leaders like Kenya — neighborly, committed, and community-minded. Thank you.” -JB
Jeff Bennett for Puyallup City Council 
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