Sequim has changed

And no one in local media is talking about it

While Sequim grieved a fatal assault, local media stayed silent — choosing ceremony over accountability.

In the midst of Sequim’s 130th Irrigation Festival, something terrible happened, and everyone is talking about it except local media outlets.

An elderly man, reportedly recovering from heart surgery and facing mobility challenges, was violently assaulted in broad daylight at the Safeway gas station on West Washington Street. Days later, he died from his injuries. The suspect, a 36-year-old man with an alleged long history of violence and drug use, was arrested — and then quietly released.

You won’t find any of this in the Sequim Gazette, the Peninsula Daily News, KSQM, or KONP. This story — like so many now — unfolded not in print or over the airwaves, but in Facebook comment threads, neighborhood group chats, and teary pleas from family members on social media.

“My neighbor was attacked in the Safeway plaza yesterday,” one post read.

“A very kind and loving individual,” continued the same neighbor, explaining that the victim had mobility issues.

“He resides in PT [Port Townsend], originally from west Seattle,” said the victim’s niece about the attacker.

“He has a long history of violence,” wrote a local resident.

The details emerged in fragments. The community pieced together the story, desperate for facts. The attack didn’t appear to be a robbery — the victim’s wallet was found.

The motive, many speculated, was rooted in untreated mental illness and a long pattern of violent behavior.

Clallam County booking logs confirmed the identity of the attacker: Aaron Charles Fisher, 36. Bail was set.

Fisher appeared before a judge in Clallam County on Friday, May 9, and was released the same day.

Still, no headlines. No investigative reporting. No updates from the courthouse. No statement from police. Just silence from the traditional institutions we once counted on to inform us.

This isn’t the Sequim of old

Sequim has quietly entered a new era — one marked by increasing crime, rising tensions, and a growing disconnect between residents and those tasked with keeping them informed. The image of our town as a peaceful, tight-knit, rural community is no longer matching the reality. And yet, our media continues to report on flower beds, school assemblies, and park upgrades while neighbors mourn and ask why.

Who was the victim? How long had he lived here? What kind of neighbor and uncle was he? What kind of life was stolen from this community?

We don't know. Because no one in local media has asked.

The Sequim Gazette was published the day after the assault on Wednesday, May 7. The issue likely went to print before the attack — understandable. But the Gazette has the ability to break news on its website. It didn’t. Neither did KSQM. Neither did KONP. The Peninsula Daily News missed it Thursday and Friday. Instead, readers were treated to stories about beauty bark in Port Angeles and Chimacum students learning about anatomy. The weekend edition’s highlight? A slide at a county park.

And finally, on Monday — five days after the assault, four after the victim’s death, and three after the suspect’s release — the Peninsula Daily News did break a front-page story.

But it wasn’t about the murder.

It was about Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Chairman and CEO Ron Allen being inducted into the Native American Hall of Fame.

That’s the story on the front page six days later. Not the man who was beaten to death in broad daylight in the heart of Sequim. Not the attacker who walked free. Not the community shaken and left in the dark. A public relations victory for a powerful local figure made the front page — the loss of a vulnerable resident did not.

A deafening silence

We don’t expect small-town newspapers to operate like big-city newsrooms. But we do expect them to show up when it matters. When a community member is assaulted and dies from his injuries, we expect coverage. When the accused is released within days, we expect someone to ask why. We expect follow-ups, public records requests, and basic accountability. What we got was silence — and that silence speaks louder than any headline ever could.

Clallam County is changing. And while our towns confront new and uncomfortable realities, the local institutions meant to keep us informed seem frozen in place — clinging to feel-good stories while ignoring the harder truths unraveling around us.

But people are waking up.

Manning the Clallam County Watchdog booth during the Sequim Logging Show was both encouraging and heartbreaking. I met people I’ve known online for months, and new people stopped by the booth curious, skeptical, and frankly disillusioned:

“News doesn’t cover anything anymore.”
“We can’t afford it here.”
“We’re listing our house this year.”
“It’s time to get out.”
“I don’t feel safe anymore.”

For someone whose roots in this county go back to the 1870s, those words hit hard. This is my hometown. And I barely recognize what it’s becoming.

Clallam County Watchdog — an independent investigative platform — has seen a surge in subscribers. Its recent piece, The Death Rattle, puts into words what many feel: that trust in our local media is dying. And when truth is no longer delivered from a newsroom, it has to come from the people.

But it shouldn’t take tragedy to wake us up.

Sequim has entered a new era — one of higher stakes, tougher questions, and fewer places to hide from reality. If our newsrooms can’t rise to meet this moment, they will fade into irrelevance. And the community will turn elsewhere — as it already is — for the truth.

Because in the end, the front page says everything. Not just about what happened — but about what was deliberately left out.

Feel Good Fridays

Highlighting the good in our community is important, but here’s the challenge: the people and organizations doing the most meaningful work are often the least likely to seek recognition. Their humility makes them hard to track down — and even harder to interview. Because of this, Feel Good Fridays may go on hiatus unless we hear more stories directly from you.

If you know someone quietly making a difference in Clallam County, please reach out. CC Watchdog is always open to telling stories that deserve to be told.