Lee's Martial Arts Supporters Voice Concerns to Puyallup City Council After Studio's Sudden Closure

While Lee's Martial Arts has packed up and left Puyallup, the community is still buzzing about the successful business' sudden departure, and the conversation has reached City Hall.

(Read: Downtown Puyallup Martial Arts Studio Shutters After Public Feud With Neighboring Gift Shop)

Supporters of LMA--some as young as 6 years old--showed up in force at the June 3, 2013 Puyallup City Council meeting to show their dismay with the situation and disappointment over losing their beloved martial arts school.

"We were taught in school that when you're bullied, you tell an authority figure," said Nathan Hamilton, a teen LMA member for the past 2 years. "But, through this situation, it shows that it doesn't always help."

Gina Maggio, an LMA parent, told the city council that LMA owner Matthew Ray has been a positive role model for her son and created a tight-knit "family" at the local gym.

"Baskets and Things sells trinkets, but Lee's Martial Arts sold character and morals to local children," Maggio said.

Stephanie Travis, a mother and student at LMA, has a restraining order against a tenant at Baskets and Things after he pointed a fake gun at her and her children and said, "die B****, die."

She told the city council that since the restraining order was granted, the young man has violated it more than once and threatened her family at her home, with late night drive-bys and targets placed on her car.

"I feel like my words are falling on deaf ears," Travis said.

One Baskets and Things supporter also addressed the council on Tuesday night, in support of the gift shop that has been on the corner of West Meeker Street for 32 years.

"I'm saddened by these adults modeling such hateful behavior... and the constant lies, harassment and slander of this gift store," said Carolyn Paradise.

After public comment, Mayor Rick Hansen told the group that the council "could not respond" to their concerns directly at that time.

"But rest assured, we will get back to on whatever those topics might be," Hansen added.

Speaking as a former police officer himself, Deputy Mayor John Knutson defended the response of the Puyallup Police Department. 

"The most difficult thing a police officer can respond to is domestic violence, or a neighborhood dispute. When two neighbors just don't get along, they do what they can do... and I can guarantee you that the police department has no vested interest in either party," said Knutson. "We certainly don't want to lose any businesses in downtown Puyallup. But if one business leaves because they are sick of their neighbor, there's nothing we can do about that."