...SEATTLE A Call to Seattle RESIDENTS - WITNESS'S NEEDED; To Seattle Police officers - crashing into Seattle police officer's, and shooting 20 to 39(?) bullets at Seattle Police officers; July 10th, 2001; 1:32 AM; [Just North of - the crest of the hill - at east Roanoke St and Harvard Ave East - (on Capitol Hill).]. If you live in the area and have felt, (or feel), any "endangerment" (or fear) due to this event; (or if you feel you have any information you would like to witness); Please contact: ..... WITNESS, PO Box 85503, SEA WA, 98145-1503 ... ... [Email: kennspace@hotmail.com]
Dear Editor, August 27, 2001
(This email is long - but is explained in the first few pages. The rest is for research of articles recently being published in Seattle Washington on the story and allegations I am making. ).
This ad, placed by me, has appeared and will continue to be placed in Seattle media.
I feel this "incident" in Seattle Washington is being "white-washed" because of recent killings of unarmed motorists and civilians in Seattle, - by Seattle Police. Please help me - as I try to - press-urge - the Seattle government this week to do something about the incident explained in this email. (I feel - I am almost doing this alone - Seattle is in fear: -+- On duty; - in uniform; - in Seattle police cars; - Seattle police "shootout"; - between Seattle police;; July 10th, 2001. Please offer some support, with press.).
Dear Editor - this is keeping me awake at nights. I find it so very disturbing I am moving from Seattle. I grew up in Littleton Colorado close to the "Columbine Tragedy". I feel this same intolerance and rage being created in Seattle now, - that created that "mistaken tragedy" at Columbine high school. I moved to Littleton Colorado in 4th grade from Canada; - It was enough difference, - I do not like Littleton Colorado and do not understand why most of my family still lives there. That place was so intolerant they just beat me up and made my life hell, cause I said "mom" and "about" differently? (I don't anymore. I even pronounce my name differently - after ten years of teachers abuse in how I pronounced it.).
I went to a small protest downtown last night in Seattle and I saw the Seattle police chief; - so I introduced my self and invited him to the meeting I am having. (I have a hard week of work ahead of me as I pressure "Seattle" to attend...).. (This web site - open letter - explains the "experience" I had...
http://seattle.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=6140&group=webcast
This letter you are reading is published here:
http://seattle.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=6170&group=webcast
I feel this email is self-explanatory and a no-brainer. A no-brainer Seattle is trying to "white-wash".
(Following this email are statements from the three others filing this complaint, I am working towards 100..).
Please help in reporting on this Seattle Police Department "shootout" on capitol hill July 10th, 2001; - The Seattle Police Department broke laws and it is being "white-washed" and ignored in Seattle. I am sending this letter around the world tonight, (August 26, 2001) in hopes the "press-ure" will come from somewhere. It is being emailed to 1,500 international and national - newspapers, - web sites, - activists, - and individuals, PLEASE HELP!.).
I feel when Seattle police officers, - start shooting at Seattle police officers, - while on duty as Seattle police officers, - in the uniform of a Seattle police officer, - driving a Seattle police car; LAWS HAVE BEEN BROKEN!
SEATTLE IS IGNORING THIS!
I am moving. (But not before I do all I can to see this investigated - the Seattle police department's internal firearms review board is the only "agency" now investigating this "incident"; - I find that disturbing.).
Sincerely,
Kenneth G. Dzaman
AD:
.................SEATTLE A Call to Seattle RESIDENTS - WITNESS'S NEEDED; To Seattle Police officers - crashing into Seattle police officer's, and shooting 20 to 39(?) bullets at Seattle Police officers; July 10th, 2001; 1:32 AM; [Just North of - the crest of the hill - at east Roanoke St and Harvard Ave East - (on Capitol Hill).]. If you live in the area and have felt, (or feel), any "endangerment" (or fear) due to this event; (or if you feel you have any information you would like to witness); Please contact: ..... WITNESS, PO Box 85503, SEA WA, 98145-1503 ... ...
[Email: kennspace@hotmail.com]
(The following is also published at:
http://seattle.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=6140&group=webcast
From : "kenn dzaman"
Reply-To : kennspace@hotmail.com
To : nbrodeur@seattletimes.com, robertjamieson@seattlepi.com, randerson@seattleweekly.com, gparrish@seattleweekly.com, publiceducation@aclu-wa.org, legal@aclu-wa.org, senator_murray@murray.senate.gov, maria@cantwell.senate.gov, jay.inslee@mail.house.gov, City.Action@ci.seattle.wa.us, lwvseattle@aol.com, mark.sidran@ci.seattle.wa.us, jim.compton@ci.seattle.wa.us, richard.conlin@ci.seattle.wa.us, jan.drago@ci.seattle.wa.us, nick.licata@ci.seattle.wa.us, richard.mciver@ci.seattle.wa.us, judy.nicastro@ci.seattle.wa.us, margaret.pageler@ci.seattle.wa.us, peter.steinbrueck@ci.seattle.wa.us, heidi.wills@ci.seattle.wa.us, ron.sims@metrokc.gov, governor.locke@governor.wa.gov, owen_br@leg.wa.gov, mail@secstate.wa.gov, Mayors.Office@ci.seattle.wa.us, mavia@aol.com, jen@mavia.org, michael@mavia.org, Paper@indypress.org, webmaster@nwjustice.org, dwashington@afsc.org, delilaleber@prodigy.net, dannyboy259@home.com, leonardpitts@mindspring.com
CC : paulr@u.washington.edu, seleahcim@aol.com, kennspace@hotmail.com, cstewart@urbanleague.org, jenny@mavia.org, maviausa@aol.com, sgonsalves@capecodonline.com, questions@wsba.org
Subject : Just is as Just does - Witness Society Of Seattle: (JJWSOS) Meeting - September 1st, 2001.
Date : Fri, 24 Aug 2001 23:40:44 +0000
Dear Members of the Seattle City Council,
Dear Mayor Paul Schell,
Dear Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske,
Dear Seattle FBI Office,
Dear Journalists,
Dear Senator Murray,
Dear Senator Maria Cantwell,
Dear Kathleen Taylor - ACLU,
Dear Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle,
Dear City Attorney Mark Sidran,
Dear Washington State,
Dear City of Seattle,
Dear Mothers against Violence in America,
Robert L. Jamieson JR. - The Seattle Post Intelligencer
Jerry Large - The Seattle Times
Nicole Brodeur - The Seattle Times
Rick Anderson - Seattle Weekly
Geov Parrish - Seattle Weekly
James Kelly - The Urban League
Cha'ron Stewart - The Urban League
Dan Devine - Seattle Resident
Kenn Dzaman - Seattle Resident
Paul Richmond - NW Regional Vice President of the National Lawyers Guild
Ophelia Ealy - Michael Ealy Social Justice Foundation
Micheal E. Shupe - Michael Ealy Social Justice Foundation
Tony Granillo - The Citizens Human Rights Commission
Pat Champion - The Citizens Human Rights Commission
Dustin Washington - People's Coalition for Justice
Delila Leber - People's Coalition for Justice
Coordinated Legal Education and Referral Service
Pamela Eakes - Founder and President of Mothers Against Violence in America
Jenny Leland and Michael Harrington - of Students Against Violence Everywhere
Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske
FBI
Mayor Paul Schell
City Council Members
[( I added a couple quotes on perception I found recently....
enjoy.
The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.
With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, let US strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle -- to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.....
( [] ) ...............
Abraham Lincoln...............................)]
[( I will be calling and delivering this email next week in person to all the government officials listed above - in Seattle offices. I am also trying to call everyone listed above. )].
I could not find an appropriate email address for Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske or the FBI;; - Mr. Schell, or Mr. Sidran, could you please forward it to them. - I will be in your (and their) offices next week, looking forward to meeting you.
Sincerely,
Kenn
Just-is as Just-does - Witness Society Of Seattle. (J.J.W.S.O.S.)
Meeting 1; Peace Cafe; 5828 Roosevelt Way NE.; September 1st, 2001; 12:n00n.
(Starting at 12:noon, September 1st, 2001; @ the Peace Cafe; 5828 Roosevelt Way NE.; please call to reserve your spot; (Kenn Dzaman; 206-271-8562; If I do not speak with you - please leave a message as to your intentions, and/or questions. I will return calls and/or send an email...thanks,, Kenn.).- Seating is limited to twenty for this first meeting. I am planning Saturday meetings for the next 5 weeks - locations will be announced to interested people in advance. Please be present, I need help and advice! And there is free coffee cake! - Plus Full coffee bar service is available.). (If you would like to know who will be there, I will let you know as I do, if you request. I am presently inviting 20 people, plus four are already attending. If you are planning on attending - please share something of yourself - and why you would like to be there: kennspace@hotmail.com ; - I feel it will help in introductions -prior to the meeting,- so the meeting can be more productive...). Kenneth G. Dzaman
Meeting Agenda and Goals:
AGENDA:
Exploring Charges: Racism; Justice; and The Seattle Police Department.
I am holding this meeting to discuss and explore criminal charges against the Seattle Police Department. The charges being explored are in reference to the Seattle police departments "internal" problem that created a "public" shootout between Seattle police officers, on Capitol Hill on July 10th, 2001 at 1:32AM.
I feel laws were broken by the Seattle police department; - and I feel laws were broken by the Seattle police officers involved in the "shootout". It seems, by media accounts; The Seattle police department "allowed" (did not stop) a Seattle police car to be stolen, with a shotgun, - to "patrol" the streets of Seattle. They "allowed" this to happen multiple times, without informing the public of the danger they were in. I feel an FBI investigation needs to be started into charges of conspiracy to with-hold information from the public, and negligently putting Seattle residents, and Seattle police at risk. I also feel the three Seattle police officers broke laws in shooting at Seattle police officers, while on duty and in uniform, driving Seattle police cars.
GOALS:
FBI investigation into the internal affairs of the Seattle police department as to how and why this "shootout" happened; - With the FBI filing charges - if the FBI or a grand jury finds laws were broken by the Seattle police department.
discussions:
1). Discuss options and ways to approach this in the most positive way possible.
2). Try to have a "compilation" of witness's and "charge's" to file in 39 days. (October 10th, 2001). (I have a personal goal of 100 signatures on filing these "charges".)
3). This meeting is all about love for humanity and justice, if you feel otherwise, please do not attend.
4). How to - not - lose your sense of humor.
5). Is the coffee cake any good?
Kenneth G. Dzaman
JUST-is as JUST-does - WITNESS SOCIETY OF SEATTLE (JJWSOS)
PO Box 85503
Seattle WA. 98145-1503
email: kennspace@hotmail.com
phone: 206-271-8562
There's no blame on the path you've chosen.
Blame is a form of manipulation that you no longer require.
Dan Millman
Responsibility to your experience is what you will feel. There is no blame.
Kenneth Dzaman
..............................--------=-+=-==+-+-==+-==--+-+
(Three (I am the fourth) (so far) signing the "complaint":
From: paul david richmond
Subject: Filing Civil and Criminal Charges against the Seattle Police
Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2001 14:46:33 -0700 (PDT)
It was predictable really
The recent episode where a few cops tried to ram each other off the road and then emptied a few dozen live rounds at each other without a scoring a hit is indicative of some of the very real problems that pollute the promise of decent quality policing.
The underlying causes, that are curable, is that we have hired to many police too
quickly, and equipped them with weapons that they do not need.
As with police forces around the country we are the victims of the 1995 Federal Crime Bill. This was the law that sponsored putting 100,000 new cops on the street. The result was in the words of Philadelphia Chief Ed Timoney "we hired too many too quickly." Standards dropped for hiring. There were insufficient resources for adequate training. This is why as the SPD prepared for the WTO Ministerial, fully one third of the department had been officers for two years or less. The underlying cause for this was the mass hires that took place in the aftermath of the civil unrest of the 1960's and early 1970's. It was during this time that there was a rush to hire new officers. Even liberals like Robert Kennedy promoted a "troops to cops" proposal that reached a new fruition in 1995. And so what we were left to deal with 25 years later was a mass of retirements and vacancies. Hence the rash of new hires. What exacerbated the damage done by these new hires was a rise in armaments. Fueled by fears of "Crack Cocaine," police moved away from smaller capacity firearms, such as revolvers, that typically carried six bullets, to firearms that carried several times that amount, often of higher caliber and hence deadlier. The old training method with the revolvers was fire two shots and evaluate. The post-Crack method is to fire until the threat is gone. The threat of "Crack" receded. The level of armament and new methods of training remained. What has not been fundamentally questioned is whether rehires were necessary. Even the most optimistic surveys do not show there is a substantial reduction in crime when more officers are placed on the street. (There is a rise in the number of the arrests. There is an overtaxing of the jails. But there is no drop in crime.) And the most cursory look at the annual reports of our own police department's annual reports demonstrate that the dollar cost of stopping this crime, exceeds many times the actual dollar value of the damage of the crime.
The fundamental question is, are the police a microscopic, local example of the support of bloating we have come to accept in looking at in government and military budgets - budgets where a project is put in place as a possible responsible for a specific need, but then never reduced, only maintained at its expanded levels or even further expanded? The answer seems an obvious yes. And with the higher capacity firearms, the answer is the same - high capacity semi-automatic weapons are not a reasonable response to the current policing needs.
The solution to this is to slow down, even halt the number of hires in our own police force, at least till the time we have balanced out the requirements of training. And for the high-capacity semi-automatic weapons, they should be phased out in favor of more appropriate weapons.
Ironically, in Seattle, our current police chief, in his position with the Department of Justice, played a leadership role in placing these 100,000 new cops on the street. It would be a wonderful thing if this same chief could be a leader in providing some of these same police adequate training.
Paul Richmond
July 16, 2001
Paul Richmond has worked for over a decade as a reporter covering issues of police misconduct. He is the main author of the National Lawyers Guild Report on the WTO and NW Regional Vice President of the National Lawyers Guild
From : To : kennspace@hotmail.com
Subject : Police Shootout on Capitol Hill
Date : Sat, 18 Aug 2001 18:39:54 EDT
On the morning of Dec. 17 I was attacked by Officer Rick Traverso and Officer Rick Garniss and they filed a false police report about the incident alleging that I was the aggressor. That morning Traverso was driving the car and approached me at a high rate of speed and then Garniss came running out of the car yelling dirty names at me as the lights from the car were in my eyes. I didn't know who it was so I knocked Garniss down as he ran up to me. Then I saw it was a cop so I stopped and they proceeded to beat
me up. I spent 31 days in jail and was tortured at the King County Jail because of their false accusations. Later it went to trial and they both lied about what happened and I was found guilty of two counts of assault three because of their lies. A security guard who saw the incident did not agree with their testimony but I was still found guilty. I went to internal affairs to report them and absolutely nothing was done. I warned them that they were dangerous and would cause more trouble but they did not listen. This was in the summer of 2001, long before the Capitol hill shootout.
Traverso, the police officer that was driving the car that rammed the other car on the morning of July 10, has a very bad reputation. Rick Traverso was involved in the killing of Michael Ealy in Dec. of 1998 at Denny Park. Michael was beaten with a flashlight and died from asphyxiation after being beaten by the police and medical personnel. I was at the trial for the wrongful death of Michael Ealy and watched as the lies were being spoken on how the police responded and their actions that led to Michael's death.
Because of Traverso and Garniss and their lies my 5 year old son was taken away from me and placed in foster care by CPS. Traverso and Garniss are not people that can be trusted to be law enforcement officers and they belong off the street. I feel very threatened by them because of how they operate.
They are a disgrace to the Seattle Police Department and trouble was in the air long before the shooting incident of July 10, 2001.
Contact me at: Michael E. Shupe
P.S. I belong to the Michael Ealy Social Justice Foundation and the October 22 Coalition to stop police violence, we are trying to curb the activities of Officer Traverso and other rogue cops who have proven themselves to be a disgrace to the Seattle Police force. We need police we can trust not a bunch of cowboys who are out of control.
From : Mike
To : kennspace@hotmail.com
Subject : Re: Thanks! keep wokin! Re: Police Shootout on Capitol Hill
Date : Sat, 18 Aug 2001 21:05:55 EDT
Call 264-5527 to get updates on October 22 Coalition Ch 77or 29 on TV and call 685-1797 to speak with Ophelia Ealy, Michael Ealy's mother who is in charge of the Michael Ealy Social Justice Foundation. Also Tony Granillo who is working on the Citizens Human Rights Commission for control over the Seattle Police Department. Call Tony at 206-444-8229 Also Pat Champion works with Tony, watch ch 21 on TV and get on Tony's E-mail list also Mrs. Ealy has an E-mail address.
Together we shall overcome. In Struggle Mike
From : Dan Devine
To :
"governor.locke@governor.wa.gov"
Subject :
One concerned citizen's plea for peace and accountability.
Date :
Sun, 19 Aug 2001 23:20:29 -0700
To: The Editors of the Seattle Times, The Seattle
Post-Intelligencer,
The Office of the Mayor: Paul Schell, The City Council, et. al.
During the last few weeks, I've been pondering this question and a great few more about the Seattle Police department. I had been working on the letter that follows for more than a few days when I read the Sunday Post-Intelligencer, "P-I Focus: Police discipline system won't repair disconnect" piece written by Terrence Carroll. I respect the piece, and I am glad to see that there are members like that on the force. In fact, I've been feeling a little more sympathetic towards the Seattle police in the last few days and his point really hit home. I can't help but think though, that his case would be easier if the citizens of Seattle didn't have to see the endless string of mishaps, settlements and shootings..... perhaps he can take this hand from the "disconnected" side in order that we all can live in peace. I am however, going to need some to see some type of improvement in order to believe.
I agree with his point, perhaps things have gotten a little out of hand. I am afraid of the police. I attempt to have as little contact with them (the police) as possible. It just seems easiest that way and also less expensive. My attitude toward the Seattle Police has
become one of "dangerous money collector" for the city and state. This isn't right. There really is a "Disconnect" going on here.
I also agree with him, in understanding that the any police officer needs to have the respect of the community at large in order to be effective. It's just that with all the shootings, well, I've really started to think of the Seattle police as the enemy. You see,
the disconnect has really grown pretty large.
Anyway, here is the letter as I wrote it before I read the article, I'll conclude after with some new thoughts afterward.
=====================================================================
"Car 54, where are you?"
Recent police mishaps in Seattle could well make any resident ask that question and a few others. The recent shootout between three Seattle police officers comes at the heels of a nearly endless string of police/citizen shootings, and raises serious questions about the use of firearms by Seattle officers. This incident provides demonstrable proof that Seattle police officers are reckless with their weapons and have a ?shoot first? policy, even when they cannot see the person they are shooting! As a resident of Seattle, I am dumbfounded at the lack of critical attention this incident has generated, and wish to
bring this incident to the forefront of ALL discussions surrounding the ?use of deadly force.? This incident has implications that stretch well beyond other police shootings of average citizens, this incident raises questions about the type of people charged with our protection, and their ability to adequately assess the risks presented by anyone they come into contact with. I am a law abiding resident, and I have become fearful that any contact with SPD officers will lead to my death and the subsequent smearing of my reputation as they attempt to justify the shooting.
As a resident of Seattle, I am not especially interested in the events surrounding the theft of a squad car. Both the Seattle Times and PI have reported on this tragic case of misguided youth. I am convinced that as a result of this incident, only SPD officers will have access to vehicle keys in the future. In my eyes, this part of the story is a smokescreen and diversion from the real issue that this incident raises. As a resident of Seattle, I am concerned about the ?use of deadly force? employed by 3 SPD officers during the shootout that ensued after one SPD officer rammed the vehicle of another SPD officer. This incident provides the best opportunity in years to ask critical questions of the Seattle Police Department and to demand accountability for police use of force.
Unlike the WTO riots, Marti-Gras riots and Aaron Roberts cases, there is no ?criminal? firing back or ?threatening? SPD officers. There are no "protesters" at the scene to pin the blame on, there are only three SPD officers shooting at each other. Had the youth who stole the vehicle been at the crash scene, I fully expect he would have been shot and killed, depriving us of the ability to ask these questions. Fortunately the officers involved were unhurt, demonstrating either poor aim or that they could not see their respective targets when they were firing.
As a resident, here are some of the questions that I would like to ask of our SPD, as a voter I expect an answer from our mayor and/or police chief.
1) Isn?t it standard procedure for an officer on the scene to identify himself/herself as such? Did all three officers do this? How could three trained officers, properly identify themselves to the others and then open fire? Had the officers properly identified themselves, they would have known that the suspect had eluded them and avoided the dangerous "gun-play" that they seem so fond of.
2) Did the officers involved visually identify their targets? How did they do this? It seems clear that this did not happen. If any of the officers had clearly identified their target, they would not have fired their weapons.
3) What exactly constitutes a threat upon an SPD officer? The chief of police stated after the shooting that it was justified because they were in fear for their safety. So what constitutes a threat? Is it a look?
How about a gesture? Perhaps having a video camera inside your car is a threat, as demonstrated by two women during WTO. These incidents of massive over-reaction seem to be happening with disturbing frequency, so let us investigate what constitutes a "threat" and what does not.
Officers who shoot unarmed citizens should be removed from the force.
Sorry, that?s just the way it?s gotta be....drink and drive, loose your license. Shoot/kick/beat an unarmed civilian, get kicked off the force, nothing personal, that?s just the way it is. Permanently removed.
Period.
4) How many shots were fired ?at the shootin? match?? Was it 20 as was reported in the Seattle Times, or was it 39 as it has been reported in the PI. It should be fairly easy to determine, how many bullets were missing from each officer? More important, did the officers empty their clips? Did they go for the shotguns? How long did the actual shooting last? I?m hoping that they were still shouting at each other, still trying to avoid a potential death. Was it more than one minute? More than two? Here?s a quote from the Seattle PI after the incident....
".......In the early Tuesday morning darkness, with steam from the damaged radiator of a police cruiser obstructing their views, three confused officers searching for a police impersonator fired as many as 39 rounds at each other along a North Capitol Hill street,
police sources say. Sources also say that only when a supervising officer arrived and -- with a clear view of the scene -- shouted alerts to the shooting officers of their mistake, did the firing stop....."
5) What are the consequences of firing a weapon at an SPD officer? Are these officers subject to these consequences? And if not, why not? It seems clear that each officer was meaning to do harm to another human being. If I were to fire on an SPD officer, even in fear for my physical safety, would I be able to escape from accountability through retraining? I think not, my full expectation is that I would be incarcerated for ?Assault with a deadly weapon,? or more likely dead with my reputation smeared. I believe that this incident warrants such an investigation as the demonstration of negligence has been
shown. Intent to cause harm has been shown. Use of a ?deadly weapon? has been shown. All of the legal elements that would be applied against a ?civilian? should be applied to the people whom we charge with our safety.
I bring up these questions because it seems that events of nature have been occurring with increasing frequency and there has been no resolution or effort to curb them. It seems that public officials wish to duck responsibility for a ?monster? of their creation.
While I applaud the great many good officers on the force, the recent settlement payments to the two women who were pepper sprayed at WTO and the subsequent re-instatement and payment of back wages to the officer who perpetrated the crime, demonstrate that the system of accountability is out of control. A certain lack of control is evident in the case of Zack Davis and the shootout on Capitol Hill too. It is my belief that we should first tackle the ?no-brainers.? This shootout is such a ?no-brainer.? These officers should be charged as a civilian would be if he/her shot at an officer.
At this point, I should give you some information about myself. My name is Dan Devine, and I have lived in Seattle since 1984. I am married, with a son to arrive soon. I own a house and work at a professional job. I am an upstanding member of the community, donate to charity and pay my taxes. I have never been a member of any communist or anarchist type groups, I?ve been non-political all my life.....until now.
I am concerned enough about the situation that I am moved to action.
I am also afraid of the police.
1) I will try to initiate legal action against these officers in the same fashion as would be applied to any citizen who would shoot at an officer. I am disgusted at the current situation and find the general ?white-wash? around the event to be the most disturbing of all. There are simply too many cases of police misconduct to ignore. Too many innocent people are being killed at the hands of our police force.
2) I will be working and voting against our current mayor Paul Schell, prosecutor Mark Sidran and city council members, as I hold them responsible for the current situation. I invite other residents of Seattle to join me in attempting to end their terms as soon as
possible.
==============================================================================
Wow....pretty strong stuff. That's what I'd been working on up to this Sunday. How can you help me Mr. Carroll? Are you working on this case? Who is? I hope that they (the people working on the case) are as good as yourself. When will we hear about the charges....could you put it on the evening news....with helicopters hovering.....and
lights too....
In researching this essay, I re-read both official paper coverage and the letters to the editor following the shooting. During the incubation of this letter, there was another shooting in Bellevue. Unarmed citizen reaching for his wallet. I know that Bellevue is not your jurisdiction, but it happened none the less.
I had independently come up with an idea similar to one printed on Sunday July 15th by Chris Martin regarding clear numbering on squad cars, although I would go farther and have "team uniforms" with random numbers for each officer/each day. That way, it would be really easy to "make the call" at the crime scene. What voter could be against
that....Clear numbering makes for better witnesses....."yeah, then officer 57 comes over and starts to pummel the guy...no, 21 didn't have anything to do with it...." .I think that will be my cause this November.... Mayor and City council...jump on now, you remember what happened with the Monorail, these things work best for you if
you jump on early!
Anyway, I'll conclude this really simply. I want to live in peace. I want to be able to look up to those people who are in authority. At the minimum, the bare minimum, I need to be able to feel like I won't be shot when you need me to pay for "expired tabs" or whatever infraction/charity you need to collect for. I imagine that your job should get easier with "Photo-Cop". From a business stand-point it should allow you to separate "accounts receivable" from the hardcore job of "order maintenance." Now if we could just get down to the nuts and bolts of the "dollars spent/shot fired" we would really be on a fiscally responsible course.
I'm not crazy because I'm thinking this...by my reading of the situation, a great few in Seattle are asking similar questions. Shouldn't you all get "out-in-front" of this one, and answer some of the peoples questions before it really goes too far. A disconnect
is a dangerous thing.
Dan Devine.
---------------------------------------------
..........................................................
Please contact these people in Seattle and the USA, and let them know how you feel!!!
Please keep it "civil" and "just", thanks...
............................................
Washington State Victim-Witness Notification Program (toll free!)(1-800-422-1536)
..................................
(Seattle) King County Prosecutors office of Norm Melang, (1-206-296-9000)(criminal division) (1-206-296-9015)(civil division)
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Seattle City Attorneys office of Mark Sidran, (1-206-684-8200) Seattle City Prosecutor: (1-206-684-7757)
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Seattle City Council (1-206-684-8888) (1-206-684-880? - last # is 1-8 for individual council members).
...................................
Seattle City Directory information: (1-206-386-1234)
Seattle Complaints, Information, Citizens Service Bureau: (1-206-684-8811)
............................................
Seattle Mayors office of Paul Schell: (1-206-684-4000)
..................................................
Seattle City Human Rights Commission: (1-206-684-4500)
.....................................................
................................
[{( SEATTLE POLICE DEPARTMENT::
Internal Investigations: (1-206-684-8797)
Chief of Seattle Police: (1-206-684-5577)
Seattle Police Media Relations: (1-206-684-5520)
Seattle Police Officers Guild: (1-206-767-1150) )}]
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............................................................................
Governor of Washington Gary Locke: (1-360-753-6780)
Washington State Senate: (1-360-786-7550)
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EMAILS::
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....
[{( Seattle and Washington Government:
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)}]
[{( Washington - Seattle papers, writers, media and organizations:
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(Please feel FREE to edit and distribute this email in any way you choose too, or not to!)!
Thanks,
Sincerely,
Kenneth G. Dzaman - Space 2001!
A list of recent media articles from Seattle used for "reference" in this letter:
(For complete articles please see web links..)...
(Too best research the Seattle police shooting 39(?) shots at each other; Go to the Seattle Post Intelligencer and the Seattle Times web sites and search: "Zachary Davis" (The Seattle police department's "mascot" that stole the Seattle police car for patrols and repeated it for weeks (or longer??)? Did the Seattle Police department think they were hiding something from the residents of Seattle? Or were they trying to cover and hide an internal error? - Or did the Seattle police department not feel at risk, until they almost killed each other? - Why was the public not informed an armed imposter was patrolling Seattle streets? Why did the Seattle police department allow for this to be repeated, again, without informing the public? How many shots did the Seattle police shoot at Seattle police? Who shot first? What identification process did they go through? When the shooting started between Seattle police, what was the "threat", and how was it determined?
I do not believe these questions can be answered by a Seattle Police department internal investigation.
I feel it was a Seattle police department conspiracy that created this shooting.).
....................................................
SEATTLE TIMES
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/
[( Results for search of "zachary davis"
Your search found 10 records. Matches 1 through 10. )]
...........................
"Thief slipped onto I-5, out of cops' sight";
[( By Ian Ith and Nancy Bartley; Seattle Times staff reporters; Local News: Friday, July 13, 2001;
If it wasn't so potentially deadly, Tuesday's police crash and shootout by cops chasing a stolen patrol car would sound like an overused slapstick-comedy routine:
Two guys throw punches at a third, but he ducks just in time for the flying fists to hit the wrong jaws.
In less than five minutes, 18-year-old Zachary Davis eluded pursuing officers from downtown Seattle to the north end of Capitol Hill. Then he slipped onto the freeway at just the right moment, ditching the two pursuing police cars that then crashed into one another. The officers in the pursuing cars mistook each other for the car thief and began shooting at one another. )]
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis/web/vortex/display?slug=cops12m&
date=20010712&query=zachary+davis
.............................
"Mistaken identity: Cops fire at cops";
By Dave Birkland and Ian Ith; Seattle Times staff reporters; ;Local News : Wednesday, July 11, 2001;
The 18-year-old son of a slain Seattle policeman was in jail yesterday and three patrolmen were placed on desk duty after the teen stole a police car and then fled from officers who ended up mistaking each other for the suspect, crashing their cars and firing more than 20 bullets at each other.
Remarkably, no one was hit by the gunfire or otherwise seriously injured. )]
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis/web/vortex/display?slug=copcars11m&
date=20010711&query=zachary+davis
................................
"Officers chasing stolen police car exchange gunfire - with each other";
[( By Ian Ith and Dave Birkland; Local News : Tuesday, July 10, 2001; Seattle Times staff reporters;
The 18-year-old son of a slain Seattle policeman was in jail today and three patrolmen were placed on desk duty after the teen stole a police car and then fled from officers, who ended up mistaking each other for the suspect, crashing their cars and firing more than 20 bullets at each other. )]
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis/web/vortex/display?slug=police&
date=20010710&query=zachary+davis
........................................................
"Fake officer safety risk; stays in jail";
[( By Nancy Bartley; The Seattle Times; Local News : Friday, July 13, 2001 )]
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis/web/vortex/display?slug=davis13m&
date=20010713&query=zachary+davis
...........................................................
"Officers helped, trusted son of slain colleague";
[( By Ian Ith; Seattle Times staff reporter; Local News: Wednesday, July 11, 2001;
Seattle police Lt. Roy Wedlund was jangled awake early yesterday morning by the kind of phone call any parent would dread. At first, the North Precinct commander didn't understand the officer's hurried voice on the other end of the line. )]
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis/web/vortex/display?slug=kid11m&
date=20010711&query=zachary+davis
........................................
"Timeline";
[( The Seattle Times Company;Local News : Thursday, July 12, 2001;
Less than five minutes passed from the moment officers spotted Zachary Davis downtown in a stolen patrol car to the shootout on Capitol Hill early Tuesday morning.
1:32:35 a.m. Officers Traverso and McLaughlin spot a patrol car at Third Avenue and James Street. "We believe it is the vehicle they have been looking for," one of them tells dispatchers.
1:33:18 a.m. Dispatchers broadcast that a pursuit has begun.
1:33:34 a.m. Radios are patched so officers from the West and East precincts can communicate as the chase runs along Capitol Hill.
1:33:54 a.m. Traverso and McLaughlin broadcast: "This is the guy that we believe has been taking a city police vehicle."
1:35:16 a.m. They broadcast: "Be advised this is a police vehicle."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1:36:05 a.m. Traverso and McLaughlin transmit, "We are crashing into him."
1:36:11 a.m. Officer Anderson transmits, "He just hit my vehicle."
1:36:33 a.m. Unidentified officer transmits: "Shots fired."
1:37:10 a.m. Unidentified officer: "Shooting at him."
1:37:25 a.m. Unidentified officer: "Got shots fired, radio."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seconds later: Officers realize the suspect is not there.
About 1:45 a.m. Davis is arrested after returning the stolen patrol car to the North Precinct. He is wearing parts of a police uniform, including a bullet-proof vest. )]
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis/web/vortex/display?slug=timeline12m&
date=20010712&query=zachary+davis
.........................................................
"Police shootout"
"Friendly fire"
"Situation critical'
"No surprise"
[(Letters to the editor; The Seattle Times Company; Editorials & Opinion: Friday, July 13, 2001; Letters to the editor
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis/web/vortex/display?slug=frilets13&
date=20010713&query=zachary+davis
"Situation critical'
What the hell is going on at Seattle Police Department? ("Officers fire 20 shots at each other; no one hurt," Times, July 11.) Thank God no one was hurt (though, morbidly, one has to question why our elite can't hit a stationary target in 20 shots).
So now we are expected to rest assured that the usual parties will investigate and fix what went wrong here? Forget it! Implement a civilian review board now like the citizens of this city have been demanding and give both our citizens and the officers who make up the SPD the tool necessary to fix the problems within the SPD.
- Mike McCormick, Seattle
"Friendly fire"
It is now clear that Seattle Police not only shoot "threatening" unarmed black motorists in the Central Area, but that they are so on-edge and trigger-happy that they even shoot at each other! For some strange reason, this does not make me feel particularly safe.
- Steve Habib Rose, Seattle
"No surprise"
As I said to my friend Rick today, I'm shocked, truly shocked that our trigger-happy police did not shoot Zachary Davis for engaging in the felony of stealing a police car, impersonating a police officer (mental illness here?), eluding officers, and possessing a weapon (which came with the police vehicle) while putting the public and police at risk.
But then again, he's not African American, so why should I be surprised?
- Keith Gormezano, Seattle )]
...........................................................
"One for the record books"
"Chief: Officers who fired shots were 'extremely lucky'';
[( By LEWIS KAMB AND TRACY JOHNSON; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTERS; Thursday, July 12, 2001;
In the early Tuesday morning darkness, with steam from the damaged radiator of a police cruiser obstructing their views, three confused officers searching for a police impersonator fired as many as 39 rounds at each other along a North Capitol Hill street, police sources say.
Sources also say that only when a supervising officer arrived and -- with a clear view of the scene -- shouted alerts to the shooting officers of their mistake, did the firing stop.
By then, West Precinct Officers Rick Traverso and Tom McLaughlin already had exchanged multiple shots with East Precinct Officer Chris Anderson, whose patrol car, deliberately rammed by the other cruiser, was riddled with bullets. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/31018_davis12.shtml
....................................................
"Youth charged with theft of patrol car, eluding police";
[( By TRACY JOHNSON; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER; Friday, July 13, 2001;
Zachary Davis, 18, befriended by officers, could face more counts
Workers at a Seattle nightclub noticed the police car parked outside a couple of weekends in a row.
Sometimes the officer inside the car would shout at jaywalkers, they told police; sometimes he would walk through the dance club carrying a can of pepper spray.
Yesterday, King County prosecutors charged 18-year-old Zachary Davis with stealing that patrol car and eluding police. Police say he impersonated an officer on several occasions, the last time leading to a shootout Tuesday among officers mistaking one another for an impostor. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/31180_davis13.shtml
......................................................
"Not-guilty plea in case of stolen police car that led to mistaken shootout";
[( SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER STAFF; [Northwest]; Wednesday, July 25, 2001;
An 18-year-old Shoreline man accused of impersonating a Seattle police officer pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges he stole a patrol car and eluded police.
Zachary Davis, who is free on ,000 bail, appeared in court yesterday with his attorney and a group of relatives and friends. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/32631_stolencar25.shtml
...............................
"SEATTLE POLICE"
"Episode shows how trigger-happy force is";
[( Letters to the Editor; Wednesday, July 18, 2001;
The Thursday editorial trivializes the recent police fiasco as "The Keystone Kops Do Seattle" or "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight -- Thank Goodness." I am not laughing. In fact, I am horrified.
To me, the situation reveals again how absolutely out of control, determined to be violent and trigger-happy much of our police force is.
Of course, the police killings of multiple unarmed African American men and the overreaction to peaceful, non-violent WTO protesters in recent years already vividly illustrate the para-military orientation of our municipality.
Police are accorded enormous state-approved power to engage in violence. It is clear that the Seattle Police Department has abused this macho power time after time after time.
Minimize city-sponsored violence. Maximize police accountability.
Sarah T. Luthens
Seattle )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/opinion/31641_ltrs18.shtml
...............................................
"POLICE CHASE";
"Event worthy of a page in 'Believe It or Not' ";
[( Melissa Westbrook; Seattle; "Letters to the Editor; Sunday, July 15, 2001";
So our police chief wants us to not think of the latest SPD misstep as a "Keystone Kops" incident, but really it's a page for "Ripley's Believe It or Not."
So, in that spirit, here's the page:
"Be amazed! A city that invites a world organization (WTO) to town and thinks it will be a Shriners' convention, despite all evidence to the contrary.
"See a drunken Marti Gras party escalate and watch the very people (officers of the Seattle Police Department) who are sworn to stand between law-abiding citizens and bad guys stand and do nothing as people beat each other senseless.
"Finally! Believe that in 2001 Seattle police officers have no way to communicate with one another in times of crisis and, when all else fails (like common sense), they fire away."
All this aside, someone could have been killed. I am sorry the young suspect is troubled and grieves the loss of his father. However, that is no reason to give him access to unauthorized areas and equipment. And there is no reason that cops should be firing meaninglessly at one another.
The police do the hardest job in the world; why they want to make it any harder is beyond me. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/opinion/31239_ltrs15.shtml
"Numbers, please, clearly marked on police cars";
[( Chris Martin; Seattle; "Letters to the Editor; Sunday, July 15, 2001;
"A close call for Seattle cops" (Thursday editorial) asks, "Did no one get the license number of the suspect vehicle?"
A better question for the Seattle Police Department is why our marked patrol units do not have any clearly identifiable numbers on them? Seattle police cars have tiny unit numbers on the back window that are color-coded by precinct and are unfamiliar to all but the closest department observers.
Lack of clear unit identification is an accountability and safety concern.
The accountability concern is twofold. First, citizens who feel that police have driven by a situation that warrants police action have no idea who the offending officer was. Second, and of huge importance, is that a motorist who believes he has been the victim of an unwarranted traffic stop has no way of knowing the offending officer if he is afraid to ask for a badge number or, as is often the case in profile stops, he is not issued a citation.
By now the safety point should be clear. Officers opened fire on one another because they had no method to differentiate the suspect police vehicle.
License plates are not visible from the side and in this case the suspect had a radio, too.
With fewer than 100 cars per unit, SPD should have large reflective alphanumeric numbers denoting cars by precinct and unit. It is hard to imagine that if officers were chasing a North Precinct car clearly labeled N39 that they would have opened fire on an East Precinct unit with a large reflective E28 on all sides.
Fire and medic units are all clearly labeled by unit number; it's time the cars with guns are, too. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/opinion/31239_ltrs15.shtml
"Given recent history, SPD surprised us all";
[( Keith Gormezano; Seattle; "Letters to the Editor; Sunday, July 15, 2001;
I'm shocked, truly shocked that our trigger-happy police did not shoot young Zack Davis for engaging in the felony of stealing a police car, impersonating a police officer (mental illness, here?), eluding officers and possessing a weapon (which came with the police vehicle) while putting the public and police at risk.
But then again, he's not African American, so why should I be surprised? )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/opinion/31239_ltrs15.shtml
"Makes you wonder who trained the police";
[( Brian Sutton Edmonds; "Letters to the Editor; Sunday, July 15, 2001;
The recent incident with three Seattle police officers firing as many as 39 rounds at one another strikes me as the final proof that this organization is out of control. It was also proof that they are not profiling; they are shooting at anything that moves, including one another. Who trained these guys, the Hatfields or the McCoys? )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/opinion/31239_ltrs15.shtml
"So now they shoot first and ask questions later?";
[( Mike McCormick; "Letters to the Editor; Sunday, July 15, 2001;
What the hell is going on at SPD? In the latest of a long string of questionable incidents, two SPD patrol cars crash into each other while chasing a believed stolen SPD cruiser and members of each car (believing the other car was the stolen vehicle) open fire on one another, shooting at least 39 times.
Since there were no citizens present at the actual incident to blame this time around, it's obvious that it was police who fired the first shot (and the 38 that followed). I'd like to know when it became policy at SPD to shoot first and ask questions later?
So now we are expected to rest assured that the usual parties will investigate and fix what went wrong here? Forget it.
Implement a civilian review board now like the citizens of this city have been demanding and give citizens and the officers who make up the SPD the tools necessary to fix the problems within Seattle's police department. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/opinion/31239_ltrs15.shtml
(THIS IS ALL THAT HAS BEEN REPORTED (as of August 26,2001) IN THE SEATTLE MAINSTREAM PRESS ON THE SEATTLE POLICE SHOOTOUT BETWEEN SEATTLE POLICE OFFICERS JULY 10th, 2001. What follows are other Seattle mainstream media articles that I feel are the reason this incident is being ignored in Seattle.).
..........................................
............................
"Promoting civility on the streets of Seattle";
[(by Patrick Fitzsimons; Seattle Police chief from 1979 to 1994; July 27th, 2001; The Seattle Times;
We cannot teach children that there is nothing that is wrong or dishonorable and that nothing is worth standing up for. The abuse and lies of elected officials made public in recent times cannot be accepted because they are claimed to be merely personal or commonplace. These acts are disgraceful examples for our children and, if condoned, destructive of our society. )]
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/PrintStory.pl?document_id=134322575&
zsection_id=268448410&slug=fitzsimons27&date=20010727
................................................................
"Inquest system shouldn't be controlled by police";
[( By Kathleen Taylor; Guest columnist Editorials & Opinion; Special to The Seattle Times;
Thursday, August 23, 2001;
In October, an inquest will begin into the shooting death of Aaron Roberts. The inquest will determine the cause of death, the circumstances leading to the use of deadly force and whether the force was justified. It should be the occasion for an objective and independent assessment of all circumstances surrounding the death. But the current inquest system is out of date and rife with conflicts of interest. It gives too great a role to the agency responsible for the killing and too little role to the representatives of the deceased. )]
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis/web/vortex/display?slug=inquest23&
date=20010823&query=inquest+system
.............................................
"Diversity still major challenge for media";
[( Robert L. Jamieson JR.; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER COLUMNIST; Tuesday, August 21, 2001;
During a recent appearance on a radio show, police Chief Gil Kerlikowske touched on racial diversity -- and struck a nerve close to home.
He suggested that the Seattle Police Department is doing a good job in hiring people of color. By comparison, he said, newspapers are struggling to reflect the increasingly diverse communities they cover.
The chief is right -- and numbers tell much of the story. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/jamieson/35945_robert21.shtml
...................................................
"Seattle grad settles discrimination suit";
[( By Tan Vinh; Seattle Times staff reporter Local News; Wednesday, August 15, 2001;
A Rainier Beach High graduate who filed a reverse-discrimination suit against the Seattle School District has received a ,000 settlement and assurance that every high-school teacher will receive mandatory anti-harassment training in the coming school year.
For four years, said Rebecca Porcaro, a 1999 graduate, she endured insults and innuendoes from some African-American students who called her names such as "white trash," and that teachers and the administrative staff at the predominantly black school did nothing to stop the harassment. She sued shortly after she graduated.
Porcaro, 20, said she felt vindicated by the mid-July settlement, especially with the mandatory one-time training requirement, because she didn't "want this to just go away."
"I want people to know that (racial discrimination) can happen both ways. I want to make the school accountable," she said.
The district has apologized to Porcaro. )]
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis/web/vortex/display?slug=settlement15m&
date=20010815&query=seattle+grad+settles
...........................................................
"Shooting witness gets a lesson in citizenship";
[( By SUSAN PAYNTER; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER COLUMNIST; Friday, July 13, 2001;
Kim Daisy went out for a cheese steak sandwich with peppers on the side just before 11 the night of Thursday, May 31, and she got a taste of what it can mean to be a citizen.
A day passed before Daisy realized that what she saw after coming out of the sandwich shop, what she thought was just a man under arrest being pulled from a car, would turn out to be the tragic incident that has split this city ever since -- the fatal shooting of Aaron Roberts by police. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/paynter/31054_paynter13.shtml
......................................................
"Power and the police: A balance is needed]";
[( By ROBERT L. JAMIESON Jr.; Friday, August 3, 2001; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER COLUMNIST; )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/jamieson/33772_robert03.shtml
................................................
"Race does matter -- we must face it";
[( By ROBERT L. JAMIESON Jr.; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER COLUMNIST; Tuesday, July 24, 2001;
Talking about the Mardi Gras violence without giving weight to race is like baking bread without yeast.
Nothing rises.
But Seattle leaders, it would appear, are comfortable with discussions that are predictable and safe.
Flat.
They fear that adding race to the mix might leave a bad taste in mouths accustomed to a steady diet of political correctness.
So I did not exactly do an "Exorcist" head spin last week when I heard about the city panel looking at the causes of February's thuggery.
So far, the panel has come up with a recipe that has the following ingredients: poverty, school trouble, alcohol, a hard-knock life at home.
In other words, the same old, same old.
But what caught me by surprise was the downplay of the "R" word. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/jamieson/32496_robert24.shtml
................................
"Police discipline system won't repair disconnect";
[( By TERRENCE CARROLL; INTERNAL INVESTIGATIONS AUDITOR; P-I Focus; Sunday, August 19, 2001;
Having served the last few years as the internal investigations auditor for the Seattle Police Department, I am saddened by the apparent polarization between the police and parts of our community.
To me, the current debate over the citizen complaint process is primarily the result of a misperception and misunderstanding of the role of the police and the discipline system within the department.
In short, we are placing far too much emphasis on the internal discipline system as the focus for redressing broader societal problems. What- ever lack of trust exists between the police and citizens has its roots far deeper than a displeasure with the police discipline system.
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/opinion/35626_carrollop.shtml
................................................
................................................
"President of Urban League Calls for Review of Inequity";
[(By ROBIN TONER [W] ASHINGTON, July 29 ; July 30, 2001; New York Times
(This article also appeared in the Tacoma News Tribune titled;
"Racism probe asked for legal system"; [(It did not appear in Seattle mainstream press - and very little was said about it. I couldn't find it on the internet..).)])]
..........................................................
"Bush does about-face on race";
[( By CLARENCE PAGE SYNDICATED COLUMNIST; Seattle Post Intelligencer; Thursday, August 16, 2001;
CHICAGO -- In its first opportunity to take a stand on affirmative action, the Bush administration is taking a U-turn by deciding not to change directions. If that sounds a little wacky, just remember that we're talking about politics. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/opinion/35319_page16.shtml
.................................................................
"Claiming victim status will do little to eradicate racism";
[( By CHI-DOOH LI; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCE; Thursday, July 26, 2001;
Here in Seattle we need to take a deep, collective breath and call a moratorium on hurling racist accusations at the police.
This city is reeling from such accusations in four high-profile cases in the past 15 months: David Walker, the Mardi Gras riots, Aaron Roberts and the recent Asian American youth group jaywalking incident.
The loss of perspective from all quarters is as palpable as it is disturbing. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/opinion/32775_skipcol.shtml
..........................................
"A bridge across troubled waters";
[( By CANDY HATCHER; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER COLUMNIST; Friday, July 20, 2001;
It's called "community building," this figurative bridge across Lake Washington, and we all could learn from it.
A bunch of white suburbanites drives across the water every other month to share a meal and a prayer and an honest discussion with a group of black people they've come to love.
The other months, the group from the Central District travels to Bellevue or Kirkland for fellowship with their Eastside friends.
These members of First Presbyterian Church in Bellevue and Mount Calvary Christian Center in Seattle have been doing this since 1992, when their ministers met, forged a bond and determined God wanted them to bring their churches together.
It was during the Rodney King riots. Seattle, like so many other cities, was full of anger, resentment and tension. Dr. Richard Leon and the Rev. Reggie Witherspoon swapped pulpits. They held forums on weekends to talk about racism and attitudes and respect.
The monthly "community building" meetings began. Members of the two churches began to trust each other, to share their experiences. Blacks didn't just see the economic disparity in the two communities; they saw common problems.
Whites didn't just hear the "R" word. They heard about families and dreams. They talked about faith.
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/hatcher/32029_candy20.shtml
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"Reader's Soapbox: Working together could end racism";
[( SHERYL MCKAY GUEST COLUMNIST; Seattle Post Intelligencer; Saturday, August 11, 2001;
It's a real shame that the post-Mardi Gras Youth Safety Task Force is unable to discuss race as a factor in the Mardi Gras debacle, but I can understand why.
Both sides are afraid to open this can of worms for different reasons, but until we face some truths, we are not going to make much progress. At the risk of being called a racist, I'd like to point out a few things.
Whites are so afraid of being labeled racists that they have given up their right to state the obvious and point out a large streak of racism in the black community.
Many blacks have spent so many years fighting racism, that they have lost their perspective and turned themselves into perpetual victims, complete with a knee-jerk reaction that racism is the motivation behind every incident or problem.
Granted, racism is still around, but not everything that happens is motivated by it.
What people have forgotten or decline to acknowledge is that a large majority of "racist" white baby boomers are the same people who fought, marched and promoted racial equality during the '60s. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/opinion/34792_soapbox_11.shtml
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"HUMAN RIGHTS";
"Not much has improved since declaration signed";
[( Yuriko Brunelle; Seattle; [Opinion]; Letters to the Editor; Wednesday, August 22, 2001;
In his Saturday Soapbox column "Declaration of human rights improved world," Herb Altschull writes, "We Americans are an impatient people." Americans have good reason to be impatient.
When the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed 51 years ago, the world was emerging from the violence and cruelty of Word War II and the Holocaust. Today, Turkey, Indonesia, Colombia and many other countries commit torture, political assassination and other abuses aided by U.S. military arms and training.
Fifty-one years ago, racial and gender discrimination was the American norm. Today in the United States, people of color are far more likely than whites to be stopped and searched by police. They are also more likely to be sentenced to death.
It's ironic that Altschull gushes about the "emerging" nations that have put the UDHR intact into their constitutions, as the United States has not ratified essential human rights treaties: the Women's Convention, the Children's Convention and the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Even more disturbing, of those treaties it has ratified, the United States limits those rights and prohibits individuals from raising such rights in litigation.
The American public has a tendency to associate human rights with other countries, be it rogue nations or, in Altschull's case, "emerging" nations.
But human rights is not merely a concept by which to judge other countries.
The standards outlined in the UDHR apply to us all. And the United States if far from being a role model.
Though it is true that there have been many advances in human rights protections in the past half-century, the United States, along with many other countries, still falls short of the standards contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Fifty-one years are good reason to be impatient. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/opinion/35992_ltrs22.shtml
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"Crime and Justice in Black America";
[(By Christopher E. Stone; Director, Vera Institute for Criminal Justice
http://www.nul.org/stonessay.html
ABSTRACT)]
........................................
"TO BE EQUAL : Reducing the Problem of Racial Profiling";
[(By Hugh B. Price President National Urban League
ftp://ftp.nul.org/pub/tbe/tbe200126.txt )]
.........................................
Racial and Ethnic Bias in the Courts
Bibliography
Updated April 1997
Part II: Materials Identified From Various Journals, Newsletters, and Texts
(Compiled by the Information Service of the National Center for State Courts)
http://www.ncsc.dni.us/is/Bib2_2.htm
(Good).
..............................................
"New Evidence of Racial Profiling's Harm ";
"TO BE EQUAL";
[( By Hugh B. Price; President; National Urban League;
"If you're black, most likely you will get stopped. You can't do anything about it. That's just the way it is." )]
ftp://ftp.nul.org/pub/tbe/tbe200125.txt
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"Racial insensitivity carries a high price";
[( By Carl Jeffers; Wednesday, August 08, 2001 - 12:00 a.m. Pacific; Guest columnist; Seattle Times; )]
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis/web/vortex/
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"Officers' bad behavior takes city backward";
"DEATH PENALTY";
"Capital punishment perpetuates violence";
[( Seattle Post Intelligencer; [Opinion]; Letters to the Editor; Wednesday, August 8, 2001; )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/opinion/34309_ltrs8.shtml RENTON
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"Exposure fosters racial understanding";
[( By FRED QUARNSTROM; SEATTLE POST INTELLIGENCER; GUEST COLUMNIST [Opinion] ; Friday, August 10, 2001;
Seattleites do not burn crosses or walk around in white sheets. If we did, it certainly would be easier to recognize and confront the problem.
Most of us are prejudiced, regardless of our race. It is natural to feel more comfortable with your own. It creates problems when we do not recognize our prejudices and allow them to result in discrimination. Most discrimination is difficult to address or even to recognize because it is subtle. I may make you uncomfortable. I hope I will make you search your souls and do some introspective thinking and questioning. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/opinion/34641_raceop.shtml
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"Seattle can't learn";
[( BY GEOV PARRISH; The Seattle Weekly; AUGUST 9th, 2001; )]
http://www.seattleweekly.com/features/0132/news-parrish.shtml
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"Lawsuit claims racial profiling";
"Black plaintiffs say Renton police abused them during a stop";
[( By SAM SKOLNIK SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER Tuesday, July 31, 2001;
Renton retiree Calvin Brown and his friend, Rose Anne Jacobs, were on a simple mission one evening last August. They needed some medicine for Brown's stomach flu.
But moments after the pair left the parking lot of the local Safeway, all hell broke loose.
A patrol car motioned for them to pull over. Officers used a bullhorn to order them out of Brown's 1990 Buick LeSabre as other police cars swarmed on the scene. They ordered the pair out of the car at gunpoint, then handcuffed them.
The situation deteriorated from there, say Brown and Jacobs, who filed a civil rights suit against the city of Renton and four officers yesterday. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle, accuses the Renton Police Department of racial profiling, claiming that they were stopped and harassed solely because of their race.
Police were responding Aug. 27 to reports of a drive-by shooting at the corner of 10th and Sunset in Renton Highlands that left one man wounded. Brown and Jacobs claim multiple witnesses identified the shooter as one of four or five black teenagers in a small silver car.
Yet the police stopped Brown, 71, and Jacobs, 57, who happened to be in the vicinity, driving a similar-colored car, and who are also African American. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/33352_racial31.shtml
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"Police stop of Asian Americans is called case of race profiling";
[( By ERIC RUTHFORD SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER; [Northwest]; Saturday, July 14, 2001;
Several students taking part in an Asian youth leadership summit say they were victims of racial profiling on Monday when a Seattle police officer stopped them and issued a jaywalking ticket to one of them.
Police say the students were not stopped because of their race but because they were in the street when the light changed.
Outside of City Council chambers yesterday, Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske said he was looking into the matter, and planned to meet with the students and teachers involved.
"If this is some sort of miscommunication -- and I think the officer had every intention of keeping people from getting run over in the street -- we should be perfectly capable of dealing with that situation by sitting down and discussing it," Kerlikowske said.
The 14 Puget Sound-area students, who are of Asian descent and between the ages of 14 and 18, were crossing South Main Street at Fourth Avenue South on their way to attend an art lecture when Officer Jess Pitts called out to them and loudly asked if they spoke English, according to their teacher, Andrew Cho.
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/31316_group14.shtml
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"RACE RELATIONS";
[( Don Hermansen; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER; Letters to the Editor; Monday, July 16, 2001; Seattle;
Discrimination has no place in anyone's life
A week ago, I went to the airport to pick up a friend. I dropped him off at his home in Madison Park around midnight. For the first time in my life I hesitated about whether I should drive along Martin Luther King Way to my home.
I am a white man in my 40s and was concerned for my safety. I have four Asian children and my partner is Hispanic. We live in a very racially diverse area and I have always been comfortable there. After what happened last weekend to the mayor, I was uncomfortable for the first time. I felt an overwhelming sadness about this.
I have never in my life thought that one race was better than another and someone should be treated differently because of his or her skin color. It has never made sense to me why so many people feel that it does make a difference.
I shook off my fear and drove home along MLK Way, but didn't like that I felt there was even a possibility of a problem.
We all need to put discrimination against anyone out of our lives and celebrate the diversity of all people.
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/opinion/31400_ltrs16.shtml
(FOR COMPLETE EMAIL; IT IS PUBLISHED ON THIS PUBLIC WEB SITE:
http://seattle.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=6170&group=webcast
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"The Seattle divide: Surprising views from ground zero";
[( By SUSAN PAYNTER; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER COLUMNIST; Friday, July 20, 2001;
It started with an unscientific smile test.
For two weeks I made mental notes as I tramped all over town. Did fewer African Americans smile back at the middle-age white woman coming their way than they used to? Is it true that race relations in Seattle are as bad as they've been since "the troubles" of 1968, the year that I moved here from Bremerton?
It seemed the answer was yes. Lots of diverted eyes. Few hellos. But this week when I pushed questions across picnic tables and park benches in Seattle's Central Area, the responses were open, friendly, and more than a little surprising.
Shannon Carter, a warm, candid man with a ready smile, shared an ample slice of his afternoon at the park named for Edwin T. Pratt, the Seattle civil-rights leader and 38-year-old head of the Urban League killed by a shotgun blast on his front porch in 1969.
Yes, Carter said, divisions are wider than when he moved here from Yakima 11 years ago. And the edge sharpened long before the May shooting by white police of Aaron Roberts who, like Carter, is African American.
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/paynter/31993_paynter20.shtml
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"Schell calls for talks on racism";
"Religious leaders are urged to hold 'dialogues' over what individuals can do";
[( By KERY MURAKAMI; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER; [Northwest]; Thursday, July 19, 2001;
Mayor Paul Schell is challenging the city to set aside its discomfort with discussing difficult issues and deal with the most uncomfortable subject of them all -- race.
In his most extensive comments yet on race relations, Schell said he is writing leaders of all the churches, synagogues and other religious institutions in the city asking that they hold "dialogues" over what individuals can do to get along with people of other races.
Still in pain from a blow with a bullhorn that fractured the bones under his right eye, Schell insisted the recent spate of racially charged events, including his own attack, were "isolated incidents. ... I don't think there's a great racial divide in the city."
But he said difficult racial issues bubble "just below the surface." And especially in light of new census figures showing that 34 percent of city residents are minorities, Schell said it is time to start talking.
"Racial issues affect all of us," )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/31889_schell19.shtml
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"Census shows widening racial gap in home ownership":
[( By LISA STIFFLER AND CHRIS McGANN; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTERS; [Northwest]; Wednesday, July 11, 2001;
Marsha Dickerson had a 10 percent down payment and a dream when she came across a 0,000 three-bedroom rambler in Kent.
She longed for a stable place for her six children to grow up, equity to borrow against for their college loans, personal financial security and a great reason to stay active in her community.
But her hopes faded with the first credit check. A recent divorce had left Dickerson with credit-card debt, old hospital bills and lease contracts she was forced to break while she bounced between apartments.
The bank denied a mortgage loan for the 37-year-old single mother. "That was a big blow to me," she said. "It was something I really wanted."
Dickerson, who is African American, illustrates a trend. In Washington, a racial gap in home ownership rates continues, according to 2000 Census numbers released today. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/30841_census11.shtml
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"The 2000 Census: Looking beyond color lines";
"Doctors, advocates, scientists ask how relevant racial data is";
[( By DEBORAH KONG; THE ASSOCIATED PRESS; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER; [Nation/World]; Friday, June 29, 2001;
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The daughter of a white mother and a black father, Veronica Keiffer has short, curly, dark-brown hair, brown eyes and olive-brown skin dusted with freckles.
[CENSUS 2000]
People have called her "exotic," addressed her in Spanish and asked to touch her hair. If Keiffer ever forgets about race, she's soon reminded by someone asking: "What are you?"
To her, race is something that permeates life. But at the California Childcare Health Program in Oakland, where Keiffer works, her supervisor, Dr. Rahman Zamani, wants to stop using the term "race" and instead use "ethnicity" in staff training discussions and newsletters.
Their workplace debate is being echoed across the country as scientists, academics and advocates question race's role in research, medicine and data collection by the government.
Keiffer contends race is integral to shaping how people view themselves and are treated by others. She says downplaying it won't make it go away -- it's better confronted head-on. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/national/29313_race29.shtml
....................................................
"Seattle's black community needs its own bank";
[( By BILL VIRGIN; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER COLUMNIST; Monday, June 18, 2001;
The high-volume venting in Seattle's Central District last week wasn't just about one case of a police shooting, or about the larger issue of the tense police-civilian relations in the neighborhood, or about the yet-larger issue of race relations in Seattle or the nation.
Underlying the charges and recriminations and emotions that surface volcano-like every time there's an incident is a long-standing uneasy feeling among many African Americans, even those who aren't signed up in the Aaron Roberts campaign. It's a sense that blacks are still not gaining the kind of economic clout that generates long-term wealth for the community, that produces upward-mobility jobs, that gives them a seat at the table. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/virgin/27725_virgin18.shtml
..................................................
"City must put fear aside, start talking";
[( By CANDY HATCHER; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER COLUMNIST; Wednesday, July 11, 2001;
At the edge of the protest march through the Central District, two 10-year-olds walked alongside me. They got straight to the point:
"Do you like the police?"
I told them I liked most of the ones I'd met, but that some are more helpful than others. Just like in any job.
But I don't live in this neighborhood, I said to the girls, so I'm here trying to figure this out. What do you think of the police?
"They're OK," one said.
The girls, fifth-graders at Minor Elementary just up the street, said they've met some of the officers in the neighborhood. They always say hello. "They're nice. They come around."
I was struck by their curiosity, their straightforward question and their perceptions about this pretty old neighborhood at the core of a racial divide. These kids weren't repeating the mantra I'd heard from dozens of adults.
We were on the sidewalk as the protesters passed, headed for a Seattle police precinct. We weren't in the middle of things, but we were close enough to read the signs.
That's what made me really sad.
One poster spelled out the name of our police chief and highlighted the three Ks. Another called Mayor Paul Schell and Chief Gil Kerlikowske "the most dangerous gang in Seattle."
"Stop the criminals in blue."
"Killer cops off our streets." )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/hatcher/30829_candy11.shtml
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"Crowd hears a rested Clinton rip lingering U.S. racial inequities";
[( By DEB RIECHMANN; THE ASSOCIATED PRESS; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER Friday, June 29, 2001;
WASHINGTON -- In his first speech in Washington since leaving the White House, Bill Clinton touched on familiar themes of his presidency but without all the familiar polish of the office.
The spotlight directed on him as he spoke flashed on and off as if it were on a timer.
The sound system stopped midway through his speech, prompting Clinton to tap the microphone until it started working again.
"I am, I think, glad to be back," Clinton said in opening his address on racial relations to 250 people in a hotel ballroom. Instead of a limousine, he got out of a Chevy Blazer. The crowd was cordial, not awe-struck. He looked rested, the bags under his eyes smaller.
During his speech, sponsored by the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy, Clinton said the United States has come a long way in erasing racial tension. "The bad news is that racial prejudice, racial discrimination, racial animosity and dramatic opportunity gaps along the color line still exist in America," he said. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/national/29356_clinton29.shtml
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"Schools set sights on ending race gap in testing scores";
[( By REBEKAH DENN; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER; Thursday, June 7, 2001;
The Seattle Public Schools has sought and received plenty of advice over the years on how to change a system in which minority students consistently lag behind white students.
Now, no matter what it takes, the district is determined to eliminate the still-glaring gap by 2004. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/26363_race07.shtml
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"Blacks worse off in Federal Way schools";
[( By REBEKAH DENN; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER; [Northwest]; Wednesday, May 30, 2001;
FEDERAL WAY - African American students in the Federal Way School District are worse off than students of other races in several key areas, according to a new district study.
Academic performance and graduation rates are lower among African American students; they are far more likely to be suspended or expelled; and they are overrepresented in special education programs and underrepresented in advanced classes. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/25221_school30.shtml
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"ATTACK ON MAYOR";
[( Michael Sheridan; Seattle; Letters to the Editor; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER; Wednesday, July 11, 2001;
People honest about feelings in the P-I
Thank you for your story on the attack on Mayor Paul Schell. Where other media are reporting messages from civic and community leaders only, the P-I is asking the people what's happening here. The answers they receive are often in conflict with the homogenized truth. One answer that came from both the Fat Tuesday and Mayor Schell assaults is that some members of the black community feel that a mere "white" presence in their neighborhoods is an insult that needs to be remedied.
Comments from black youths at Fat Tuesday and a close friend of the man alleged to have hit the mayor both noted that the presence of whites provoked violence.
This is not being looked at by civic or community leaders. Perhaps these groups are determined to look away. I hope your paper can turn their heads back. Nothing should be buried. Let's look at these ugly warts before there is a malignancy. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/opinion/30771_ltrs11.shtml
"Violence will only breed more violence";
[( Sharon Johnson; Puyallup; Letters to the Editor; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER; Wednesday, July 11, 2001;
I am opposed to violence of any kind. I am tired of the "race" issue. People are people. Consequences are consequences. Everything we do, positive or negative, has a consequence. Violence will always breed more violence. It is the law of the harvest; we reap what we sow.
I believe a hurt is never wasted. Our son was severely injured in the Mardi Gras riots on his 23rd birthday. He is recovering but will never be the same. Members of our family will forever be affected. We were awestruck by the response of the mayor, the heads of law enforcement and community leaders. To allow people to be beaten, have their skulls cracked open while police watched ... where is the justice, where is the common sense?
Our son, after being given up for dead, is alive today, a witness to God's mercy in light of man's stupidity. We are praying for the city, our leaders and our community. We pray that as Mayor Schell has now experienced the violence firsthand that it will increase his wisdom as he makes further decisions regarding when and how the police will respond in the future. Criminals need to be arrested and they need to pay for their crimes. The victims always pay and the criminals are protected and somehow exalted for their efforts. Has our world turned completely upside down and inside out? )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/opinion/30771_ltrs11.shtml
"Shooting no justification for outrage at the police";
[( Jack Olsen; Bainbridge Island; Letters to the Editor; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER; Wednesday, July 11, 2001;
To all my friends who've been raising bloody hell about the tragic shooting of Aaron Roberts: Do what I did.
Arrange a ride-along with the Seattle Police Department, preferably on a night watch. It might broaden your perspective. The African American community has had plenty of legitimate beefs with the local constabulary. The Aaron Roberts case is not one of them.)]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/opinion/30771_ltrs11.shtml
"Attack on the mayor considered a hate crime?";
[( John Bradford; Suquamish; Letters to the Editor; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER; Wednesday, July 11, 2001;
Do you think this assault on Mayor Schell will be prosecuted as a hate crime? He had nothing to do with the shooting of Aaron Roberts, yet he gets smacked. The suspect will probably do 30 days, max.
What a crock. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/opinion/30771_ltrs11.shtml
"SELFISHNESS";
"Twenty- and 30somethings, look beyond yourselves";
[( Steve Klow; Seattle; Letters to the Editor; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER; Wednesday, July 11, 2001;
I think I have an answer as to why people in Seattle and the rest of the country are becoming more selfish and hostile.
Our generation of 20- and 30somethings never became united in the face of a major crisis such as World War II or Vietnam.
Our generation never had to sacrifice or ration to the extent the "greatest generation" did. Our generation never had a crisis like Vietnam, which rallied the baby boomers together. The 1970s energy crisis only rallied us with our parents into long gas station lines. The Gulf War (in which I served) only rallied us around the television, giving CNN high viewer ratings.
Our generation, for the most part, appears to be obsessed with personal wealth and how stock market crashes, traffic congestion and high gas prices affect ourselves, not our neighbors.
We appear to be interested in only three things: me, me and me. When things go wrong, we tend to lash out at others as if it's their fault, not ours. Even peaceful protest rallies eventually degenerate into large-scale bar brawls, thanks to the average angry person on the street.
The next time we hear about road rage, air rage, street rage, rage against the mayor, any rage, let's ask ourselves as fellow 20- and 30somethings, "What have we done for them lately?" )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/opinion/30771_ltrs11.shtml
"HORSEY CARTOON";
"Blacks have more to fear than KKK";
[( David Losh; Seattle; Letters to the Editor; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER; Wednesday, July 11, 2001;
David Horsey's Sunday drawing is incomplete. The African American gentleman should be thinking of more when he sees a white police officer.
Why stop at the Klan? Why not include the Aryan Nation, Hitler, Custer, slave traders, the Europeans who have invaded and controlled huge sections of central Africa? Why not the Afrikaners of South Africa? )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/opinion/30771_ltrs11.shtml
"Cartoon perpetuates unfortunate stereotype";
[( Stanley McKie; Kent; Letters to the Editor; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER; Wednesday, July 11, 2001;
I believe David Horsey's Sunday cartoon is neither funny nor clever. His cartoon is an irresponsible representation of a trite stereotype of African Americans. Why is the person of color in the cartoon wearing his baseball cap on backwards and listening to a Walkman insisting on having the right to be entertained? The media are quick to portray blacks in this country as criminals, dumb basketball players and/or entertainers only. Reporting on successful blacks achieving the American Dream is not newsworthy for the P-I? I wonder. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/opinion/30771_ltrs11.shtml
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........................................
"Changing story";
"New information emerges as lawyers debate the death of Aaron Roberts";
[( BY RICK ANDERSON; AUGUST 9th, 2001; (This story is gut wrenching (with autopsy photo.) careful if you visit the web site,,,, kinda graphic...)..).
AARON ROBERTS , killed the night of May 31 by a Seattle police officer, so feared being arrested and shot by the cops that he kept an armored vest in his closet, says his attorney. )]
http://www.seattleweekly.com/features/0132/news-anderson.shtml
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Officer to be a focus of inquest";
[( By TRACY JOHNSON; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER; Saturday, August 4, 2001;
Judge rules that jurors also will hear of Roberts' previous run-in with patrolman dragged by car. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/33955_roberts04.shtml
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"FBI to probe black motorist's shooting";
[( By GENE JOHNSON; THE ASSOCIATED PRESS; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER; Thursday, June 7, 2001;
The FBI will investigate the shooting death of a black man killed by a police officer last week to determine if race was a factor, an agency spokesman said Thursday.
Aaron Roberts, 37, a convicted felon being sought on an arrest warrant, was shot to death May 31 by Officer Craig Price.
"We're not taking the Seattle Police Department's investigation away from them, but we're opening a separate and parallel investigation looking into the civil rights aspects of it," said FBI spokesman Ray Lauer. "If the shooting occurred because of racist motives, that would be a civil rights violation, but there are other possible motives, too."
Mayor Paul Schell said he was pleased at the FBI involvement.
"I welcome the FBI's investigation of the Aaron Roberts case," Schell said. "It's my hope that it will provide the assurances of objectivity called for by members of the African American community. The city will, of course, cooperate fully."
There have been several marches to protest the shooting, including one Wednesday evening.
A multiracial crowd that numbered as many as 500 marched from New Hope Baptist Church to the Seattle Police Department's East Precinct, demanding more accountability from police.
"This is not a civil rights problem, or a black and white problem, but a human rights problem," said Dustin Washington of the People's Coalition for Justice. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/26573_fbi07ww.shtml
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"Police chief feels a city's concerns";
"Kerlikowske says 'different rulebook' on police shootings is needed now";
[( By LEWIS KAMB; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER; [Northwest]; Saturday, June 30, 2001;
One month ago, two white Seattle police officers stopped a black motorist near a well-traveled intersection in the heart of the Central District, sparking a confrontation that has catapulted Seattle into self-examination of policing, accountability and race.
In a matter of minutes, a man would be dead. Two cops would fall under scrutiny. And a police force still smarting from Mardi Gras riots and last year's shooting of David Walker, a mentally ill black man, would be accused of racism and brutality.
An inquest jury will be seated next month to decide whether officers Craig Price and Greg Neubert acted appropriately the night of May 31, when 37-year-old Aaron Roberts was shot in the front seat of his mother's Cadillac. The FBI is conducting a separate probe into whether the officers violated Roberts' civil rights. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/29460_chiefweb30.shtml
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"Shooting unleashes torrent of emotions";
[( By ROBERT L. JAMIESON Jr.; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER COLUMNIST; Thursday, June 14, 2001;
Sometimes there are no words, nothing more left to say.
The fatal police shooting of Aaron Roberts, which has stirred much emotion, has brought me, for now, to the shores of silence.
Many of you, however, have had plenty to say about the May 31 shooting of the black motorist. A Seattle police officer was coming to the aid of his partner, who was being dragged by Roberts' car after a traffic stop.
Many of you also have shared comments about the decision by community activists to boycott Starbucks to protest the death of Roberts, a convicted felon with a history of drug violations. The boycott also seeks to bring attention to the economic distress of the Central District, a hub of the city's black community.
So today I allow you, the readers, to speak -- not in sound bites -- but in full, thoughtful paragraphs that reflect a range of passions unleashed by the tragedy. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/jamieson/27367_robert14.shtml
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"Family of slain black motorist calls for calm";
[( By LEWIS KAMB and GORDY HOLT; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTERS; Saturday, June 2, 2001;
The family of a black man fatally shot by Seattle police in the Central District called for calm Saturday and said they want "a fair and full investigation."
Aaron Roberts, 37, was fatally shot Thursday night by a white officer after Roberts trapped another officer's arm in his car window and dragged the officer down the street. The incident sparked angry Central District protests Friday.
NOTE: This article has been updated since it was originally published in the newspaper.
"We've got a senseless killing here -- again," said Lemaun Lancaster, 38, a barber whose shop is within yards of the curb where Roberts was shot.
Roberts? family on Saturday issued a statement through their lawyer, Paul L. Schneiderman, encouraging anyone who witnessed the shooting to come forward.
?The family wants a fair and full investigation of what happened last Thursday evening. They want the community to remain calm and not resort to any acts of violence,? the statement said. ?The police have issued statements in the media which raise questions as to what actually happened at the scene.?
The statement added that media accounts of the shooting have ?tended to focus on the problems that Aaron had in his life rather than on the fact that he was shot to death while he was unarmed.
?We have not come to any conclusions as of yet and hope that people can keep an open mind as to what happened and not assume that Aaron deserved to die.? )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/25796_shot02.shtml
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"3rd day of protests over fatal police shooting";
"Black leaders may seek independent review";
[( By ROBERT McCLURE AND MARGARET TAUS; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTERS; [Northwest]; Monday, June 4, 2001;
A crowd of about 175 people gathered last night in the Central District spot where a Seattle policeman last week fatally shot a black man who was dragging the officer's partner in his car.
About half the crowd marched up the hill to the police department's east substation, at first singing, "We Shall Overcome" and then breaking into a chant: "Hey, hey, ho, ho, police brutality has got to go." Police directed traffic around the march, which was loud but peaceful.
A couple of hours later, about 50 people held hands in a human chain blocking the intersection of 23rd Avenue and East Union Street near the shooting spot, chanting, "Whose streets? Our streets!" Motorists honked in support while police monitored the protest from a half-block away.
It was the third day of protests since the shooting Thursday night of Aaron Roberts, who died in an incident that remains under investigation.
Police said they were trying to stop "an erratic driver and vehicle" that night. They said Roberts offered his identification to an officer who stopped him, then pulled it back into his car. When Officer Greg Neubert reached into the car, Roberts grabbed his arm and accelerated, dragging him forward. Neubert's partner, Officer Craig Price, climbed in the passenger side, struggled with Roberts, then fired the fatal shot, police said.
Yesterday, the head of Seattle's Urban League said he is considering seeking an outside of review the shooting. James Kelly said he and other African American community leaders are exploring having communities and churches pool their resources to hire an independent investigator to look into Roberts' death."We don't want another unfortunate rerun of a movie that we've seen, which is 'justifiable homicide,'" Kelly said. At the same time, he doesn't want to see police officers become scapegoats. "We have to have something independent." )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/25927_shooting04.shtml
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"Post-mortem photos show wounds on Roberts' face";
[( By TRACY JOHNSON; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER; Saturday, July 21, 2001;
Two color photographs of Aaron Roberts' lifeless face show that it had been scraped in several places, including a wound larger than a quarter on his forehead.
Other photos show Officer Greg Neubert with an apparent bruise barely visible on his left side and a small, superficial scrape on a reddened elbow.
Lawyers for Roberts' family say the pictures, filed yesterday in King County District Court, support their version of what happened the night Roberts was shot to death. They contend Neubert was the aggressor, and they dispute that Roberts dragged the officer with his car.
"I think it shows that Officer Neubert beat up Aaron Roberts," said Doug Wilson, who will represent Roberts' family in an October inquest. "There was no way (Neubert's) life was in danger." )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/32178_roberts21.shtml
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"Roberts' kin detail their case, attack police version";
"In court documents, family says witnesses and evidence contradict department's account";
[( By TRACY JOHNSON; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER; Friday, July 20, 2001;
Attorneys for the family of Aaron Roberts say witnesses and evidence refute nearly every aspect of the Seattle Police Department's account of how he was shot to death, according to court papers filed yesterday.
Roberts' family pins much of the blame not on the officer who fired his gun but on his partner, Officer Greg Neubert. Their attorney, Douglas Wilson, contends that Neubert aggressively forced his way into Roberts' car during what should have been an ordinary traffic stop.
They dispute that Neubert was dragged from Roberts' car, arguing that the officer's shiny boots, scant injuries and the accounts of witnesses show it never happened.
But attorney Lisa Marchese, who will represent the city and the officers in a formal October inquest, called many of the claims ludicrous. She said the inquest should remain focused on Officer Craig Price -- who shot and killed Roberts May 31 in the Central District -- and not "make Officer Neubert a scapegoat."
In the court papers Wilson filed yesterday, he argued that Neubert contributed to Roberts' death and should be made a party to the inquest process. Wilson is trying to force the city to hand over reams of information about the officer, including six years' worth of his police reports and any citizen complaints about him.
Police have said Neubert stopped Roberts, 37, for erratic driving the night he was killed. They say Roberts grabbed Neubert's wrist as the officer stood next to Roberts car and accelerated, dragging Neubert alongside the car. Police say Price scrambled to catch up, warned Roberts to stop and shot him.
But Wilson said witnesses and Neubert's own account outline a different scenario: Roberts pulled over as soon as he saw the patrol car's flashing lights. Neubert himself later described Roberts as calm, smiling and even calling Neubert by his name, the lawyer said.
At least two witnesses say they saw Neubert force his way into Roberts' car window, according to Wilson, who contends that the officer was grabbing for the keys and the gearshift. Several bystanders recalled that the car began moving slowly and disputed that it was dragging an officer. One said Neubert's feet weren't skimming the pavement because "nearly half his body was inside the car," the documents say.
Wilson said Neubert told Price two or three times to shoot, although he said it still wasn't clear where Neubert was when the shots rang out. Witnesses didn't see him, which means he was either inside the car on Roberts' lap or had already freed himself from the vehicle, Wilson said.
Either way, Wilson argues, Neubert's life wasn't in danger. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/32068_roberts20.shtml
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"Oversight head not welcome at Roberts inquest, guild says";
[( By LEWIS KAMB; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER;
Saturday, August 11, 2001;
The Seattle Police Officers' Guild doesn't want the city's civilian director of police oversight to attend the Aaron Roberts inquest, claiming her "mere presence" would bias the review process.
Sam Pailca, director of the Office of Professional Accountability, said yesterday she may observe the inquest into the fatal police shooting "as part of my policy advisory role."
"The inquest is a public proceeding that plays a key role in the department's review of officer-involved shootings," Pailca said. "I may view some of the Roberts inquest proceedings as part of my policy advisory role to the chief, the mayor and the City Council."
At the inquest, scheduled to start Oct. 1, a King County jury will hear testimony and answer a series of questions about the shooting. On May 31, Officer Craig Price fatally shot Roberts during a traffic stop in the Central District. Moments before he was shot, Roberts grabbed Price's partner, Greg Neubert, and dragged him down the street with his car, according to police.
The inquest will be the first involving a Seattle police officer since Pailca took office in January, overseeing investigations of police-misconduct complaints and other internal problems.
But Mike Edwards, president of the union representing rank-and-file officers, said Pailca has no business attending the inquest. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/34882_opa11.shtml
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"Inquest in Roberts' death is scheduled for Oct. 1";
[( By TRACY JOHNSON; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER; Friday, July 13, 2001;
Attorneys for Aaron Roberts' family hope inquest jurors will be allowed to take a hard look at the actions of Seattle Police Officer Greg Neubert, claiming that Roberts was killed when the nine-year veteran ordered his partner to shoot.
Lawyers for the officers, however, say that the decision to fire was Officer Craig Price's alone -- and that Neubert simply didn't have the authority to give orders. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/31161_inquest13.shtml
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"Police oversight officer files first report";
[( By LEWIS KAMB; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER; [Northwest];
Saturday, July 14, 2001;
The civilian director of a new police oversight office yesterday promised more-efficient and thorough reviews of officer misconduct complaints and better communication with the citizens who make them.
In her first report back to city officials since her January appointment, Sam Pailca, director of the Office of Professional Accountability, said she is creating easier access for filing police complaints and preparing a new "quality service" audit to examine ways to improve the department's internal complaint investigation process.
Pailca is also establishing an unprecedented system for separately tracking complaints of racial bias against police that she said will complement a city effort now exploring ways to determine the extent of racial profiling.
But while Pailca's initial progress report was met with praise from city officials, talk turned to the continuing saga of seating a civilian police-oversight panel -- a matter that has since become a sore spot among the public, police and politicians.
The issue gathered steam after last year's fatal police shooting of David Walker, a mentally ill black man. It was later ruled justified. Public demands for the board resurfaced recently after a white officer fatally shot Aaron Roberts, a black man.
The Office of Professional Accountability Review Board -- an approved panel of citizens charged with providing further oversight of the department's internal complaint investigations -- has yet to be seated because of contractual sticking points between the city and the Seattle Police Officers Guild. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/31308_police14.shtml
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"Another officer dragged by a car; driver is held";
[( By LEWIS KAMB; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER; Tuesday, July 31, 2001;
Instructors at Washington's training academy advise police recruits against reaching into a suspect's car, knowing that doing so can endanger an officer. Beat officers, however, also know that a car chase puts them and the public at risk.
So it's not unusual, Seattle police say, for an officer to reach into a car to grab keys or a gear shift to prevent a suspect from fleeing.
Friday, for the second time in less than two months, that tactic resulted in an officer getting dragged down the street.
In each case, the officers were able to walk away -- albeit banged up and bruised. The suspects, on the other hand, weren't so lucky: One wound up in jail; the other dead. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/33335_drag31.shtml
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"Shooting victim held no weapon";
"Bellevue officer who killed suspect says man reached for his waistband";
[( By MARGARET TAUS; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER; [Northwest]; Monday, August 13, 2001;
Bellevue police Chief Jim Montgomery said yesterday that it is too early to judge the actions of a police officer who fatally shot a 24-year-old Guatemalan immigrant last week, despite indications that the man was not holding a weapon and may have been reaching for his wallet when he was shot.
Officer Mike Hetle was responding to a report of a man threatening his cousin with a knife at The Palisades apartments Wednesday when his squad car collided with a car driven by Nelson Martinez Mendez. Hetle said he gave a command to Martinez Mendez in English and Spanish, then fired two shots when he perceived a threat.
Montgomery confirmed information in a search warrant affidavit that Martinez Mendez did not have a weapon in his immediate possession. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/35003_shooting13.shtml
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"Police 'do not seem to respect us'";
"Bellevue marchers call for justice in fatal shooting of Hispanic man";
[( By MARGARET TAUS; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER; [Northwest] Friday, August 17, 2001;
BELLEVUE -- About 100 people carrying signs and chanting marched several miles through Bellevue last night, demanding answers and accountability in the fatal police shooting of Nelson Martinez Mendez.
Demonstrators chant in Spanish as they march to protest the police shooting death Aug. 8 of Nelson Martinez Mendez. They say he would still be alive if he had been white.
As the group -- a mix of Hispanic, African American, Asian and white people -- gathered at the Crossroads Shopping Center, Margarita Guzman wept for her dead nephew.
"I want to understand why. Why did they take his life?" she said, as El Centro de la Raza Executive Director Roberto Maestas translated for her.
"We are peasant people. We respect the authorities. But the authorities do not seem to respect us," she said, then sobbed in the arms of a supporter.
Martinez Mendez, 24, was shot Aug. 8 when police responded to a 911 call from his cousin, who said he was threatening her with a knife. Martinez Mendez left the apartment the two shared with another relative and a friend and tried to drive away.
The car apparently bumped a patrol car driven by Officer Mike Hetle, who said he then gave an order to Martinez Mendez in English and Spanish. Hetle fired two shots when he saw Martinez Mendez reaching for something in his waistband, according to a search warrant affidavit. A search found only a wallet in the man's waistband. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/35587_march17.shtml
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"Police chief promises thorough investigation";
[( By MARGARET TAUS; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER; Northwest; Wednesday, August 22, 2001;
BELLEVUE -- Speaking before a room packed with people demanding answers into the fatal police shooting of an unarmed Guatemalan immigrant, the city's police chief asked for patience and promised a thorough investigation. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/36085_bell22.shtml
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"Family calls for independent investigation";
"Relatives of Martinez Mendez doubt police can be impartial";
[( By MARGARET TAUS; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER; [Northwest]; Tuesday, August 21, 2001;
BELLEVUE -- Relatives of a man killed by a Bellevue police officer are questioning whether the department can conduct an impartial investigation into the shooting, their lawyer said yesterday.
Rolf DeDamm, who represents the family of Nelson Martinez Mendez, is calling for the federal government to conduct an independent investigation.
On Aug. 8, Officer Mike Hetle shot Martinez Mendez after his cousin called 911 to report that Martinez Mendez was threatening her with a knife.
Initially, police said Hetle shot Martinez Mendez after the man rammed Hetle's patrol car.
Later, the department said there was no evidence of a high-speed collision and that damage to the cars was minimal.
"The ramming theory is the critical issue," DeDamm said. Because the description of the incident changed, anything the department says "will forever carry a question mark."
Once its investigation is complete, the Bellevue Police Department plans to forward its information to the King County prosecutor's office and expects an inquest to be ordered.
Hetle has not offered a voluntary statement, and the Department of Justice is conducting a preliminary civil rights inquiry. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/35949_press21.shtml
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"Outside review of police shooting sought";
[( By MARGARET TAUS; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER; Monday, August 20, 2001;
BELLEVUE -- Relatives of a man killed by a Bellevue police officer are questioning whether the city's Police Department can conduct an impartial investigation, their lawyer said yesterday.
Chief Jim Montgomery will meet at 8 p.m. Tuesday with residents of The Palisades apartments to provide information and answer questions about the recent shooting of Nelson Martinez Mendez. It will be held at the complex at 13808 NE 12th St.
Rolf DeDamm, who represents the family of Nelson Martinez Mendez, said the federal government should conduct an independent investigation into the Aug. 8 shooting. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/35848_bellpolice.shtml
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"Bellevue police are accused of racism after fatal shooting";
[( By MARGARET TAUS; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER; [Northwest]; Saturday, August 11, 2001;
Frustrated by a lack of information about the fatal shooting of a Hispanic man by Bellevue police, members of a police accountability group spoke yesterday about what they say is racism on the Eastside and within the department.
The Multiracial Coalition on Police Accountability also argued that police guilds, which represent officers, have too much power.
The group met with reporters at El Centro de la Raza, a civil rights organization based in Seattle.
Roberto Maestas, executive director and founder of El Centro de la Raza, said a private meeting with Bellevue Police Chief Jim Montgomery Thursday about the shooting of Nelson Martinez Mendez wasn't satisfactory.
"There is overwhelming documented evidence of a festering climate of racism in the Eastside of our neighborhood, and in particular, a festering climate of racism within the Bellevue Police Department," Maestas said. "We have people who have observed profiling of Latino and black people." )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/34877_bell11.shtml
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"Suspect's death was a matter of hours";
"He was to leave state at 5:30; at 1 p.m., he was killed by police";
[( By MARGARET TAUS AND GABRIELA PAZ Y MI; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTERS; Friday, August 10, 2001;
BELLEVUE -- Just hours before he was to get on a plane to go to California to live with his mother, Nelson Martinez Mendez was shot and killed by a Bellevue police officer.
Martinez Mendez had sold most of his belongings, but wasn't going to pay his 0 share of the rent, said his roommate and distant cousin, Jairo Guzman Olivares.
Martinez Mendez's flight left at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The 24-year-old died Wednesday just after 1 p.m. when Officer Mike Hetle shot him twice in the chest while responding to a 911 call about a domestic disturbance at the Palisades Apartments.
The exact sequence of events during the shooting remained unclear yesterday, but police Chief Jim Montgomery said investigators found a kitchen knife, a crowbar and blood spatters in the blue Chevy Corsica that Martinez Mendez used to ram a patrol car.
Guzman Olivares said yesterday that his sister called 911 at about 1 p.m. when Martinez Mendez tried to force his way into her room, first with a small knife and then with a metal bar. When she threatened to call the police, he responded, "Call them; I don't mind,'" Guzman Olivares said in Spanish.
"She just called the police to protect her. She didn't call them to kill him," Guzman Olivares said. "They overreacted. They didn't have any reason to kill him like that. We were friends."
The three shared the apartment with another man. All were from Jutiapa, a small town in Guatemala. Martinez Mendez had lived in Bellevue for about two years.
Mariela Guzman Olivares was home sick from work Wednesday and argued with Martinez Mendez. Her brother, Jairo, wasn't home at the time. It wasn't clear what the fight was about.
After threatening to hit his female cousin with the metal bar, he left with his bags in the car.
That's when, according to police, Martinez Mendez rammed Hetle's squad car. Hetle gave a command in Spanish and English. A confrontation followed, Hetle said he felt a threat to his safety, and he fired twice with his semiautomatic .40-caliber H&K pistol.
Hetle, who was cleared in April of another fatal shooting last fall, was talking with his attorney yesterday and had not spoken with investigators, Montgomery said. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/34733_shot10.shtml
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"Suspect slain by officer in Bellevue";
Confrontation in parking lot turns deadly; patrolman involved in fatal shooting at mall last year
[( By MARGARET TAUS; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER; [Northwest]; Thursday, August 9, 2001;
BELLEVUE -- A Bellevue police officer involved in the fatal shooting of a robbery suspect last year shot and killed a man yesterday after authorities say he rammed a police car in an apartment parking lot.
The officer, whom police would not immediately name, shot the 24-year-old man, a suspect in a domestic-violence incident.
Police received a 911 call at 1:04 p.m. from a woman reporting trouble at her apartment in the Palisades Apartments complex.
She then hung up.
As two officers responded, dispatchers called back to the apartment with the help of a Spanish translator. The 26-year-old woman, who lived in the apartment with the 24-year-old relative, said the man was armed with a knife.
The officer confronted the suspect, who police say was trying to speed away from the complex at 13620 N.E. 12th St.
The suspect's blue Chevy Corsica hit the front right corner of the patrol car, and the suspect got out, police said.
The officer ordered the suspect, both in Spanish and English, to raise his hands.
What happened next, though, was not immediately clear. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/34517_shoot09.shtml
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"Finding the words to increase trust in a diverse community";
[( By MARGARET TAUS; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER; [Northwest]; Tuesday, August 21, 2001;
BELLEVUE -- When Bellevue police responded to a 911 call that ended with an officer killing a man, dispatchers had to use a telephone translation service in Spanish to find out what the problem was. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/35942_lang21.shtml
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"Police who shoot have no 'extra' rights, say lawyers";
[(By Mike Carter; The SEA Times; Local News : Friday, August 10, 2001)]
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"Sheriff's hiring of ex-officer who shot man is questioned";
[( By LEWIS KAMB; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER; Thursday, August 9, 2001;
The King County Sheriff's Office hiring of a former North Las Vegas police officer involved in a controversial shooting has prompted objections by local civic activists.
"We view this as a danger that gives both communities the impression that officers can bypass accountability by simply moving to another city," said Mark Taylor Canfield of the Seattle-based Committee For Government Accountability.
The sheriff's office hired David Acosta in April. He served for eight years as an officer in North Las Vegas before quitting in May 2000, apparently after learning that his shooting of an unarmed man had been ruled unjustified by an internal department investigation. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/34522_deputy09.shtml
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"'Racist' label slows police in black areas";
[( By TERRY KINNEY; THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER; [Nation/World]; Saturday, July 21, 2001;
CINCINNATI -- Officer Adam Hennie pulled over in his patrol car earlier this week to try to break up an argument between two black women shouting profanities at each other. He could feel the hostility toward him from others in the neighborhood.
"Several of the people asked me why I was hassling" the woman who was taking most of the abuse, the 27-year-old white officer said. "They didn't even know that I was trying to help her. It's something they automatically assume."
Hennie said he doesn't get out of his cruiser as much anymore, and neither do many other officers.
In the three months since the police slaying of a black man touched off riots here, violence has surged and arrests are down in Cincinnati's poor, mostly black neighborhoods because police are holding back for fear of being accused of racism, the police union said.
"Officers are now hesitant to take enforcement action, particularly with black suspects, for fear of being labeled a racist or a racial profiler," said union President Keith Fangman.
Since April, Cincinnati has had 60 shootings in which 78 people were wounded, compared with nine shootings and 11 victims in the same period a year ago, according to the union. Arrests are down 50 percent, Fangman said.
About 75 percent of the shootings have occurred in Over-the-Rhine, the neighborhood that erupted in April, with the rest in other predominantly black, lower-income sections, Fangman said. He said only one of the shooting victims was white and all of the assailants were black.
The Police Department said it does not keep a running tally and cannot confirm the numbers.
However, Police Chief Tom Streicher said the violence is the worst he has seen in his 30-year career. He has formed a task force of 70 officers, some of whom will work undercover beginning next week. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/national/32183_cinc21.shtml
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"Police shootout in office building leaves one man dead";
[( SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER; [Northwest]; Tuesday, August 7, 2001;
Police shot a man to death in a gun battle inside a downtown office building after his ex-girlfriend told officers he violated a protective order by trying to visit her at work.
An autopsy was being performed Tuesday to determine the cause of death, although police believe it was one of their bullets, Spokane Police spokesman Dick Cottam said.
"I think they're pretty sure it is," Cottam said. "I think he got one shot that probably did him in."
The 34-year-old man, identified by co-workers of the woman as Tyrone F. Thomas, died Monday afternoon in a hallway of the Peyton Building outside the executive offices of the Hotel Lusso. Cottam would not confirm the identity Tuesday morning.
The bicycle officers were placed on administrative duties pending the outcome of the joint investigation by sheriff's and police detectives, Cottam said.
The hotel's general manager, Doug Johnson, said he was one of four employees in the office when gunfire erupted.
"Bullets whizzed over our heads," Johnson said. "He fires four or five shots (at officers). The officers probably emptied two clips at the guy." )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/34227_tl107.shtml
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"Seattle's black-white crisis is little more than media hype";
[( By HUBERT G. LOCKE; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER COLUMNIST; Friday, July 27, 2001;
I received a postcard several weeks ago announcing a march to the East Police Precinct to "protest racial profiling, protest police brutality, demand police accountability, [and] remember Aaron Roberts."
The return address on the card -- somewhere out on Northwest 100th Street -- struck me as a bit odd since it is a considerable distance from the Central District and in a part of town that even the most generous count would not produce an overwhelming number of African American residents. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/opinion/32872_lockecol.shtml
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"Quest for truth proves lawyer's integrity";
[( By CANDY HATCHER; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER COLUMNIST; Wednesday, August 22, 2001;
We read such awful things about lawyers these days that it's refreshing to hear about one who takes seriously her duty to find the truth. Not because the course of action is easy, lucrative or will bring publicity, but because it's right. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/hatcher/36075_candy22.shtml
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"Execution is Government-Sponsored Terrorism";
[( Kenn Dzaman / Seattle Press Letters; Jun 22, 2001 -- )]
http://www.seattlepress.com/9207-1.article Seattle Press
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"Poster boy' for violence resists role";
[( By Nicole Brodeur; Seattle Times staff columnist; Local News : Tuesday, August 07, 2001; )]
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis/web/vortex/
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"Throwing pills at all our worries";
[( Nicole Brodeur / Times staff columnist; The Seattle Times Company; Local News : Sunday, August 05, 2001;
What a drag it is getting old. )]
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis/web/vortex/
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"Try a different approach to drugs"
"Pardon nonviolent drug dealers
[(Article by syndicated columnist Sean Gonsalves in the Seattle Post Intelligencer on August 8th, 2001; titled;, "Try a different approach to drugs",). August 7, 2001
"What specific programs would you propose to cause the have-nots to improve their situation?" - an interested reader asks out in Seattle. )]
http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/edits/seang.htm
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"Police Shootings";
[( Special Reports; Seattle Post Intelligencer; April 12, 2000;
On April 12, 2000, Seattle police shot and killed a 40-year-old black man who once spent time in a California mental institution. The suspect, David John Walker, had stolen orange juice from a grocery store and fired two wild shots after being confronted by employees.
In the aftermath of the shooting, local civil rights groups and mental health advocates became bedfellows, pushing for police to use less lethal means to subdue suspects. In a Special Report that ran on May 25, 2000, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer examined some of the issues surrounding police shootings.
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/specials/policeshootings/
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"Shootings can haunt memories";
[( By KIMBERLY A.C. WILSON [Mail Author];;SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER;Thursday, May 25, 2000;
Homicide Detectives Mike Ciesynski and Cloyd Steiger have a lot in common. Ciesynski, still breaks out in a cold sweat when he remembers killing a man in a drug raid. Steiger has never fired a shot in the line of duty, but he still kicks himself for not pulling the trigger when he was a rookie facing down an armed killer.
Shootings can haunt memories
Two Seattle detectives will never forget their line-of-fire experiences. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/cops252.shtml
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/specials/policeshootings/
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"Anguished brother calls police 'trigger-happy";
[( By ROBERT L. JAMIESON Jr. [Mail Author]; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER; [Northwest] ; Thursday, May 25, 2000
When Jay Morgan hears accounts of police shooting people who are mentally ill, the news shakes him to the core.
Last December, his brother, Thomas, 45, was fatally shot by Seattle police after he fired on officers surrounding a North Seattle home.
Inside the house, Thomas, an expert marksman with a long history of mental illness, had unleashed a bloody rage. He gunned down the married couple he was living with: his younger brother, Casey, and his wife.
Moments later, in the grip of a mental breakdown, Thomas called his younger brother and pleaded for help.
Soon after Jay rushed to the scene, Thomas left the house and fired his shotgun, drawing lethal return fire. "It's all over," Jay heard an officer say over a police radio. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/morg25.shtml
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/specials/policeshootings/
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"Deadly response to David Walker?s erratic behavior mirrors statistics";
[( By ROBERT L. JAMIESON JR. and KIMBERLY A.C. WILSON; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTERS; [Northwest]; Thursday, May 25, 2000;
As a boy, David John Walker once scrambled up a cherry tree, inching toward its creaky canopy.
Reaching for a cluster of fruit, he lost his balance and plunged to the ground. He wasn't hurt, but the fall drew light teasing from onlookers in the Central Area neighborhood: "David, you crazy!"
Decades later, after mental illness derailed his life, people would repeat that refrain -? minus the laughter. On April 12, Walker ?- for reasons as opaque as his past -? was again out on a limb........................
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/shot252.shtml
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"Mental illness deepens tragedy of police shootings";
[( Special Reports; Seattle Post Intelligencer; April 12, 2000; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER;
Over the last 20 years, there have been 30 fatal police shootings in Seattle. Twenty-eight were deemed justified by either the department's firearms review board or inquest juries. One was ruled accidental. A UW sociologist calls those and other statistics disturbing. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/shot252.shtml
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/specials/policeshootings/
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"Police say I-5 shooting was road rage";
[( SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER STAFF; [Northwest]; Tuesday, August 14, 2001;
Investigators now believe it was road rage that led to a shooting Sunday on Interstate 5 that wounded two men and their dog. The shooting happened about 9 a.m.
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/35070_tl214.shtml
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"Officers follow strict policy";
"To shoot or not to shoot?";
"That's a question police officers are trained to answer each time they face down an armed suspect.";
[( By KIMBERLY A.C. WILSON [Mail Author] SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER [Northwest] Thursday, May 25, 2000 )]
[( Special Reports; Seattle Post Intelligencer; April 12, 2000;
A look at the Seattle Police Department's policies regarding the use of deadly force; how and when it is warranted.
Alternatives to lethal weaponry in law enforcement
Seattle police officials are considering expanding the use of non-lethal weapons. A look at some of the most popular items used by officers here and in other U.S. cities.
Memphis program has been model in crisis intervention
The Memphis model for how cops should deal with mentally ill. It's now being followed nationally and Seattle is in the process of adopting it. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/forc25.shtml
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/specials/policeshootings/
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"Chart: Fatal shootings by Seattle police";
"Fatal shootings by Seattle police";
[( Northwest; Special Reports; Seattle Post Intelligencer; April 12, 2000;
Thirty people have been killed by police gunfire in Seattle since 1980. More than one-third were black or mentally ill. The shootings occurred throughout the city but are clustered in downtown and the Central Area. The latest fatal shooting -- involving David John Walker -- has caused community leaders to call for the use of less-lethal weapons by police...........)]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/widgets/infographics/shootings.shtml
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/specials/policeshootings/
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"Blacks, police eye each other across racial divide";
"Anger, frustration mark life in Central District these days";
[( By ELAINE PORTERFIELD, LEWIS KAMB AND HECTOR CASTRO; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTERS; [Northwest]; Friday, July 6, 2001;
A black man is killed by white police officers, and a Seattle neighborhood is torn by bitterness and fear. In the Central District these days, from barbershops and living rooms to street corners, the talk invariably takes an angry turn to racism -- and the villains wear blue.
Frustrated police say they're just doing their job, shielding the resurgent community from gangs and drugs.
For the past two weeks, Seattle Post-Intelligencer reporters interviewed dozens of residents, and went out on patrol day and night with officers, to understand the extent of the rift. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/30284_central06.shtml
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"Police guild mulls taking no-confidence vote in chief';
[( By LEWIS KAMB; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER; [Northwest]; Thursday, March 29, 2001;
TUKWILA -- Rank-and-file Seattle police officers last night discussed calling for a "no-confidence" vote concerning the leadership of Chief Gil Kerlikowske following the Fat Tuesday riot in which one man was killed. At the Police Officers Guild monthly meeting, more than 150 members took a vote to determine whether a "no-confidence" vote would be held in the future. Some officers leaving the meeting said such a vote would likely be held after the guild explored other actions,
including asking for an outside investigation of the decisions made during the Mardi Gras mayhem......................)]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/guildweb.shtml
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"Mardi Gras task force says more events need city supervision, permits";
[( By KERY MURAKAMI; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER; Thursday, June 21, 2001;
In the wake of this year's Mardi Gras mayhem, a task force is set to recommend the city play a greater role in scrutinizing special events like Fat Tuesday.........)]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/28355_mardi21.shtml
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""[Violence at Mardi Gras]""
{Previous coverage}
--(GOOD listing and links to previous PI articles on Mardi Gras riots.)--
Kristopher Kime, a 20-year-old former Evergreen High School soccer standout, was killed early Feb. 28 as violence erupted in Pioneer Square. He was trying to help a woman to her feet when attacked. A 17-year-old boy has been charged with second-degree murder for allegedly delivering the punches that killed Kimes.
Some officers have complained they were held back for too long after the violence started. Kerlikowske has defended the decision not to move in earlier, saying such an action could have incited more violence.
[Violence at Mardi Gras]
It should have been a party, but the five nights of Mardi Gras 2001 degenerated into into rioting, vandalism and brutal assaults. Chaos consumed Pioneer Square on "Fat Tuesday" and one man was mortally wounded before police dispelled the crowds. In the aftermath, America's most livable city struggles to come to terms with what happened..........................
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/specials/mardigras/index.asp
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"Task force report is a mixed bag";
[( SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER EDITORIAL BOARD; Thursday, August 9, 2001;
Sadly, the thoughtful, responsible and concerned Seattleites who are still trying to figure out how the race card played in the Fat Tuesday melee will have to go it alone from here on.
The Youth Safety Task Force, one of three created by Mayor Paul Schell to scrutinize anyone's and everyone's role that night, punted on the clearly delicate but arguably important question before it. If race isn't a "broad social issue," which the group was officially charged with examining, none is. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/opinion/34463_kidsed.shtml
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"Troubled youths in general get blame for Mardi Gras riot";
[( SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER STAFF; [Northwest]; Wednesday, July 18, 2001;
Seattle must develop a coordinated approach to help keep troubled youths from causing more riots like the one that disrupted this year's Mardi Gras celebration, members of a city task force agreed yesterday.
The Youth Safety Task force appointed by Mayor Paul Schell downplayed race as a factor in this year's Mardi Gras riots, which left one man dead and dozens injured. Factors in the violence included the perpetrators' age, gender, school records and economic backgrounds, according to a report being prepared by the group.
"Race is the easiest and least useful of such characteristics ... it permits stereotypes to surface while telling us nothing of value of preventing recurrences," the report said.
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/31734_mardi18.shtml
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"Ocean Shores still dealing with an image problem";
"Racial killing of a year ago bothers some outsiders";
[( By CHRIS McGANN; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER; Thursday, July 5, 2001;
OCEAN SHORES -- A cool fog enveloped the Texaco station early yesterday morning, where one year ago a 20-year-old man waving a Confederate flag was fatally stabbed by a Vietnamese man he had incited with racial slurs and violence.
At that time, this tiny resort town was known mostly for the vast windswept beach just beyond grassy dunes two blocks to the west, where this year's midweek Fourth of July celebrations opened with a few muffled bangs.
Today, Ocean Shores still struggles to shed what most residents and visitors say is an undeserved image of being fraught with prejudice and intolerance. Last year's Independence Day tragedy started a torrent of outside scrutiny and community soul-searching. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/30045_ocean05.shtml
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"Police shoot man during a confusing struggle";
[( By JASON GEORGE; THE ASSOCIATED PRESS; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER; [Northwest]; Friday, July 13, 2001;
PORTLAND -- A man shot by a Portland police officer Wednesday night may have been the victim of unlucky circumstance, said Police Chief Mark Kroeker.
Bruce Brown, 40, of Vancouver, Wash., stopped at a gas station late Wednesday for some cigarettes. He told police later that 19-year-old Lamar Harris began to harass him, calling him names and cursing at him for no apparent reason.
As Brown returned to his car, Harris allegedly pulled out a pistol. The two struggled for the weapon.
Brown wrestled the gun from Harris just as police arrived on the scene.
Officer Ken Dulio, 28, fired six rounds, after Brown refused to drop the gun and lie down, Kroeker said.
Brown was hit in the right arm and right thigh and was listed in fair condition at a hospital yesterday afternoon.
Chief Kroeker visited Brown in the hospital yesterday.
"I expressed our distress," Kroeker said later.
Harris was acting "irrationally" when he was arrested for unlawful possession of a firearm, menacing and unlawful use of a weapon, Kroeker said.
Brown will apparently not be charged for any crime.
The incident was the second police-involved shooting this week.
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/31181_police13.shtml
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"G8 VIOLENCE";
"Seattle police did great job under harsh circumstances";
[( Gil Kerlikowske Seattle police chief; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER; [Opinion]; Letters to the Editor; Tuesday, July 24, 2001;
The terrifying and tragic incidents occurring in Genoa at the G8 conference provide an important opportunity to reflect on the Seattle Police Department's response at World Trade Organization events here nearly two years ago.
One need only begin to tally the number of serious injuries to demonstrators and to police officers and the destruction of property in Genoa, and in Quebec City and Goteborg (Sweden) to clearly realize that as serious as the problems were in Seattle, they did not approach that experienced in these other cities. ....
The Seattle Police Department had fewer resources and dealt with larger crowds. During the opening ceremony for WTO, for example, Seattle had fewer than 500 officers to control a crowd of 20,000 to 30,000. Quebec City met a smaller crowd with a force of more than 6,000 officers and dispensed more tear gas in four hours than was used throughout the entire five days of protest in Seattle. ....
I have been asked repeatedly about WTO and the response of the Seattle police since the interview process for selecting a chief began last summer. The issue arises at almost every community meeting I attend, which is quite a few, and my answer comes from the viewpoint of a police executive with 30 years of experience. It also comes from one who was not the chief of police during that period. Therefore, I am able to approach this objectively. ....
My answer has consistently been that the men and women of the Seattle Police Department did a remarkable job of protecting the public under extremely difficult circumstances. A similar answer has also been given by law enforcement leaders across this country when they study and review what happened in Seattle. No other profession and certainly no other police department has done more to understand the dynamics of the WTO demonstration and how to maintain the delicate balance of civil liberties and public safety. ....
I have waited for the pundits and "experts" to recant their strident criticism toward the Seattle Police Department for its handling of the WTO in light of what we have all seen in Quebec City, Goteborg and now Genoa. As a community, we need to fully acknowledge and understand the difficult and complex job faced by the police. As a police department we must continue on a path of open and direct communication with the public and continuously improve our service to our community. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/opinion/32406_ltrs24.shtml
[(Good letters follow Chief Kerlikowske's letter:
"It's not racism that keeps people apart; it's economics";
"People from same part of world have differences";
"Letter writer shows little concern for others";. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/opinion/32406_ltrs24.shtml
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"Chief's ideas should spur action";
[( SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER EDITORIAL BOARD; Thursday, August 23, 2001;
Spurred by troubling tales of cut-rate justice in the P-I series "Uncertain Justice," Washington Supreme Court Chief Justice Gerry Alexander has rightly recommended the state do more to help local courts ensure that those charged with capital crimes get an adequate legal defense. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/opinion/36143_alexed.shtml
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"At least FBI was not racist";
[( SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER EDITORIAL BOARD; [Opinion]; Saturday, August 18, 2001;
Well, there's good news for the FBI in a new report on the case of Wen Ho Lee, the Los Alamos scientist wrongly accused of having given China the "crown jewels" of U.S. nuclear secrets: The bureau was not guilty of racism, but merely bungling.
The report, prepared for the Justice Department by former federal prosecutor Randy Bellows, first slams the Energy Department for its internal investigation and then the FBI for accepting that investigation pretty much at face value. The result was that the bureau spent four years longer than necessary on its investigation. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/opinion/35623_fbied.shtml
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"High-Decibel Hate";
"IN AMERICA";
"Turn a harsh spotlight on racist garbage";
[( By BOB HERBERT; Editorials - OP-ED; The New York Times; August 20, 2001;
(This article appeared in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer; Titled:
"Turn a harsh spotlight on racist garbage";)
You kill all the niggers, and you gas all the Jews,
Kill a gypsy and a Commie, too.
You just killed a kike, don't it feel right?
Goodness gracious, Third Reich."
The hatemongers have gone global, aided by the Internet and the unmistakable drawing power of white power music. The music is mostly an amateurish mix of punk and heavy metal, with "vocalists" screaming and screeching lyrics like those above (from a song called "Third Reich," recorded by the Canadian band Rahowa, which is short for Racial Holy War).
White power music is a growing phenomenon. Hammerfest 2000 didn't get a lot of news coverage, but it was the most successful white power concert in the U.S. last year. It was held in October and drew racist skinheads galore to the town of Bremen, Ga., which has a population of 4,500 and is about 50 miles west of Atlanta.
Local officials are still embarrassed and reluctant to talk about the event.
(I could not find this article on web.).
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"White woman settles school reverse-bias suit";
"Apology, staff training, ,000 won by Rainier Beach graduate';
[( By REBEKAH DENN; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER; Tuesday, August 14, 2001;
The insults and threats started practically the day Rebecca Porcaro walked into Rainier Beach High School in 1995:
Rebecca Porcaro's settlement includes an apology for any harassment she may have received. Paul Joseph Brown / Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Click for larger photo
"White slut. Stupid white girl. White bitch, go back to Bellevue. This is our school."
The problem soon escalated to a daily gantlet of merciless harassment both inside and outside class, the 1999 graduate said yesterday. She said she faced constant threats of violence; humiliating and lewd propositions; and insults from fellow students, most aimed at her race. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/35129_lawsuit14.shtml
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Immigrants say they're targets of racism
"Police, federal authorities question new report";
[( By DEBORAH KONG; [Nation/World]; THE ASSOCIATED PRESS; SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER; Wednesday, August 8, 2001;
An immigrants rights coalition says in a new report that newcomers to the United States are often stopped by authorities and targeted in hate crimes because of their race.
Anti-immigrant sentiment also affects people of color who are born in the United States but are perceived to look like immigrants, according to the report by the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.
The group is a coalition of more than 200 community, labor, religious and civil rights advocacy organizations. Federal officials and police immediately questioned the report's conclusions.
"From the Borderline to the Colorline: A Report on Anti-Immigrant Racism in the United States," is based on observations and interviews conducted by 25 community-based groups. )]
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/national/34369_immi08.shtml
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(Drug War):older publishing of mine - when I was even "madder" than I am now.:
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http://seattle.indymedia.org:8081/front.php3?article_id=5863&group=webcast
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http://seattle.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=5878&group=webcast
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http://seattle.indymedia.org:8081/front.php3?article_id=5875
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Original: LETTER EMAILED TO 1500 WORLD and NATIONAL NEWSPAPERS + 500 in US government