Tensions continue to mount in the streets of Seattle with Wednesday's announcement by King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg that criminal charges will not be charged against SPD officer Ian Birk for the fatal shooting of John T. Williams in August 2010. Birk subsequently announced his resignation later that afternoon. While the Native American community has consistently called for solutions to the problems of police brutality from within the system in the aftermath of Williams' death, a variety of voice from the far left have been calling for more racial approaches. Marches organized on Wednesday (02/16) and Friday (02/18) were composed primarily of Anarchist and Pro-Socialist activists that have co-opted the issue. Friday's march turned violent with police deploying pepper spray after protesters vandalized a squad car. Unfortunately, this march was scheduled in direct conflict with a more reasoned discussion of the problem hosted at the Chief Seattle Club, with a panel including representatives from the NAACP, ACLU and Seattle City Council. It's becoming clear that these protesters are more interested in marching, destroying public and private property, and disrupting everyday life than advancing reforms with the Seattle Police Department.
Photos of Wednesday's march via The Stranger. Photos of Friday's march via MyNorthwest.com.
Some pamphlets distributed Friday:
Down with the American criminal injustice system!
Pamphlets from the Chief Seattle Club Forum:
U.S. Department of Justice: Community Relations Service
Know Your Rights!: A People's Council on Social Justice Forum
Respect: Youth Guide to Seattle Laws & Police Procedures
The material being put on by the City and Federal agencies in connection with the Williams shooting remains both non-specific to the problems at hand and tone deaf. Calling for mutual respect between police and the public, given SPD's well-publicized instances of excessive force, isn't going to win any hearts or minds.
Pamphlets from the Chief Seattle Club Forum:
U.S. Department of Justice: Community Relations Service
Know Your Rights!: A People's Council on Social Justice Forum
Respect: Youth Guide to Seattle Laws & Police Procedures
The material being put on by the City and Federal agencies in connection with the Williams shooting remains both non-specific to the problems at hand and tone deaf. Calling for mutual respect between police and the public, given SPD's well-publicized instances of excessive force, isn't going to win any hearts or minds.
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