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Police Beat

by Charles Mudede

--Lawrence J. Hatab, Ethics and Finitude: Heideggerian Contributions to Moral Philosophy

"I keep falling..."

--Nas, "The World Is Yours"

Not the Same Shower/University District/Wed July 7/6:15 pm: Officer Boyland reports: "I was dispatched to 19th NE Pacific St at the University Hospital to investigate an assault. I arrived and contacted victim one (a 22-year-old Japanese UW student) and victim two (a 23-year-old Japanese UW student), who both stated that they were walking northbound on the 42nd Street block of Brooklyn Avenue the night before when someone from an upper unit or roof threw a large amount of green bleach down on them. Both victims stated that their shirts suddenly turned colors--victim one's plaid blue shirt turned white; victim two's gray shirt turned brown. Also their skin began to itch. Both victims stated they looked up but didn't see anyone or hear anything. They went home and took showers. The itching discontinued after showering, and there was no damage to their skin. Today, both victims were advised by their teacher to call 911 and file a report. The victims were given a case number." It's impossible not to read this as a racist prank. If not white supremacists, who else could exact satisfaction from throwing buckets of bleach on people of color?

The Return of the Killer Park/Downtown/Thurs July 8/6:15 pm: Officer McLaughlin reports: "I contacted Washington State Patrol (WSP) Troopers (Sgt. Bjorkman, A. Liksakov, H. Yamamoto, and T. Johnson) regarding a man who fell from Freeway Park onto the James Street off ramp from I-5. Troopers told me that on arrival they spoke with a witness who gave Sgt. Bjorkman a signed statement. Witness said he was exiting I-5 at James Street when a man fell from above, landing in the roadway. He slammed his breaks and came to a stop. Witness said he did not see if the man had jumped, fallen, or was pushed. Witness stepped out of his car and rendered basic medical assistance until emergency personnel arrived.

"Trooper Liksakov spoke to the victim prior to him being transported to Harborview Medical Center (HMC). The victim told trooper Liksakov that he was walking in Freeway Park above I-5 when he tripped on some vines and fell onto the freeway. Officer Marlow took 10 photos of the area.

"I [Officer McLaughlin] went to HMC and attempted to speak with the victim. I was stopped at the door to his room by an HMC employee who informed me I could not see the victim and that he was unable to speak anyway. She directed me to the medic who transported him. I spoke with the medic who said the victim never mentioned anything about the incident, only complaining about his injuries, which were not life threatening." For more about the dangers of Freeway Park, refer to my 2002 essay "Topography of Terror," which is located at this web address: www.thestranger.com/2002-08-22/feature.html.