Originally posted on Friday at 6:16 pm
The Seattle NAACP is going after the Seattle Police Department and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer after, the NAACP says, a group of young black teenagers was stopped and frisked by police simply to provide the PI with a good story and photo op.
The article, which ran in the PI on Monday, features two Seattle officers—Adley Shepherd and Jake Briskey—known for their work with gangs in the south end:
Shepherd and Briskey have put themselves on the front lines of Seattle’s gang problem and they see firsthand a street culture that results in a deadly cycle of violence. Top department officials have praised them. Suspected gang members […] know their names, too.
According to statements written by two of the boys—who asked not to be named—the group of teens had gotten out of a screening of Taken at a Columbia City movie theater at about 9:30 pm and were waiting for a ride from one boy’s grandfather.
As the boys stood outside the theater, a black police cruiser pulled out of a nearby alley, and Officer Shepherd rolled down his window and asked the boys where they were from.
According to the boys’ written statements, the group told Shepherd they were from the Central District. “You must be in a gang because you’re out so late,” Shepherd shot back before asking one of the boys why he was “wearing so much gray.” Statements say Shepherd also asked one boy if he had a street name. When the boy said no, the statement says, Shepherd laughed and asked him “What, you don’t have any street cred?”
Officer Shepherd brought two of the boys back to the car, the statements say, and patted them down while a PI photographer snapped pics. One of the teens says Officer Shepherd walked around the car “making superhero-looking poses.” Another written statement says “it seemed as though it was a photo shoot because officer Shepherd was posing for the camera.”
None of the boys were arrested.
According to the PI article, officers told reporters it was a slow night.
“They were trying to liven up an article,” says Yolanda Bell, the mother of two of the boys. “This officer picked four of the squarest kids.”
Bell says when her sons came home from the movie and told her they’d been the victims of police harassment, “I laughed and said ‘go to bed.’ I kind of made an excuse for the officers. It’s tough times out there.”
On Monday, Bell saw the article and hit the roof. “How can they come to the conclusion that my son is a gang member? I work hard to keep my son out of gangs,” she says.“They were profiling my son.”
Bell contacted the PI about getting her son’s photo removed from the site but says she was hung up on by an editor, although she admits she was fairly agitated during the phone call. Bell then contacted the NAACP for help.
In October, Seattle NAACP President James Bible held a press conference about complaints of a rise in racial profiling by SPD. This incident, Bible says, is another example of how police unfairly target African-Americans.
“We would be deeply concerned if this was a photo op for law enforcement to further perpetuate the myth that African-Americans are dangerous in our community,” Bible says, adding that the NAACP wants to set up a meeting with the PI. “We hope first to develop an understanding of why the picture was taken. An apology is, I think, a first step.”
Bell says one of the photos of her son was taken down, but there are several others still up on the PI’s website.
The author of the article, PI reporter Casey McNerthney, says he hasn’t heard from the families.
“Personally, I haven’t received any negative calls from readers about the article,” McNerthney says. “One of the first messages I did get was from Officer Shepherd who liked the article and said it was fair. Both [photographer Mike Kane] and I discussed the story with editors and we will continue to pass feedback on to them.”
SPD spokesman Jeff Kappel says he also has not received any complaints about the article.
” the myth that African-Americans are dangerous in our community,”
So it’s white gang bangers shooting everyone? Sorry I’m confused.
F*ck it. I say stop patrolling the ‘hood then. Let ’em take care of their own problems.
One of the photos from the article is in their “best photos of the week” album now.
(Not sure if the link will work, but here’s a try: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/photos/pop…)
Bible is an idiot;
” the myth that African-Americans are dangerous in our community,”
What, 15% of the population responsible for over 55% of the homicides, and somehow it’s a “myth” that African-American teenagers are a dnager to the community?
Can we start “No Dick Day” early?
I read this article in the PI. I remember reading that they were frisking know gang members or friends of gang members, and that the kids and police had known each other on a first name basis.
Anyone who lives in the south end or the cd knows about the recent gang beef. It’s not like there haven’t been numerous shootings in the past several months. If these kids don’t want to get profiled don’t hang out on corners where these gangs hang out. The kid’s mother should be lucky the police were out there, I think an increased police presence is the least of their problems if they truly weren’t known gang members.
Especially after that shootout in the Walgreens parking lot not too long ago.
I would NEVER suggest that profiling doesn’t happen, but I’m a little skeptical about this story. Wouldn’t you expect that officers would be on good behavior (and cautious not to over-reach) when they have the press in their car? On the other hand, I wouldn’t be suprised if the kids had to do damage control to explain why their picture was included with that story.
I’ve seen Shepherd in the field, and was really impressed. He was dealing with a big group of drunk gang kids, some of whom had long records and outstanding warrants. He had an amazing rapport with the kids (the ones who knew him from the past called him “Shep”), and kept everybody calm. He was also really reasonable and didn’t use their drunkness as an excuse to arrest them all. He booked the ones with serious warrant, and got the rest of them to go back inside.
Again, not saying it didn’t happen. Just kind of dubious.
I guess lawsuits and lottery tix are the only 2 ways out of the ghetto these days?
+1 for starting “No Dick Day” early.
Yeah, young black males are more likely to be convicted of a violent crime than a young white or asian male. Also more likely to live in poverty, and I remember seeing a few studies that indicated that once you account for income levels, there’s almost no statistical difference between various “races” in terms of criminality.
But that’s really not the point. Bible is responding to the way in which images like these are part of a vicious circle in which young black males become the public face of street crime. And specifically, he’s responding to the claim that the cops in this case *went out of their way* to give the P-I a shot of some young black males looking like criminals.
I think even a racist cretin should be able to see what’s wrong with that.
“young black males become the public face of street crime.”
After all, look at the stupid white thugs on Critical Mass rides!
Being out at 9:30 is “late”? Bullshit. I once saw a group of black teenagers hanging out downtown at 4:30 in the morning on a Tuesday. A cop cruiser went by, and, yes, the cops shined a light into the crowd just to check for suspicious behavior, but no frisking took place and the cops continued on their way.
Yet again a parent says, “Not MY child!” Yeah yeah it’s those other pieces of trash that make the problems, my kids are perfect.
@11 What were these kids charged with? The whole fucking reason for the NAACP reaction is the fact that there was a photo-op presenting these kids as criminals when there was no crime or even attempted crime.
Do you want that for your children? The cops just assuming that them standing somewhere is tantamount to dealing drugs or defending turf? I’ll answer for you: no.
Frequent blog commenters* only constitute 7% of the internet user population, yet they represent more than 72% of online child porn buyers/sellers and online child predators. If anyone needs to be profiled, it is those posting large numbers of comments. Their homes should be searched and their data should be copied and inspected at the FBI crime lab.
* “Frequent blog commenter” was defined as posting 2 or more comments on a given discussion thread.
Lee, Bible’s doing his job in responding to what the kids say. But it doesn’t mean they’re telling the truth. Can you at least acknowledge that it’s possible that they stretched the truth to their parents? Would it be the first time that happened?
Black people are scary and gay sex between dudes is gross.
@14 Absolutely I can acknowledge that. I don’t know what happened any more than you do. I hope it was clear that I never objected to the idea that these kids *could* be gang members/troublemakers, only to the description in this story of how the situation was handled by Seattle police.
@15: But straight sex between dudes isn’t?
@16 We know exactly what happened. The article made it very clear. The sypathetic reporters made it very clear. Nothing happened. There was no reason to stop and frisk these kids. The officer weren’t investigating a crime. I remember wondering about his when I read the article. What do they do, just drive around frisking any black teen the run across? Looks like it.
Damn, the Stranger has the nasiest collection of frat boy racist blog readers. Where do these people come from and why are they so drawn to the Stranger?
Hi, I’d just like to apologize for bob and Stupid White Man’s comments. Years of swallowing my steaming loads as veritable human cum-buckets must have addled their brains. Oh well, hard times with the Magic Negro sullying the White House
Lee, I agree. If it happened as the kids tell Bible, it’s not cool.
@18: I’ve re-read the PI article a few times, and I can’t figure out where they describe frisking kids. The only interaction with teenagers described in any detail has to do with teenagers waiting at a bus stop. They say nothing about any frisks, and I suspect those kids were South-enders (since they knew the officers by name). I’m not saying that officers never execute bs searches, but they’re definitely less likely to do it with reporters present.
Anyway, let me know how the PI article describes the interaction with the kids in question. Then I can stop re-reading the damn article.
Same NAACP who was able to make this wise decision on an individual’s character? Anyone know if he won? I am no particular fan of the Seattle Police, but the NAACP in Seattle is just as corrupt and broken as the SPD.
LOS ANGELES – Despite his recently tarnished image, crooner Chris Brown may win an NAACP Image Award.
The 19-year-old singer, who’s accused in a domestic dispute that reportedly involves pop superstar Rihanna, is in the running for outstanding male artist at the 40th annual awards. The awards are being presented Thursday night at the Shrine Auditorium and airing on Fox.
Brown won the outstanding male artist trophy last year.
Rihanna, his longtime girlfriend, is up for outstanding female artist.
It’s unclear if either Brown or Rihanna will attend. Both canceled their appearances and performances at the Grammy Awards on Sunday night.
Jonah,
This is getting old. I read the article. It was fair. Shepherd & Briskey are to be commended.
4
8
Because the last thing Liberals want to confront is a truth that upsets their PC view of the world.
@23 – The south lost the war. Get over it!
Wow, the arrogance displayed by these cops is incredible. They should be ashamed of themselves for using a bunch of kids as props.
I don’t really understand this desperate need to believe in one’s superiority based on one’s skin tone. Maybe that’s because I have actual accomplishments of my own.
@25
The cop interviewed was black as well and was more than likely just trying to prevent a retaliatory shooting.
Yeah, it’s not like black men make up only about 3% of the USA but somehow manage to commit over 52% of all murders and over 34% of all rapes in our country every year or anything like that….. oh wait
celebrate divershitty!
24
America won the war.
I celebrate it.
Black people never ever commit crimes, and even if they did, it is not their fault because of slavery n’shit.
25
accomplishments …
like sticking my foot in my mouth,
which is tougher than you might think considering I keep my head shoved far up my assuming bigoted Liberal Ass.
30
It is because their parents drag them to mean churches. After that, you’re no good for nothin!
Guess what? It ain’t YT doing all the raping
http://www.simmons.edu/about/news/releas…
press release
Silent Assault on Black Women Exposed March 2 at Simmons College
BOSTON (Feb 25, 2003) – The serious problem of sexual assault on black women and girls is the focus of a searing documentary to be screened Sunday, March 2, at 3 p.m. in the Simmons College third floor conference center, 300 The Fenway. The film is free and open to the public.
“No!,” a full-length groundbreaking documentary, exposes the collective silence of the black community when black women and girls are raped or sexually assaulted. Though black women comprise 7% of the U.S. population, they make up 27% of the rape and sexual assault victims, and they are raped at a higher rate than white women. For every one white woman that reports her rape, at least five white women do not. And yet, for every one black woman that reports her rape, at least 15 black women do not.
The film features interviews and performances by activists and scholars like Dr. Johnnetta Cole, president emeritus of Spelman College. The event will also feature a Moon Wisdom Healing Dance, to be used as a healing method for women surviving rape and sexual assault.
The film and dance, in celebration of Women’s History Month, is presented by the Boston Black Women’s Health Institute and sponsored by the Simmons College Africana Studies Department, the Simmons College Institute for Leadership and Change, ABCD Health Services, Haymarket People’s Fund and the Boston Women’s Fund, among others.
For more information, contact Diane Hammer at the Simmons Institute for Leadership and Change at 617-521-2480. Note to reporters, if you’d like to cover the event, contact Katie Fiermonti in the public relations office at 617-521-2369.
Simmons College is a nationally recognized, small, private, predominantly women’s university in the heart of Boston. It has undergraduate programs for women and graduate programs for women and men.
==========
Black men also raped over 37,460 white women in 2005 alone. That same year, white men raped less than ten black women.
Honest question to the people with the power to delete comments on Slog: If I posted a comment saying “All n-words are criminals, let’s round ’em up and shoot ’em!”, it would get taken away, right?
Why can’t we do away with shit like comment number 1? Both comments are pretty obvious examples of ridiculous troll-ery.
it’s awesome when blacks kill each other
Jesus Christ the racist trolls came out early today. No Dick Day or not, can you implement a no hardcore racist policy everyday? It’s nearly impossible to have a meaningful discussion about this topic without the comments like #35, and some of the other racist troll fodder.
Tell me again why we need a second daily newspaper in this town? Sorry not to engage the race baiting, but it seems to me that if the PI’s editors are hanging up on the subjects of stories, the photographers may be using staged shots, and the reporters aren’t being totally forthright, it’s a damn good (and, ahem, logical) thing the PI’s closing up shop. Good riddance! It’s this type of journalism practiced at the Dailies that make people jaded about their value and unexcited about reading their stories.
Blacks don’t need the KKK or “white racism” to “keep them down” because they do an awesome job of that all by themselves.
I seriously do not see what these cops did wrong. They were on their beat, these kids were hanging out at a well known gang spot that was known hot spot for gang activity. The kids didn’t get arrrested or anything, they cops wanted to know what they were up to, and they went their separate ways. It sucks the PI photographer took a photo of some innocent kids, but so what. They also arrested some felons too. The cops probably just wanted to know what the hell they were doing there. I blame the PI photographer for using the photo of the wrong kids, if that is the case even.
38
Planned Parenthood and their kindred abortionistas have killed 100,000 times as many African Americans as the KKK.
that’s why I’m pro-abortion
38
Out of wedlock births have savaged and gutted African American society in a way that 300 years of slavery and 100 years of segregation could not approach.
@39 I do appreciate what you’re saying, I really do. Cops ask questions like this as part of their job, and clearly they are going to continue doing so, and us law-abiding citizens all benefit from that.
The point, however, is that there is a very obvious disparity in how people are targeted. If these were white kids hanging out outside a theater in Bellevue, it would be absolutely strange to think that a cop would even notice them. If you’re a black kid in Rainier Valley, on the other hand, you are asked repeatedly to prove that you aren’t doing something illegal, by virtue of the mere fact that you are standing somewhere when a cop rolls by.
I guess I’m less interested in bashing these two officers than I am in the psychological effect of this kind of law enforcement. I’m fine with acknowledging that they were just doing their job, but I want their bosses to give them new and better ways of doing that job. Ways that don’t essentially just condemn high-crime neighborhoods to “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” mentalities.
@31-Got some real sensitive racists on slog today. I had no idea it was so easy to hurt a bigot’s feelings.
Lee,
I don’t agree with your assessment of the white kids in Bellevue. In my experience, loitering teenagers are frequently contacted by the police, particularly in the suburbs. As someone who used to work in the juvenile system, I can tell you that cops in the burbs just have different ways of profiling. I understand the point that you were making, but take issue with your example.
Yay for abortion! Let’s try for 100 million by 2020. We need to thin the herd, big time.
Abortion on demand!
No parental consent!
No sperm donor consent!
Pay poor women to abort rather than carry to term!
Mandatory abortions for women under 22 and over 40!
BOYCOTT SLOG MONDAY
I wish that James Bible would also talk about the more subtle racism at work in South Seattle. When there’s a robbery in the U-District, the mayor and the police are pledging increased patrols and police presence. You never hear that response when there are shootings or armed robberies down in South Seattle (as there have been almost every weekend). Hell–it took concerned citizens to crunch the numbers and show the south end is the one area that has had an increase in crime. And yet according to the Captain, he’s still 20 officers shy of being fully staffed.
Mr. Bible, where is the outrage on behalf of the very diverse, law abiding citizens in South Seattle who are repeatedly victims of crime?
to all my non-white brothers and sisters.
hang in there. the tide is changing. in a short time, we will be in the majority. the climate change that the rich white man denies — the pollution he fights to produce because he makes money on it — will hurt his fair skinned spawn more than ours. already his people suffer skin cancer, osteoporosis and infertility at far greater rates than we do.
the guns he’s used to win the battles he’s fought are being dispersed broadly in illegal markets that he tacitly approves.
we are being armed.
we will not hate our white brothers and sisters, but we will remember how he cheated our Native people from the land, killed them and enslaved them with government cheese, how he brought our Black brothers and sisters here in chains, how he forced our Asian siblings into internment camps and rounded up our Latino brothers and sisters to ship them over the border south all the while ignoring the illegal Canadian immigrants who hide behind their white skin.
we will not hate him, but he will not have the power that he does now and the meek shall inherit the earth.
although we do lose a higher percentage of our young people to drugs, crime and prisons, we must not lose heart. each of us must do our best to keep the young people we have influence over alive and healthy in mind, body and spirit. parents, give your children love and guidance. don’t let them wander the streets. read to them. find someone to help them with their schoolwork if you can’t.
Brown people and black people, help each other.
pay no heed to hatred of the greedy oppressor. work on building the strength of our own people.
BOYCOTT SLOG MONDAY