Had these two ever met before? Anybody ever ask that?

Why hasn't the shooting officer been arrested or charged with a crime? I'm not even speaking in any broad strokes: there is zero evidence so far that Williams did a single thing wrong beyond being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

@1: A previous Times story noted the two had met once before when the officer responded to an assault call. I'm sure you can find it on the Times website. "Seattle's only newspaper" is doing a bangup job, though, in its eight-part series about who's going to pay for some guy's $250 door.

Remember, when we start quartering troops in our homes and don't stand up for our rights as citizens, we live in a police state.

Well, except for the Corporations that are our Lords and Masters, to whom we remain serfs.

@4: Thanks for the reminder. Equally relevant to this post - a dash of vinegar and a little elbow grease will take care of that nasty build-up on your shower's soap dish!

Yeah, but the soap dish doesn't try to kill you.

The article's title as seen on the ST website:
"Knife closed after cop's fatal shooting of carver." That makes it sound like the officer or someone else did us all a favor by closing the knife after the shooting. Intentionally unclear use of "after"?

There's still no evidence this is anything but an error in judgment. Bottom line is Williams was not a saint. Williams was an incurable public drunk and known public nuisance with violent tendencies.
The police are charged with using force to protect the public. Since it's part of their job, we don't treat police shootings the same way we treat shootings by civilians. You don't have to carry a gun and use it to defend the public. They do. When they make a mistake that costs someone there life we treat it like we would an industrial accident. It's a question of negligence not malice unless there is clear evidence to the contrary.
Prima facie Williams was a public threat. The officer made some clearly bad decisions in dealing with him, but there's no evidence he was doing anything other than dealing with a public threat in the line of duty.

@7, The phrase used on the ST site does not mean what you're trying to imagine it to. I'm not sure if you just didn't read the article or if you're grasping at straws to somehow show the police in a better light here, but the Slog title "Knife of John T. Williams Was Closed When Recovered After Shooting" is an entirely accurate rewording of what's in the ST article. Your comment, on the other hand, is misleading.

It really didnt matter if the knife was open or closed, the cop had no reason to shoot Williams I sat next to Williams on the 358 bus the day cops assasinated him. He was a feeble looking man physically incapable of doing much more than widdle wood. He had a very intense gaze in his eyes that day and honestly at first I wondered if it was wise to sit next to him but I figured he could easily be incapacitated with a swing of my back pack.The cop who assasinated Williams is not soley to blame, a police culture of us against them is, and that's anyone who is not an armed uniformed seattle cop is "them". The cops act like they're in Iraq with a license to kill. Worse yet the Seattle Police Department is rife with White supremecist who target people like some Nazi ethnic clensing squad. They have all the Black cops too scared to speak out, and even the Mayor cowers in fear.Fact is until those racist pigs are held accountable you can count on more assasinations. Its nolonger a Free country unless you are able to pass the Aryan racial hygeine test and are rich, and go to Mars hill church and praise God with your checkbook.

@8: What was the public threat that Williams posed on that day, at that moment?

@9 I'm pretty sure @7 gets that, and is commenting on the (potentially intentional) ambiguity in the head-line which could be interpreted to mean something even more scandalous than what it already does, thus enticing more readers.

or you know, just the poor choice of words.

@8 - I'd say that this officer has now made himself a public nuisance, and by your logic, he should be shot immediately by the next SPD officer who sees him.

@13

Point taken, but there will always be idiots like 8 who will support police, even if the cops were caught putting babies and puppies into a blender, making sausage w/ it & selling it to school-children. To these people, power is to be respected and obeyed (and secretly lusted after) in any and all circumstances. It doesn't matter the power structure these people are used to, whether feudalistic or communistic or "democratic," power is the fetish these people worship, and anyone who challenges that power-structure is the enemy.

Thanks, Nobodaddy for reminding me of this ever-present fact. I'd somehow forgotten and let this idiot bum me out momentarily, but your post did make me feel better.

Have a good one, and watch yer puppies!

@12, ah ha! you're right. thanks for pointing that out.

Hey Stranger, are you guys looking into this further? I've heard that John's brother Rick and other Native members of the community have been harassed by SPD members. For instance, here's a quote from someone's facebook page: "T. Willoughby, the ringleader of the officers who harassed us, has been hanging out across the street from him [at Steinbrueck Park], just watching. This after he tried to make contact with Rick last week through another officer - and Willoughby has an open investigation against him and is forbidden from contacting Rick - but SPD leadership doesn't see fit to take precautionary measures to protect Rick and reassign Willoughby because our complaints filed are mere "allegations". This is where the SPD reveals it's utter disregard for Rick and the entire Native community, and it's own lack of prudence."

Manthony:: Quite true. They are harassing Rick and his family and anyone who dares stand with them. FOUR cops surrounded one petite woman who uses a cane, closing in on her, harassing and intimidating her. Why? They were taking pictures of Rick and his people, so she took pictures of them. Willoughby got in her face and said, "You got a fucking problem?" It grew worse from there. She made a complaint, and was told Willoughby would be removed from detail in that area. The next night at the Oct. 22 march, WILLOUGHBY WAS THERE!!!! She told a friend, "That's HIM! He's the one!" The cop's buddy MOCKED her, and they took off like bats outta hell! The NEXT DAY at Steinbrueck, we got pictures of him and two other bike cops...they put their heads down as soon as they saw a camera pointed at them, and sped off. Now they're harassing them wherever they go. And the SPD is basically saying they don't believe them. Willoughby has since attempted to contact Rick, which is ILLEGAL since they have a complaint against him!!!!!

Manthony:: Quite true. They are harassing Rick and his family and anyone who dares stand with them. FOUR cops surrounded one petite woman who uses a cane, closing in on her, harassing and intimidating her. Why? They were taking pictures of Rick and his people, so she took pictures of them. Willoughby got in her face and said, "You got a fucking problem?" It grew worse from there. She made a complaint, and was told Willoughby would be removed from detail in that area. The next night at the Oct. 22 march, WILLOUGHBY WAS THERE!!!! She told a friend, "That's HIM! He's the one!" The cop's buddy MOCKED her, and they took off like bats outta hell! The NEXT DAY at Steinbrueck, we got pictures of him and two other bike cops...they put their heads down as soon as they saw a camera pointed at them, and sped off. Now they're harassing them wherever they go. And the SPD is basically saying they don't believe them. Willoughby has since attempted to contact Rick, which is ILLEGAL since they have a complaint against him!!!!!

All the shit SPD is saying about wanting to work with the community, solve these issues, etc, including major meetings with the Native American and homeless communities, has been nothing but bullshit and lip service. If they really meant it, they'd have fucking DONE something about it by now!!! How many incidents have happened just since John's murder? And why isn't Ian Birk in JAIL???? They found it to be unjustified, so what the fuck are they waiting for? An engraved invitation? "You are cordially invited to go straight to prison for the rest of your life for the cold-blooded MURDER of a human being, and be ass-raped several times daily while the guards just look the other way...much like your comrades usually do..."

@8: last time I checked there are ways to subdue people that do not involve shooting them point blank from 10 feet away. Especially if the person in question isn't actively attacking you or anyone else. These cops also seem fond of tasers and beating the snot out of people. While not acceptable that would have been more than sufficient to stop him and wouldn't have killed him.

@Kinaidos: Actually, the police are not charged with protecting the public. high courts have ruled many times that they have no obligation to protect the public.

The video speaks for itself. The cop was trigger hunger. This guy was carrying a 3inch closed blade, which was perfectly legal. This is not England.

I do not comment or name call often, but you are an idiot. You are a danger to society, just like this officer. Please do not breed.

@Kinaidos: Actually, the police are not charged with protecting the public. high courts have ruled many times that they have no obligation to protect the public.

The video speaks for itself. The cop was trigger hunger. This guy was carrying a 3inch closed blade, which was perfectly legal. This is not England.

I do not comment or name call often, but you are an idiot. You are a danger to society, just like this officer. Please do not breed.