Race to Work/Downtown/Sat Aug 3/5:45 pm: At 5:15 pm, a black man in his late 30s was dropped off by a friend near Harborview Medical Center and started walking toward where he worked downtown. Upon reaching the corner of Third and James Street, a car with an angry-looking white couple in the front seats and two mean-looking white kids in the back seat pulled up beside the black man and an unknown Hispanic man who was standing next to the black man. It was 5:30 pm. Suddenly, the angry-looking white woman in the car yelled out of her window, "Spic, nigger, spic, nigger, spic, nigger, spic...." She then got out of the car, still yelling, "Spic, nigger, spic, nigger," and with hostility approached the black man. (The woman was thin, with long straight hair and black Capri pants.) The black man did not want a confrontation, and started walking west on James Street and then north on First Avenue.

As he passed the old Warshal's Sporting Goods store, he turned back and saw that the angry-looking white man from the car was now following him on foot. "I'm going to kill you, nigger," the white man yelled, and flashed a "Glock 9" that was tucked into his pants. The black man began to run; the angry white man began to run after him.

A chase ensued: down to Western Avenue; up to Lenora Street; down stairs by the crane at Lenora Street; then along Alaskan Way. Finally, with great relief, the black man reached the office building where he works, at approximately 5:45 pm. The crazed white racist did not follow him into the office building. The black man called the police and the police arrived at 6:02 pm. Officer Hall writes: "[After describing the chase to me, the black man] said that it was fortunate that he had been chased, because he made it to work on time--early in fact."

Training Day/Downtown/Sun Aug 4/11:43 pm: Officer Verhoff writes: "I was working uniformed patrol with my partner Officer Montaron when all of a sudden the sidewalks became filled with a mass of obviously distraught people. They were yelling and pointing toward the 1500 block of E Harrison St. We stopped and got out of the car to investigate. I saw a large blue boom lift that appeared to be on fire. The top of it was located near some electrical wires approximately four to five stories off the ground.... I [then] saw a burning man lying motionless on the ground beside the boom lift. I heard one citizen say, 'Don't touch him, he is wired.' I heard another citizen say, 'He was electrocuted.' Another citizen said, 'He fell from the boom, his head was on fire.' While I requested assistance from the Seattle Fire Department, Officer Montaron and Wong attempted to extinguish the fire [on the burning victim] with fire extinguishers. They were successful. Seattle Fire Department arrived on the scene and transported the victim to Harborview Medical Clinic.... Officer Gerry later notified me that the victim had been pronounced dead at the HMC." According to a witness, these were the last words of the unfortunate man--a painter at his first day on the job: "My boots are melting."