Over 20 organizations are sponsoring a march and rally on September 16 to protest the recent killing of Native American carver John T. Williams. He was shot in late August by Seattle police officer Ian Birk after being stopped with a legal carving knife and a wood board.
Civic leaders are asking for greater police accountability and cultural-sensitivity training for officers, says march organizer Jay Westwind Wolf Hollingsworth. The leading groups—including several Native American, legal defense, and Democratic organizations—are avoiding the heated rhetoric common to most protests against violence at the hands of police officers. “A lot people in the Native community thought that strong language was against their tradition,” Hollingsworth explains. But the recent movement around the killing—already marked by protests and vigils—has shown the heat underlying the issue. Many believe that the Williams incident cements a trend where police officers can abuse or kill poor, nonwhite, marginalized people with relative impunity.
The Seattle Police Department is currently conducting an internal investigation into the shooting. Seattle City Council member Tim Burgess has called for another law-enforcement agency to evaluate the investigation. And the King County prosecutor can also decide to proceed with a public inquest—a “fact finding” process that can result in the prosecutor seeking charges against the SPD officer.
Williams was shot four times after reportedly ignoring orders to drop the knife. Family later identified Williams as hearing impaired.
The march will begin at 2:00 p.m. at the corner of Boren Avenue and Howell Street, where Williams died, and proceed past SPD’s West Precinct. The rally will begin at 4:00 p.m. on the steps of City Hall, and Council Member Bruce Harrell will be one of the speakers.
Where are the murder charges??! Is there such a variation as murder by stupidity?