Good luck. Saddens me to say it, but good luck.

The SPD, like so many other police departments, are protected by scared politicians who cover for them, state level statutes so vague that you can boil down any action they commit, no matter how horrendous, to defendable ["I feared for my life", and the ever so popular "Stop resisting!" + Arrest for resisting arrest].

Tax payers seem keen on footing the bill for these racist murderers, and have for the last 60 years. How many officers signed the petition demanding the right to racially profile and abuse people whos color they disagreed with? What was Cynthia Whitlach's ORIGINAL punishment from O Toole when it was first revealed how she LIED on the job about an old man AND she had made public her racial hostility towards black people? How many warnings did the two officers fired for improper behavior received when they were caught sending racist texts to one another? (See the SFPD's recent debacle dealing with cops with less-than-hidden white supremacist ideologies). What about Officer Shandy Cobain, who pulled a Glen Beck TV cry job when caught on camera assaulting the wrong person and hurling racial slurs at him while his confederates stomped their heads? Were charges brought for Officer Ian Burke when he murdered a blind native american man for shits and giggles? What about after he became a fugitive; did they throw the book at him of slap him on the wrists?

The officers caught pepper spraying black protesters (Of police racism and abuse...the fucking irony boggles the mind), did they suffer any consequence? The officer who bragged in the union paper about how he has a right to racially profile and anyone who disagrees is 'his enemy'? The same department that hired a violent child molester (96,000 on tax payer dime) to infiltrate Occupy Wall Street? The westlake officer who assisted a racist security guard in tackling and detaining a black bystander who was literally watching a aggressive white supremacist threaten and antagonize a group of white protesters? The same SPD that, according to a UW study, was forcusing nearly 70% of its drug enforcement on black users of crack, while the most prolific drugs in city were heroin and meth, used by whites?

You expect accountability and decency from these folks?

Or what about the OPA delegated to review police misconduct? That same OPA where 3 of its 5 members have ties to law enforcement? The same OPA where its former head Kate Olsen was caught red handed begging officers to retaliate against minorities members of the public who filed complaints? Who was, as of 2 years ago working at a PAID CONSULTANT for the department? The same department that destroyed/hid 10,000 hours of dashcam footage to keep it out of the hands of the justice department (which probably wasnt going to review it anyway? The guys who were giving out speeding and parking tickets to microsoft employee residents who never expected any of them to fight them in court?

No. The mayor is not going to fight them. He wont HELP them with there bullshit (Like McGinn) but hes made it clear he wont press to hold them responsible. Like so many other mayors, at the end of the day, white cops, even those who dont vote for him or dont live in thee city (like 85% of the SPD) are 'part of his team'. Same as so many other cities. If they dont give two shits about 100,000 protesters who are of their own skin color, you think they give a shit about *numerically less* black people, whom a good number of cops OPENLY see as subhuman or chimps?

No. Until the people unilaterally demand it, vote in EVERY election and vote out conservacrats, bougois opportunist fake liberals, and fascist republicans, this shit will only continue. Like it has for the last 60 years. Well, that, or enough people get off their ass a pass a state referendum stripping police of their much abused union protections + Modifying state laws allowing for a wide thresh hold defense of use of force.

It's possible that there was police misconduct in this case but it doesn't seem likely. It sucks having one's one's brother shot by police but habitually violent criminals are not sympathetic figures. Perhaps Seattle's activist community would be better served by being a bit more strategic about picking their fights.

@2, I agree, a former rapist is an odd person to chose for activists to gather around as some sort of symbol. That said we need to push the City to do more than what they will probably do in this case of police misconduct.

@4 - I don't think it's that odd for Gerald Hankerson, who as the head of the local NAACP chapter has been super vocal about this case. I think it's actually pretty simple: Che Taylor was his friend, and he's hurt that his friend is dead. That emotion may mean that he's not able to step back and be objective about this case or whether his advocacy is good for the organization he leads long term. Because, for example, if they as an organization want to try to advocate on behalf of rape victims, it seems short sighted for your long term interests to try to lionize a rapist in this case.

The same logic applies to Taylor's family. They're hurt because he's dead. They don't view him as a guy who is a rapist and a robber and a drug dealer, they view him as their brother, cousin, etc. So they're mad and sad that he's gone. I get it. But their view of him pretty clearly leaves out some essential elements of who he is, and you have to take that into account when you think about what they want.

The stories about the killing of Cle Taylor are becoming almost propaganda, and not objective reporting. Armed convicted felons who happened by chance to exit a stake out drug dealer or drug den, is not probably most likely not by chance.

It is a tragedy and sad, but it seems that Ansel and others are missing huge parts of the story. It sounds like Cle Taylor was either picking up drugs or dropping them off. I assume Mr. Taylor was on probation after his release. Any arrest like this, possession, armed, even dealing would be automatic return to prison for years..

I don't see the "mixed" commands, ("Hands up" "Get down on the ground") as the problem, Mr. Taylor was facing two armed cops with their guns drawn. Not complying, or refusing to obey, just ups the chances of being shot and killed. Much like these undercover cops would be cleared if Taylor didn't have a gun, because he appeared to be reaching for something, and he wasn't complying, which means waiting for the cops to handcuff him.

I love the criticisms!

"Lets stop talking about this, its annoying [me because I cant defend racism or abuse]"

"This is becoming like propaganda [because I dont like what its shedding a light on, but cant openly attack the people victimized in the article or the subject matter sans being caught as a bigot]"

"Just because your friend died doesnt mean something was wrong [is what I can say while being oblivious to both the SPD's history and trends of questionable action AND the lack of strong credible evidence sans unclear possibly edited video and 'taking the white officers at their word that they HAD to kill that subhu...I mean black person]"

Obfuscation. Its not the smart trolls preference, but it works when your argumentative back is against the wall (and the public opinion).