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The Seattle NAACP chapter has declared a “state of emergency” on the issue of police accountability, according to James Bible, president of the Seattle/King County branch of the organization.
Bible spoke at a public meeting Thurs., April 17 on police accountability that was sponsored by the local chapter of the NAACP. About 30 people gathered at Hidmo Eritrean Cuisine in the Central District to listen to testimonies of police misconduct.
Nine people relayed their experiences with law enforcement. Many used the word “dehumanizing” to describe their police encounters. Many described abusive treatment in their initial encounters with police and then a great silence when they complained. Organizers of the event asked participants to give their accounts anonymously.
One testament came from a mother recounting an incident when her 17-year-old son was apprehended in a stolen car. He had been in a fight a few days earlier that had left him with a broken nose. She said the policeman handled her son roughly, which caused the wound to open up again, requiring five stitches.
She acknowledged that her son was a “youth at risk,” but did not think the way the police dealt with him was helpful. “If I am telling him to follow the law, I want the law to follow the law,” she said.
Hearing the testimonies was a panel of six community members, called the People’s Panel on Police Accountability. The panel included Mako Fitts, an assistant professor at Seattle University, as well as Michael Brooks, who has an ongoing police complaint of his own (“72 Hours: Held three days for a crime he claims he didn’t commit, a man seeks answers,” March 21-26).
“The focus is on the inequitable treatment of people of color, poor people in areas of rapidly changing demographics,” said Fitts.
The testimonies were being recorded onto audio files. According to Fitts, the panel will then look for trends in the individual testimonies to later use in making recommendations at the policy level.
For now, the purpose of the meetings is “to conduct thorough, accurate research that can withstand the scrutiny of other sociologists,” said Bible.
“We need to make crystal clear that a vast cross-section of King County is experiencing problems with police misconduct and accountability,” said Fitts.
He added that this project was the first of its kind in King County.
This was the second of such meetings. In total, about a dozen public meetings are planned, running until July 10.
William Kim is a student in the University of Washington News Lab. |
