The Shooting of John T. Williams: The Man and a Variety of Opinions

Who was John T. Williams? Each article in the Seattle Times paints a different picture of the First Nations woodcarver. The people who knew him have used adjectives like kind, talented and bubbly when describing how he was harmless and unlikely to threaten Officer Birk. On the other hand social workers at the Chief Seattle Club and the DESC have described Williams as “volatile” when drunk though they too find it unlikely that he was a threat. Each article cited Williams’ history of petty crimes and misdemeanors though until October 15^th no full profile of his history was published. This article tells of his seizures, alcoholism, hospital stay, detox center stints, car crashes, abusive childhood and numerous encounters with law enforcement all over the northwest. These included indecent exposure charges, disorderly conduct, trespasses, public drunkenness, and multiple assault charges. Lately “police were being called repeatedly to take him away from Dick's Drive-In on Capitol Hill, where he was wandering around with no pants, smeared with his own filth.” The article by Lynda V. Mapes extended beyond Williams and claimed how his life is not uncommon in downtown Seattle. At Chief Seattle Club alone 14 members were killed in the last year, all with similar histories.

            Unfortunately, Williams is not alone in having a difficult time lately. The Seattle Police Department has been subject to much criticism over the last year. Previously this year a Latino man was kicked repeatedly by an officer while using offensive and racially charged language. Later in the year the department came under fire again for a struggle between two jaywalkers and a police man. The women were African American and were physically resisting the officer. The conflict escalated until the officer punched one woman in the face. Both incidents were caught on videotape. The week of the Williams shooting 6 other people were either killed or wounded in conflicts with the police. Most seem justified and some do not. Regardless, the amount of violence with police lately has resulted in a greater emphasis on de-escalation training for police officers. The death of six police officers last year has been cited as one reason for the increased tension and violence in law enforcement officers this year.

            Public opinions on whether the shooting was justified and what should be done in the aftermath are extremely varied. Williams’ older brother Rick has voiced his anger towards the public and other native people. Following the protest at city hall he asked where was the help for his brother and family while John was alive. Rick and his sons are also woodcarvers to support themselves. They live currently in a motel. He has also reported police harassment following the incident. He claims to be watched by a number of officers while carving and selling his work. Several witnesses support this claim. One native blogger expressed the idea that the streets are not safe for natives, claiming “no peace in the streets with police in the streets!”

            Non native people have also an extraordinary range of opinions. Many of the letters to the editor of the Seattle Time express a loss of faith in the SPD. They cite the jaywalking and kicking incidents along with the death of Williams to call for a serious increase in diversity training for SPD officers. One insightful article calls for an overhaul of the system for selling alcohol. He believes that a card should be issued which would be required to be shown when buying alcohol. This card he proposes be revoked following DUI or public drunkenness charges. Other letters ask how Williams “fell through the cracks” and how his life was allowed to spiral so far out of control.

            A third debate was present in the letters published in the times. Some claimed that even if Officer Birk was threatened that he had other options such as calling for backup, disarming Williams or shooting to wound. Invariably these letters were followed by ones written by law enforcement related people who talk of the dangers of hesitating or shooting to wound. One editorial discussed the officers training. One shoot or don’t shoot simulator used had officers on average shooting an unarmed person 38% of the time. This percentage all comes back to the training the officer was put through. In addition, the patrol areas are often split by seniority with the youngest officers getting the busiest or most dangerous areas. Officer Birk had been with the SPD for only two years and was patrolling one of the busiest areas when Williams was shot.

            As a member of a law enforcement family I am quite torn by this incident. I believe that Officer Birk did shoot unjustifiably and that Williams was not a threat to him. This being said, the pressure on law enforcement officers is enormous. In many ways once Birk perceived Williams as a threat he had no option but to shoot. Though an oversight by SPD he was not equipped with a tazer. Law enforcement officers are trained to not shoot to wound and for very good reasons. With the adrenaline and tension present during a conflict it is difficult at best to hit a target. Officers must also be aware of the possibility of their target being on drugs of a sort which would make a wound unnoticeable and would not stop a determined attacker. A skilled knife wielder is dangerous in a range of over twenty feet and can kill in seconds. The officer has to make a split second decision and knows all the risks to himself and the people around him and therefore must, if he/she shoots, shoot to kill. I believe John Williams was not a threat to Officer Birk and that the shooting was unjustified, but I understand why it happened. Add to this already tense situation the fact that six officers were killed last year in the line of duty. The law enforcement community is extremely tight knit and it is no wonder SPD officers are tenser this year. The SPD has handled this situation extremely well in my opinion. It is conducting an open investigation which is being overseen by another organization. It has taken steps to modify the training of its officers and interact with the community more. They must investigate Rick Williams’ claims of harassment in a similar manner. The SPD must implement its new policies and work better with minority communities. Their officers need more training in de-escalation, diversity and community interactions. I believe a serious change for the city is in the works and must include added support for people like John T Williams who have run out of options and need the publics help to turn their lives around. Homelessness and poverty is no small problem but to solve it the state will have to stabilize its budget. Washington State has some serious and pressing issues to solve which makes me unhopeful for a solution any time soon. Law enforcement actions will improve but the overall situation for the unprivileged in Seattle will not.

EC

Sources

The Seattle Times (over 40 editorials, opinion, local news and letters)

http://indigenist.blogspot.com/2010/09/john-john-cops-murderers-john-t.html

email on police harassment of Rick Williams – DP

discussions with CC

The Shooting of John T. Williams: The Incident and Investigation

On August 30^th 2010 a 50 year old man named John Williams was shot and killed by Seattle Police Department officer, 27 year old Ian Birk. Williams was a member of the Ditidaht First Nation and was generally without a permanent residence, an alcoholic and supported himself by making traditional woodcarvings. The shooting took place at the corner of

Boren Avenue

and

Howell Street

. The officer saw Williams cross the street with a knife in his hand and a piece of wood. The knife was a three inch carving knife which is within the legal limit in the city of Seattle. Birk walked up to Williams, who may have been facing away from him, and told him three times to drop the knife. Williams did not, so the officer shot him four times on the right side of his body, killing the woodcarver. These are the widely accepted facts of the incident.

            Over 40 local news, opinion, editorial and letters to the editor relating to the Williams shooting have been published in the Seattle times since the day of his death. Many more basic facts about the incident are unknown or unclear. For example, was Williams threatening the officer? One witness says he “didn’t look aggressive at all. He didn’t even look up at the officer.” The placement of the bullets shows that Williams may not have even been facing Officer Birk and instead had his side to him. The coroners report and witness accounts are not conclusive on this portion. It is also reported that Williams was deaf in one ear, or at least he told people he was. In addition some articles mention that his body was found with headphones though it is unknown if he had them in his ears at the time. It is also unknown whether he was drunk at the time. Workers at the Chief Seattle Club, a relief center for native people in Seattle, and the alcoholics’ center in the Downtown Emergency Services Center believe that Williams had a hard time processing and reacting when spoken to, especially when required to do so quickly. This is also supported by the owner of Ye Old Curiosity Shop where Williams sold his totems as his family has done since the 1880s. The incident lasted in total about a minute and some reports say that only fifteen seconds spanned the first order from the officer and the firing of his gun.

           Following the initial report the officials and the public have had a large number of questions for the police department. These include: Why was the officer not armed with a tazer? Why did the officer not call for backup instead of firing? Why did Birk not use his patrol car for cover? In response to the first question police chief John Diaz says that fewer officers are equipped with tazers because they require extra training and he has “seen inappropriate use” of them as well. The second two questions were largely in the hands of the officer himself though they do call into question what he should have done and what his training recommended. 

            Originally the police department reported Williams as having acted threateningly towards Officer Birk though later that statement was withdrawn. From the beginning Police Chief Diaz has claimed the investigation will be completely “transparent” and they will do everything possible to get to the bottom of the issue. The police immediately made statements deciding to review their officer training and use of force curriculum in light of the incident. About one week after the death of Williams police officials including the police chief and interim deputy chief attended a meeting with local native leaders. They discussed the community concerns and the actions to be taken. Interim Deputy Chief Nick Metz expressed his regret that the police had not had much of a relationship with the Native American community before the shooting. The police have decided to put a new emphasis on community relationships by making nine police captains and one of two deputy chiefs focus on the issue. In addition, 300 more officers will be equipped with tazers and 40 will have small video cameras on their uniforms. The chief said that the police had been caught in “response mode” with officers being deployed in their cars in response to an incident. Instead he will increase the number of bike and foot patrol officers in order to have them present and interacting with people when an incident occurs. From the beginning the public and officials have called for an outside agency to review the investigation in order to ensure it is unbiased. This agency will be the Seattle US Attorney’s Office. About two and a half weeks after the shooting protesters marched on city hall, peacefully singing songs and carrying cedar branches. There they were met by the mayor of whom they demanded a tribal liaison office at city hall. The mayor, Mike McGinn, said a “historic injustice” had been made and that they will be “held accountable” for their actions. Early in October the Firearms Review Board, a four person police official’s board which investigates every time an officer’s gun is fired, ruled that the shooting was unjustified. This is the first time in almost forty years that the FRB has ruled a shooting unjustified and has been called a step in the right direction by many. It remains to be seen what conclusion the police investigation will come to and whether the US Attorney’s office will rule the investigation unbiased.

            See part two for source list

EC

Welcome

Welcome to "Local Environmental Issues in Washington".  We are Environmental Anthropology students at the University of Washington, and we hope to use our knowledge of human-environment interactions to illuminate current environmental issues in our state.  We plan to focus on the Puget Sound and peninsula area since this area is rich in cultural history and current environmental issues. More specifically, we will focus on Native Americans and the manner in which their rights are tread upon by the state and federal government. We hope to share articles concerning this topic, critical analysis of the issues, and sometimes lay out potential solutions that would benefit both the Indigenous groups and the state as a whole.  Most importantly, we hope to demonstrate the importance of treating the First Nations in Washington with respect, as they hold ancient and valuable knowledge of the land and its processes that could lead to a more sustainable state, and in turn a more sustainable world.
                                                           -Rachel, Brittany, Erin, Karissa and Sienna