Protest the killing of a Deaf Native American Man who was murdered by police!!

Chevy57

Chevy57

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On August 31st, 2010, a partly Deaf Native American man, John T. Williams, was shot and killed by Officer Ian Birk of the Seattle police, after Williams was seen crossing Boren Avenue at Howell Street with a folding 3-inch carving knife and wooden board.

Williams was standing 9 to 10 feet away when Officer Birk, a rookie officer with just two years of experience, stopped his cruiser, got out, and shouted orders at him to drop the knife three times before he fatally shot Williams in the chest four times. The confrontation lasted less than 1 minute.

Williams was of the Ditidaht First Nation, a member nation of the Nuu-Chah-Nulth, and came from a long line of Indigenous American artists in the First Nations who carved wood. It is legal in Seattle to carry a 3 inch knife or shorter. Williams sold his small totem carvings at the Pike Place Market. It was widely known in the local community that Williams was deaf in one ear and had great difficulty in communicating with people. He was known to wear headphones or ear buds and was sometimes incoherent because of drinking.

After initial reports that Williams advanced on Officer Birk, the Seattle Police Department said they could no longer be sure that had occurred and Williams had not moved threateningly towards Officer Birk.

The Seattle Police Department is now investigating but has released no information. The Seattle Police Department has been facing controversy in the aftermath of some recent brutality cases (cops abused a Hispanic suspect & called him “Mexican piss”, another incident where Seattle cops punched a 17 years old girl for jaywalking, not to mention 5 deaths in 1 week caused by Seattle cops)
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http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/deafmankilled/
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWvLST_Qojw&feature=player_embedded"]YouTube - Deaf Native American Man killed by cops![/ame]
 
extremely tragic but I'm sorry I will not sign the petition. I do not agree with this girl's view. But what I do agree that Seattle Police Department needs a shakedown.

I'm sorry but John was an idiot for walking on the street with a knife on his hand. Native American tradition? Sorry but he was not walking on Native American soil... he was walking on Seattle street with laws. Anybody with any kind of weapon on his/her hand is automatically a threat to public.
 
Jiro said:
extremely tragic but I'm sorry I will not sign the petition. I do not agree with this girl's view. But what I do agree that Seattle Police Department needs a shakedown.

I'm sorry but John was an idiot for walking on the street with a knife on his hand. Native American tradition? Sorry but he was not walking on Native American soil... he was walking on Seattle street with laws. Anybody with any kind of weapon on his/her hand is automatically a threat to public.
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Doesn't surprise me that you would be unsympathetic, you fascist. lol.

BTW, who knows how he was carrying the weapon. Was he brandishing it? making movements that could be interpreted as threatening? We can't know for sure, but it already looks as if the Seattle Police dept. is changing their tune.

It appears the Seattle cops are some of the worst in the country when it comes to this kind of stuff, which is interesting because Seattle is typically a safe big city with less than 10 murders a year on average. What the hell is up the SPD's ass?
 
A raggedy-looking man walking toward you, carrying a knife, looking like a drugged-up man (cuz article said he was sometimes incoherent cuz of drinking), not responding to police command right in front of cop.

9-10 feet away... what are you going to do? It's a crap situation. John was not supposed to be walking on public street with a knife on his hand. You bet your ass that I will get shot too if I were doing that in NYC.

But like I said in my first post - "Seattle Police Department needs a shakedown." All these strings of bad incidents happening at SPD is not good. It's the sign that SPD has gone astray and there is no clear, strong leadership. It's time that the Chief of SPD to step down from his command.
 
Why should cops use taser guns instead of real guns?
 
You are breaking the law by carrying knives here if it's over a certain length and if you are "searched" and have one, you go to jail. My oldest son carries a very small "pocket knife", which is allowed. But not "in his hand"...it goes into his pocket. NEVER at school, tho'.

I would not want to see someone walking around with a big carving knife on the street....and it's sad that the man did get shot, and I do feel it was an "overkill" (4 shots to the chest?)....
 
Wow. A cop murdered an innocent man. Hopefully, there will be some kind of justice.

I would rather not having that type of cop walking around on street.
 
I ain't touching this with a ten-foot pole.

Touches too much on deaf rights and native rights. The latter is messier to deal with.
 
TheWriteAlex said:
Doesn't surprise me that you would be unsympathetic, you fascist. lol.

BTW, who knows how he was carrying the weapon. Was he brandishing it? making movements that could be interpreted as threatening? We can't know for sure, but it already looks as if the Seattle Police dept. is changing their tune.

It appears the Seattle cops are some of the worst in the country when it comes to this kind of stuff, which is interesting because Seattle is typically a safe big city with less than 10 murders a year on average. What the hell is up the SPD's ass?
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You don't have to "brandish" a knife for it to be threatening or dangerous. Having an open knife in your hand is enough.

There are not enough details in this story to make any kind of determination one way or another.
 
hard to tell but I think 4 shots in chest is WAY overkill. I mean, seriosuly, I would never shoot more than once in the chest if a person has the knife.
 
kokonut said:
There are not enough details in this story to make any kind of determination one way or another.
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Except for the fact that the SPD has already changed their statement saying they're not sure now if the deaf guy was advancing towards the officer in a threatening manner, which they were saying at first. Typical lying pigs.
 
High on adrenalin (or on drugs) a guy with a knife can keeping going after you. It may seem overkill but then again we have no video or other details to draw upon. It may be so based on an initial report.
 
This is how we, Native American, protest when someone is murder or someone took our land away and want the land to return to the Native people. Don't forget I am pretty much a militant when I am protesting my rights as Native person and Native Deaf. Maybe he did not have a bag to carry his knife and wooden board. I don't know if he had been doing this for many years as an artist working on his wood like the totem he made. I am very sad that he had passed. I am really shocked that the Seattle Cop had to shoot him four times which is way too much to kill him like that. Anyway, the two year rookie probably don't know him around in this part of the area where he does the selling of his works in the Market. I can not petition as I don't like it online but I would sign it if there is a person coming to me to protest against the Seattle Police Department for killing a Deaf Native American. We need justice for him. :(
 
kokonut said:
High on adrenalin (or on drugs) a guy with a knife can keeping going after you. It may seem overkill but then again we have no video or other details to draw upon. It may be so based on an initial report.
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Is that all you think that every Native American men and women are drunk as alcoholics? The white people have put alcohol to make us drunk for no reason at all. Also they used to drink alcohol when they are starving and have no food. I don't like for you and others to assume that we are drunken Indians. So shame on you. :mad:
 
Bebonang said:
Is that all you think that every Native American men and women are drunk as alcoholics? The white people have put alcohol to make us drunk for no reason at all. Also they used to drink alcohol when they are starving and have no food. I don't like for you and others to assume that we are drunken Indians. So shame on you. :mad:
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I was NOT TALKING ABOUT THAT!!

Sheesh!

I'm saying there are situations when shooting once may not be enough to subdue a man with a knife.

Bebonang, you have a bad habit of putting things into my mouth. Ask if you're not sure next time. I'd appreciate that if you do that.

Thank you!
 
kokonut said:
I was NOT TALKING ABOUT THAT!!

Sheesh!

I'm saying there are situations when shooting once may not be enough to subdue a man with a knife.

Bebonang, you have a bad habit of putting things into my mouth. Ask if you're not sure next time. I'd appreciate that if you do that.

Thank you!
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Whether alcohol or drug, then I am mad at Jiro on #4, enough said. Have some respect for him being shot 4 times, eh? He is more human than any of us. I am just upset about it all in Seattle. There has been reports about the Seattle Police not respecting our rights as disability people and Deaf people.

I used to stayed in Seattle at the Seattle Community College and they were some native Deaf students stayed at the dorms just like me in 1973 to 1974. We did not have any problems back then but now it is getting worse and like someone said "What is up with the Seattle Police Department?". Seattle is not the only place but every where in USA, innocent people had to face police with no real training to help innocent people. :dunno: It just make me feel upset that we are no longer safe among the police anymore. It is getting dangerous. :eek3: And I don't like it at all. :mad:
 
Jiro said:
extremely tragic but I'm sorry I will not sign the petition. I do not agree with this girl's view. But what I do agree that Seattle Police Department needs a shakedown.

I'm sorry but John was an idiot for walking on the street with a knife on his hand. Native American tradition? Sorry but he was not walking on Native American soil... he was walking on Seattle street with laws. Anybody with any kind of weapon on his/her hand is automatically a threat to public.
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The cop could shot the guy in the arm to made him drop the weapon and if the cop had stayed in his car he would not had been in any danger at all. It was an overkill shooting the guy four times , the cop was trigger happy! The cop it more of a threat to the public in this case!
 
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