The S.P.D. Murder of John T. Williams

With all these police shootings of unarmed men - Let us not forget an innocent one shot in Seattle in 2010, simply because of his skin color, and a legacy of blatant Seattle Police Department prejudice towards Native Americans. - His name was John T Williams. - Please read his tragic story below.

The S.P.D. Murder of John T. Williams

   On a sunny, warm Seattle August day in 2010, Native American wood carver John T. Williams was murdered by the Seattle Police Department as he walked down the crowded downtown streets while on his normal daily routine of carving small totem poles with a small pen knife, then selling them to the tourists that flock by the Seattle Public Market.
   Seattle Police Officer Ian Birk noticed Mr. Williams walking down the city streets and deemed him a threat, do in major part I believe - simply because he was Native American. Williams was one of many homeless Native Americans who roam downtown Seattle. These people are usually dismissed and overlooked by Seattle’s daily bustle of businessmen, the working class, and tourists.

   When the officer approached Williams from behind, and then ordered him to freeze and drop his small carving knife and a stick of carving wood he was carrying, Williams was hard of hearing in one ear, and failed to hear the police officer over the traffic and pedestrians, thus did not immediately comply; officer Birk then instantly felt that this gave him the right to use lethal force against John T. Williams.
   No threat was ever given by the homeless woodcarver. Officer Ian Birk coldly gunned down John T. Williams from behind, murdering him in the streets of Seattle, Wash, right in front of many horrified citizens who later professed that they felt no threat from the homeless Native American man whatsoever.

   The officer was fired – that’s it, and was allowed to live his life somewhere else, work a steady job, live in a nice house, somewhere out of media sight,  and out of the public’s mind; smug in the fact that he got away with “legal” murder with just a slap on the wrist. We must all remember that this type of legal homicide happens every day all over this nation of ours, by those sworn to “Serve and Protect” us.  And that this violent tragedy can happen to anyone, or anybody’s family members, especially if they are citizens of color. This makes it everybody’s problem who believes in justice, personal safety from unwarranted persecution, and true American freedom in the society they live in. Let us still remember John T Williams, and never forget the fact that he was ruthlessly murdered by the S.P.D.