John Trouble Williams

Trouble really was his middle name, a fact confirmed last night by members of the American Indian Movement who knew John. John was shot last Monday by officer Ian Birk of the Seattle Police Department. Members of his tribe held a vigil last Thursday, which I attended. As the Jewish new year (Rosh HaShana) began last night, I was attending a meeting of the newly revived Native American Advisory Council to the Seattle Police.

Wait, you might say. Isn't this a blog about unemployment? Well, technically speaking, John was unemployed--at least, according to traditional notions of employment. John did not write code for Microsoft or clean up airplane coolant on a Boeing tarmac floor. John's chosen profession was to carve totem statues with a whittling knife. John sold his work personally to people passing through Seattle's Pike Place Market, but he also sold it to stores that sell Native art.

According to the Seattle Weekly blog, "Ye Olde Curiousity Shop had been buying Williams' work for years, owner Andy James told SW this morning. In fact, James said that the store has bought from the Williams' family---famous carvers family from the Nitinaht tribe in British Columbia--for more than 100 years. James says he knew Williams' father, Ray, a fine carver, now deceased. James also stocks a selection of work from Williams' brother Rick."

Rick confirmed that his brother had "fallen on hard times," according to the SW blog. As much as we may try to separate ourselves from one another, we are all connected. Therefore, I humbly dedicate this blog entry to John T. Williams, who could have been any one of us in these hard times. In this post, I will try to relay the positive things that were said about him; however, due to the heinous nature of his death, there was a considerable animus against the past and present actions of the Seattle Police Department, and I feel that this entry wouldn't be accurate without revisiting the evening's acrimony.

John was a Native American elder of the Nuu-Chah-Nulth tribe of British Columbia. His work was part of an artisan tradition extending back to the 18th century, tribal members said. The entire Williams family has a strong tradition of carving.

What follows is an account of what was said at the Advisory Council meeting. The vigil I attended was not a time for open discussion, although one person did say that he had received a text from his friend, who was a shaman, who had a window on the back of her hand and could see John's soul. She said that John was very happy that all of us were at his vigil and that he loved all of us.

Members of many nations were present at the Advisory Council meeting. The Lummi, Duwamish, Nuu-chah-nulth tribe, Makah and other First Nations were present. The United States and Canada were represented. Community organizations that were present included the Seattle Police, Mothers for Police Accountability, the American Indian Movement, Unity and Struggle, and, of course, the Native American Advisory Council.

The meeting began with words and song from an elder who knew John and his family. The words and songs, he said, were not an invocation; his people put words and prayers into the ground, and if other people find them useful, they can pick them up and take them when they leave.

After the elder spoke, the members of the police liaison to the Native American Advisory Council were introduced. Among these people were John Hayes, the Command Staff Advisor, Linda Hill, the official Native liaison, Chief John Diaz, and Kathryn Olson with the Office of Professional Accountability, a "civilian" organization closely associated with the SPD.

All speakers were asked to hold an eagle feather from the Muckleshoot First Nation to represent the veracity of their statements.

Chief Diaz gave his condolences to the family of John and the broader community. He said that he hopes to make sure that every person understands what will occur, and that the most important thing is a commitment to work together to bring peace to the community. His comments were later criticized by those addressing the attendees; one person who knew John said, "peace would have kept the bullets in the chamber." Diaz and the civilian observer extolled the virtues and rigorous training of police officers, saying that the majority of police work goes well; however, several people questioned why the instances that don't go well typically have to do with "people of different colors."

One speaker from the Lummi Nation pointed out that even though 25 percent of Seattle's homeless people are Native, John was not homeless. Harriet Walden of Mothers for Police Accountability asked several questions about why the officer was involved with John in the first place, given that he was carrying only the tools of his trade (a 3" [legal] blade and a piece of wood), to which Chief Diaz responded that no calls had been received regarding John and that being on the street was not, in fact, a crime. These admissions set a certain tone for the rest of the meeting: Was John's crime that he was a Native American?

One Native woman from West Seattle described her interactions with Seattle police. She said she once called the police to say that a sacred feather had been stolen from her and she was laughed at by the dispatch officer. She also said that she was beat up by cops in 1976 and that she was now afraid to call the police to help with her kids. She says she used to carry a pocketknife, but doesn't anymore, and in any interaction with police she makes it overtly clear that she is "not armed and not resisting." "You've got to make it to tomorrow morning," she said, "so you can get a lawyer. [...] It could have been any of us."

Several people commended the police on their commitment to peace, but were skeptical of that commitment. Others had specific messages regarding peace with the police. "No justice, no peace," said one lady. "How could John scare a 27 year old healthy officer?" In tears, she said: "You cannot condemn our people; you did that before, we will not let you do it again." Another lady said, "We didn't breach the peace, it was breached for us." A father, who spoke with his son present, identified the police as his enemies; he asked, "What are the rules of engagement? How do I protect my kids?"

Many other interesting points were brought up, like the dedicated military service so many Native American veterans have given to the United States, as well as the disproportionate treatment that their peoples receive from police officers. Many people were concerned about the four shots the officer fired, which was for some an obvious excess. Others were concerned about the cultural training of the police officers; one man thought that anti-racist training should be mandatory for all police officers.

Police chief John Diaz responded to comments by saying that this case is being "openly and transparently reviewed; [...] you all will see the outcome." "You need to have answers, and you will." In response to questions about what else could have been done, he said that the force is "trying a hundred things," not just one, and that increasing the distribution of tazers and increasing crisis intervention training are options that are being pursued. "If we're not part of the community, we're failing," he said.

Ms. Olson with the OPA said that the case, like all police-involved shootings, is being investigated both internally by the department and by county prosecutors. A jury will determine if the officer's use of force was justified or unjustified, and said that if the decision is that the use of force was unjustified, there could be criminal charges. Ms. Olson, and surprisingly many Native speakers, stressed the importance of police officers; she said that training is an ongoing process and that officers who misuse force are subject to felony and administrative charges. She emphasized that the process is part of a system of checks and balances.

John Hayes apologized for his defamation of Mr. Williams; "I said he was arrested multiple times," he clarified, under scrutiny, and added, "it was not something I should have said." John's arrest record had no apparent bearing on the officer's decision to fire four rounds at him. Hayes defended police training, however, saying that officers are subject to extensive background checks and many more hours of training than is required by most other professions.

For me, two questions remain; if things like this are still happening after all the years that we have been witness to the use of excessive force by police, why should we believe that the police are doing something about it now? And, if police are able to still receive paid leave and have the benefit of an arbitrary jury deciding whether or not their violent acts are justified before they are even subject to disciplinary action or trial, what is the incentive for police officers to refrain from the use of violence?

The next meeting is at 2203 Airport Way South, at 6:00 pm, on September 22.