Cops = Murderers - John T. Williams and 6 more killed by Washington Cops
BLOG POST about SolidarityPovertyPolice/PrisonsMigrationIndigenousDirect Action posted on Septembre 11, 2010 by Annie Elation
Cops = Murderers:
Who Will Protect Us From Them?
Cops killed 7 people between the dates of August 25 - September 7th, 2010, in Washington alone. A Spokane pastor, Scott Creach, was shot by police on August 25th. In Seattle, on August 30th, John T. Williams, age 50, was shot dead by police while he was carving on the street. Family members of the Native American carver say he was deaf in one ear and likely did not hear the police officer address him. In Spanaway, on August 31, King Ramses Hoover, age 27, was tasered to death by police at a house where he was staying as a guest. Also on August 30, David Charles Young, age 23, was shot to death in Federal Way. On September 3rd, a Richard Sims was shot to death by Tacoma police on 6th Ave. Police say he was wielding a knife, although witnesses disagree. On September 4th, in Gold Bar, Adam Colliers, age 25, was tasered to death by cops for “causing a disturbance.” On September 7th, 22-year-old Nikkolas W. Lookabill was shot to death by police in Vancouver. Police say he was making threatening gestures with a handgun, Lookabill’s friends said that he was suffering from post-traumatic stress and was afraid of getting sent back to Iraq for another tour of duty.
In every society the police are the front line soldiers and occupying army. America itself is the product of the violent displacements, imprisonment and forced religious indoctrination of the Native American peoples. The police brutality and killing that make the headlines are only the tip of the iceberg. The root of the problem is a parasitic economic system they are paid to protect.
The cops target any one that doesn’t fit into the idea of reality that power is trying to promote; a secure and prosperous society for all those who have the “privilege” to jam themselves into the cookie cutter model of citizen.
In reality, America (and Canada), is an oppressive, violent sham and none of us are safe. We can offer bribes for our precarious security as long as our rent or mortgage money lasts. But fundamentally we only receive the appearance of protection as long as we pay for it.
The minute we are homeless, jobless or can’t handle the repetitious drone of everyday life, the pretense of police protection vanishes. We too become criminal. For many others; illegal immigrants, queers, or people of color the semblance of protection never exists.
Throughout history the police have enforced the laws of whatever state they serve under whether communist dictatorships or capitalist representative republics, fascist states or social democracies. In our case those with power in a capitalist system are those with money and property, the bosses and the rich. Therefore, it is easy to see that the cops remain dangerous to most of us because of what their fundamental role in society is, that of acting as the guard dogs of bosses, the rich, and their property.
Police murder is a war on all those who won’t follow their every order, and those who don’t fit the cut-out copy of citizen. All these people become, dehumanized explained-away statistics.
In the “best of situations,” an inquest into police actions could result in information for grieving families, increased police diversity training, or possibly a tokenistic suspension of the officer. Overwhelmingly, police are acquitted of all charges. People are asked to calm down and wait for the public inquiry process, only to suppress their rage and then ultimately be dis-empowered by the failure of justice within the system.
Even after an inquest, police murder does not stop. And it won’t, until there are no more police in the streets.
Taking to the streets ourselves and helping each other out are steps towards building resistance to the police at a practical level.
NO PEACE IN THE STREETS WITH POLICE IN THE STREETS!
a leaflet of this text can be found at: http://tan.anarchyplanet.org/posters-and-leaflets/
The site for the Vancouver local of The Media Co-op has been archived and will no longer be updated. Please visit the main Media Co-op website to learn more about the organization.
Commentaires
The killing of Spc. Nikkolas Lookabill
Community forum on Friday. Please attend if knew Nikkolas, as his friends and family are still grieving.
The killing of Specialist Nikkolas W. Lookabill by the Vancouver Police Department is a tragedy with many unanswered questions. This is the 7th officer involved shooting by police in the State of Washington in just 3 weeks. Judging by historic civilian interactions with the Portland Police and Vancouver Police, the Vancouver Police Department may suppress evidence, lie, and manufacture a fabricated version of the death of Spc. Lookabill in order to protect their own officers. This is the common and unacceptable practice of the police, and it is our hope that we are able to organize with members of the Oregon Army National Guard’s 41st Infantry, along with other military veterans, in order to seek clarity and justice.
The manufacturing of the story has already begun, the September 8th 2010 article in the Oregonian stated: “Lookabill received an unprecedented level of career and mental health counseling as the Oregon Army National Guard attempted to ease troops' transition back to civilian life.” This is bullshit. The military trying to cover their own pathetic asses and issued a statement right away. Suicide is the leading cause of death of young veterans, 4 times the civilian national average of the same age group. The Oregon National Guard meets with soldiers after deployment – but really, it’s a fucking joke. The Guard mostly provide a list of self-help resources, a completely ass backwards way to assist a soldier who’s taught self-reliance. Good luck getting an appointment at the Veterans Administration, virtually every vet I’ve talked to can tell you hours of stories. A commenter on the Oregonian’s story, who claims to be from the 41st Infantry Brigade, said, “No we didn't ....still waiting for my VA counselors appointment I was promised along with a handful of my buddies that want it as well, but they would like you to think that we have been "taken care of" by shuffling us through a bunch of garbage briefings to "save face"…still waiting...its been three months now.”
Several news organizations are trying to portray Spc. Lookabill as a dangerous psychotic suffering from PTSD, who had to be put down like a rabid dog. This is bullshit and exactly how they will attempt to dishonor Spc. Lookabill and other veterans of the wars. Comments were quick to appear from friends of Spc. Lookabill, from neighbors to friends, to the soldiers who served in Iraq with him - he was described as a light hearted joker. A fellow soldier who claimed to be on the Lookabill’s deployment stated, “You wouldn't find a single guy that had a bad thing to say about him. Bringing up any reference to PTSD is asinine, he was completely mentally healthy.”
I understand why many civilians immediately conclude Spc. Lookabill had PTSD: some civilians presume that every person returning from the wars is a “time bomb”, and the reports that Spc. Lookabill had a pistol on him are conclusive evidence of a violent PTSD episode. PTSD is a difficult mental condition to understand as it can manifest in extremely varying ways, for different periods of time, and can affect some people much more severely than others. It can be triggered from the horror of the battlefield, to the feeling of betrayal, and sometimes long after a war is over. Most civilians will not comprehend the levels of anxiety, stress, and anger that disable some veterans as a distinctive problem, and instead try to lump all maladjustment from military service as some form of PTSD. I have no idea of the struggles Spc. Lookabill was facing, but I too carried a pistol when I left the United States Air Force in 2007 (I have since given up this practice). Of course many veterans own weapons or carry concealed weapons, sometimes for self-protection, sometimes for familiarity, sometimes for the protection of others. This practice by military members and veterans needs to be addressed by police departments, as it is impossible to prevent.
This was not the first incident with police and military that ended in tragedy: in May 2009, a recently returned veteran killed himself outside of the Military Readiness Center in Salem after the police arrived. The Oregon State Police Lieutenant blocked the veteran’s car in; the veteran rammed the police vehicle, and then committed suicide. Last month, an AWOL soldier from Joint Base Lewis-McChord engaged a police officer in a shootout in Salt Lake City, the soldier was in his combat gear, and specifically targeted a police officer. The soldier was killed after wounding the officer in the leg.
The police across this country need drastic changes. Police abuse is not isolated solely to Portland, or the Northwest, it is a nationwide problem and has roots in the expansion of the Federal government. The police have been the tyrannical hand forcing people from their homes, beating children in the streets, and robbing people of their rights. Not only do the police do this, but they are immune from prosecution and civil demands from communities. I’m not surprised that a soldier who has sworn an oath to protect the Constitution views the police with hostility, but it is unfortunate to engage the police in a firefight. The police represent repression, armed repression of our society, and they are certainly the worst gang that could possibly interact with veterans.
In the coming weeks we will release a plan from local veterans on reforming the VA system. In my experience, the best method to treat military related issues is to find a support group of fellow veterans. I urge every veteran that I meet to associate themselves with a veteran’s organization or another group where they are able to share their own sentiments openly. Only through such an organization was I able to understand the scope of the problems I was facing, and put it into perspective the problems other veterans were facing. Because of that experience, I was able to find personal peace, and now utilize my time trying to help other veterans make the same transition.
Signed,
Member, Iraq Veterans Against the War
The Truth. ^ ^
The Truth. ^
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The Truth. ^ ^
The Truth. ^
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Lookabill forum
Sooo... Me and me and my boys went to gabriel park on friday, walked all over the place, and couldn't find any kind of gathering.
What happened?