http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/30/us-woodcarver-police-idUSTRE73T0JN20110430

Seattle to pay $1.5 million in cop-slain woodcarver case

The conference called by the Chief Seattle Club started with a ceremonial drum blessing, then speakers took turns relating their experiences with police or talked about what they said is an ongoing problem with police and racism in Seattle.

(Reuters) – City officials on Friday agreed to pay $1.5 million to the family of a Native American woodcarver fatally shot by a white cop in a confrontation that stoked racial tensions and helped spark a federal probe of Seattle’s police force.

A police firearms review board deemed the August 2010 shooting of John Williams, 50, unjustified, ruling that although he was intoxicated at the time he posed no threat “of serious harm” to the officer.

But prosecutors chose not to bring criminal charges against the policeman, Ian Birk, 27, finding insufficient evidence of the criminal intent or malice required under Washington state law to prosecute a law enforcement officer for homicide.

Birk quit the force the same day, February 17.

The civil settlement, announced by the Seattle city attorney’s office, was reached through mediation by municipal officials and Williams’ relatives.

The settlement document states that $1.25 million will be paid to Williams’ estate and $250,000 paid to his mother, Ida Edward of Vancouver, British Columbia.

Birk had insisted he believed Williams was armed and that he shot the man in self-defense. A knife with the blade folded closed was found next to Williams after the shooting.

His death sparked several rallies, attended mostly by minority citizens, protesting policing practices they claimed were racially discriminatory.

The Williams shooting was one of several incidents cited by the American Civil Liberties Union in seeking a U.S. Justice Department investigation into an alleged pattern of excessive force by Seattle police officers, particularly against ethnic and racial minorities. The Justice Department in March said it had launched such an investigation.

Williams’ family on March 16 asked the King County Superior Court to convene a citizens grand jury to determine whether Birk should be criminally charged. No ruling has been made.

The conference called by the Chief Seattle Club started with a ceremonial drum blessing, then speakers took turns relating their experiences with police or talked about what they said is an ongoing problem with police and racism in Seattle.

http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2010/09/03/native-american-leaders-deliver-demands-to-spd-after-shooting-death-of-carver

http://www.kirotv.com/news/24873862/detail.html

Roughly 20 Native American and civil rights leaders from around the region assembled this morning to demand major changes in training and protocol at the Seattle Police Department. Their demands are a response to the August 31 death of John T. Williams, a Native American wood carver shot by an officer while holding his carving knife.

“We are holding the Seattle Police Department and the City of Seattle accountable for this death,” said Jenine Grey, on behalf of the Chief Seattle Club. “Many of our people spend time practicing their art on street corners and in parks… unfortunately, many of our people have personally experienced both undue harassment and excessive force at the hands of the Seattle Police Department.” Grey is a member of the Tlingit tribe and Executive Director of the Chief Seattle Club, which offers food, shelter, showers, and healthcare to Native Americans. She noted that in Seattle, it’s not uncommon to see a Native person with carving tools in public areas.

The club issued a list of demands for SPD as they begin their investigation, review, and inquest into the death of Williams:

—The inquest should include one person (minimum) from the Native community.

—That Mayor Mike McGinn and Police Chief John Diaz communicate directly with the Native community during the process.

—That SPD apologize for dehumanizing and denigrating Williams (responding to statements made during a police press briefing on August 31, in which the group alleges that Williams was identified by his criminal history but not his name).

—That SPD immediately institute training for all police officers in the appropriate use of force, cultural sensitivity and awareness, and appropriate care in dealing with persons with mental and physical disabilities. “It is more than obvious that this training is either grossly deficient or blatantly ignored,” Grey said.

SPD responded to a few of these demands after the press conference. “The inquest is not our process, that’s the role of the King County Prosecutor’s Office,” said Sgt. Sean Whitcomb, a spokesman for SPD, speaking to the group’s first demand. “We have a thorough departmental review that we undertake, and it’s in the beginning stages now. There’s going to be an in-depth process to discover the facts and determine what happened.”

And race and social justice training specifically addressing racial profiling was implemented within the department this year. “It’s mandatory training for everyone here, now,” explained Whitcomb, although he didn’t know if Officer Ian Birk had attended the training.

Others had demands for SPD as well. Pamela Masterman-Stearns, chair of the City of Seattle Native American Employees network, wanted to know how the department is complying with the Race and Social Justice Initiative (RSJI), which has the citywide goal to end institutionalized racism and race-based disparities in City government. “This is a civil rights issue,” said Masterman-Sterns. “Are we safe when walking the streets? Who’s protecting us? The goal [of the RSJI] is to eliminate institutional racism, and that involves cultural training… we want justice, and there can be no justice without accountability.”

Whitcomb says many of the group’s demands align with departmental goals. “Chief Diaz is personally interested in the types of training we’ve received and is currently reviewing them to ensure their adequacy,” says Whitcomb.

But assurances by SPD may not be enough. The people assembled this morning want to see significant changes to the department and the review process.

“The inquest process in King County rarely leads to any form of justice whatsoever,” said James Bible, chapter president of the NAACP. “The families are rarely represented. The shootings are almost always deemed justified. There hasn’t been a single use of force complaint in the past couple of years that the SPD hasn’t deemed sustained—as in it never really happened.”

Above all, the people gathered this morning shared their grief at the loss of Williams. “I ran a picture framing shop on Broadway, and he’d come in and ask for scraps of wood,” recalled Randy Lewis, a spokesman for the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation. “The only thing that could be threatened by John was a piece of yellow cedar, maybe… We strongly condemn the use of lethal force. We are not a people of a romantic past or an irrelevant present. And we are not going to allow this death to be swept under the rug.”

DA seeks hate crime charges in NM swastika case

The three white men are accused of forcing the 22-year-old victim from the Navajo Indian reservation into a car on April 29 and driving him to an apartment. Besides branding the man's arm there, police say the suspects shaved a swastika into his hair and drew degrading words and pictures on his body with permanent marker.

The three white men are accused of forcing the 22-year-old victim from the Navajo Indian reservation into a car on April 29 and driving him to an apartment. Besides branding the man's arm there, police say the suspects shaved a swastika into his hair and drew degrading words and pictures on his body with permanent marker.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100509/ap_on_re_us/us_swastika_brand

FARMINGTON, N.M. – Prosecutors in northwestern New Mexico said they will pursue hate crime charges against three men accused of branding a swastika on a mentally challenged man’s arm using a heated metal clothes hanger.

Jesse Sanford, 24, William Hatch, 28, and Paul Beebe, 26, were charged Friday with kidnapping, aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and other felony charges. The men were jailed with bond set at $150,000 cash.

“We’ll explore every conceivable available avenue in charging them with a hate crime because what happened to the victim was so horribly wrong,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Sarah Weaver.

The three white men are accused of forcing the 22-year-old victim from the Navajo Indian reservation into a car on April 29 and driving him to an apartment. Besides branding the man’s arm there, police say the suspects shaved a swastika into his hair and drew degrading words and pictures on his body with permanent marker.

Afterward, the trio allegedly kicked the victim out of the apartment, and a nearby convenience store clerk called 911.

Police took the victim to San Juan Regional Medical Center, where hospital employees washed off the degrading speech and pictures. A local barbershop cut the man’s hair to remove the swastika, police Sgt. Robert Perez said.

Officers obtained search warrants for the apartment and the men’s vehicle. Insignia associated with white supremacist beliefs were found in the apartment, Perez said.

“We haven’t identified this as a gang-related crime. That is still under investigation,” Perez said. “But they appear to be associated in some fashion to the white supremacist movement.”

Sanford told police the victim came into a McDonald’s restaurant where the three men worked and was looking for a place to stay. Sanford claimed that the victim, who wanted a haircut and a tattoo, “wanted the swastika design because it was a tribal symbol,” according to court records.

It was unclear whether the three suspects had attorneys.

New Mexico’s hate crime law would add one year to the sentence for each charge if the men are convicted. The suspects face up to 35 1/2 years in prison, including a mandatory 18 years for kidnapping, if convicted of all the charges and the hate crime enhancement.

The New Mexico Crime Victims Reparation Commission will help the victim with any medical, emotional or psychological issues that come about as a result of this crime, Weaver said.

Farmington detectives also spoke with a plastic surgeon and were trying to make arrangements to have the damage to the victim’s right bicep removed, Perez said.

Police open fire on Amazon Indians blocking the road in Bagua Grande in Peru's northern province of Utcubamba on Friday.

http://www.gulfnews.com/world/Peru/10320624.html

Lima: President Alan Garcia laboured on Saturday to contain Peru’s worst political violence in years, as nine more police officers were killed in a bloody standoff with Amazon Indians fighting his efforts to exploit oil and gas on their native lands.

The new deaths brought to 22 the number of police killed – seven with spears – since security forces moved early Friday to break up a roadblock manned by 5,000 protesters.

Protest leaders said at least 30 Indians, including three children, died in the clashes. Authorities said they could confirm only nine civilian deaths, but cabinet chief Yehude Simon told reporters that 155 people had been injured, about a third of them with bullet wounds.

He announced a 3pm-6am curfew in the affected region and said authorities had made 72 arrests.

“The government was required to take these measures, not only for the president of the republic but for all 28 million Peruvians,” Simon said of breaking up the protests, which blocked the flow of oil and gas out of the Amazon and prevented food and supplies from coming in.

“We’ve all been affected one way or another by the protest& when they take over highways and strategic points that can affect the national economy,” Simon said.

The political violence is the Andean country’s worst since the Shining Path insurgency was quelled more than a decade ago, and it bodes ill for Garcia’s ambitious plans to boost Peru’s oil and gas output.

It began early on Friday when security forces moved to break up a roadblock protesters mounted in early April. About 1,000 protesters seized police during the melee, taking more than three dozen hostage, officials said.

Twenty-two officers were rescued in Saturday’s storming of Station No 6 at state-owned Petroperu in Imacita, in the jungle state of Amazonas, Defence Minister Antero Florez told the Radioprogramas radio network. He said seven officers were missing.

Washington Redskins Win Legal Battle to Be Racist

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/176638-washington-redskins-win-legal-battle-to-be-racist

In a story likely to be missed by the local media, the Washington Redskins won a 17-year legal battle against a group of Native Americans petitioning the team to drop its racist trademark.

Redskins attorney Bob Raskopf said millions have been spent on the Redskins brand and the team would have suffered great economic loss if they lost the trademark registrations. “It’s a great day for the Redskins and their fans and their owner Dan Snyder,” he said.

Wonderful. Millions of merchandising dollars will be saved, and only for the small price of mass-marketed racial insensitivity towards an entire group of American citizens.  While they’re at it, why doesn’t the team endow a George Wallace Memorial Scholarship and bump members of the Leesburg chapter of the Ku Klux Klan up on the season ticket list.

There’s no reason to go into the racial connotations of the name, because if you need an explanation, you’ve already missed the boat on the discussion. And it’s not that everybody who likes the term Redskins or is not bothered by it is a raving lunatic or bumbling racist.

In fact, you’ll probably find more intelligent arguments from fans on why to keep it than ignorant assertions.

At this point in history, you just hope for the majority of people to “get it.” You want so much for people to be separated on issues that don’t matter, like sports, and tolerant and understanding on the issues that do. Is a name really that serious, that even in its explicit offensiveness and hurtful nature, people just have to have it?

We all have a role to play in this life. We all have to believe in something, and we have to believe in it forcefully enough to make our lives make sense and feel valuable.

Daniel Snyder, his administration, and legions of Washington football fans believe that this name and its imagery mean everything to the history of the franchise. Records, players, and memories are Legacy 1b, but the term “Redskins” is 1a.

I believe that people who believe that are dead wrong. Nothing personal, just a separate set of beliefs.

To that end, I have to back up my own beliefs in a more forceful way than I have been. It will cost me pageviews, it will cost me Adsense clicks, Google search results, and likely, loyal readers. But inaction, no matter how small on an independent blog, is strong advocacy for the wrong ideals.

And to that end, I will never again mention the term “Redskins” on this blog.

To everyone who enjoys reading this blog and my opinion, please understand my moral approach to this and do not take it as a personal attack on your fandom or morals.

But, I don’t publish profanity, I don’t make jokes about homosexuality, race or gender, and I don’t go out of my way to viciously attack people when facts are so much more attractive to bombard.

I avoid these things, not because I’m above them, but because I believe that they are below the standard of what’s necessary to create or enjoy good sports writing.

I’m entertained by gaudy jokes as much as the next guy, but the craft of blogging is and will be so much more than the juvenile humor that attracts millions of readers on thousands of sports blogs each and every day.

For that, I owe the craft much more than the common and usual. I owe the craft my genuine respect, and my genuine care.

Now, is that too much to ask from a billion-dollar company? Respect and care towards another group of people?

Even though the title of this article is racist (“Indian”) it is still a good article for the fact that it brings light to this genocide.  And ‘genocide’ is the right word.  To quote Immortal Technique:  “America, land of the free, home of the brave/ Indigineous holocaust and the home of the slaves.”  But people don’t want to talk about the foundations of the so-called ‘civilized’ world on this continent.  The truth is something that they can’t handle.  Instead they want to talk about Thanksgiving, and act like it was all love.  Malcolm-Che and other conscious sisters and brothers know what’s really good.

Famous picture of Native American man crying…. wasn’t this from some commercial against littering?!?!  As if Native Americans are crying because of littering?!?!  There was a genocide that happened but these racists think we’re crying because of some litter?!

Playground bones force Canada to face genocide of Indian children

http://news.scotsman.com/world/Playground-bones–force-Canada.4845558.jp