Tag Archives: black lives matter

BIPOC, Breaking News, Local

Clark County judge taking “time off” after comments on race caught in Zoom meeting

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Clark County District Court Judge Darvin Zimmerman, 70, stated he was taking time off after being caught on camera during a Zoom meeting making comments about Kevin Peterson Jr. and Black suspects in general.

Last week between court cases, Judge Zimmerman spoke to another court official while the Zoom meeting was running. During his conversation, he demonstrated judicial and racial bias while disparaging defendants and their family members. The Oregonian released a video of his comments on Monday after a YouTube video was removed on Saturday.

The Barrar Law Firm, one of the largest criminal defense firms in Western Washington, called for Zimmerman’s resignation following the broadcast. Moments later, the other five judges at Clark County District Court condemned Zimmerman’s comment, stating, “racial bias displayed by a judge is unacceptable, unethical, unjust and cannot be tolerated.”

By morning, county prosecutors and defense lawyers alike were filing motions to disqualify Zimmerman on cases he was presiding over. In a story by Oregon Public Broadcasting, Clark County Prosecutor Tony Golik stated, “We’re not indicating that the prosecutor’s office feels like we would necessarily get an unfair ruling. We’re worried more about people that are accused.”

During the Zoom meeting where Zimmerman talks to another unnamed court official, he stated that Kevin Peterson, Jr. had a “death wish” and that he was “so dumb” for fearing a lifetime in jail if he didn’t cooperate with a regional task force. Peterson Jr., a 21-year-old Black man, was shot by police in October during an alleged drug bust. Security camera video and phone records call into question police actions during the attempted arrest of Peterson Jr.

In a further twist, Judge Zimmerman’s son, Erik Zimmerman, was one of the Clark County Sheriff deputies present during the attempted arrest of Peterson Jr. As the suspect ran away from police, the younger Zimmerman was one of three deputies who shot at Peterson Jr.

During the Zoom meeting, Judge Zimmerman suggested that Peterson Jr. family was trying to capitalize on his death, saying, “he wakes up with dollar signs in his eyes and George Floyd’s attorneys.”

Several defense attorneys and public defenders who have petitioned Judge Zimmerman have come forward this week with questions on his conduct and his attitudes towards non-English speaking defendants.

BIPOC, National

New video of Rochester, New York PD pepper spraying Black child emerges

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From Malcontentment Happy Hour, February 22, 2021

Warning: This story contains video of police activity that some may find disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised.

Rochester, New York Police released another 86 minutes of video of the before, during, and after of a 9-year-old girl in crisis being pepper-sprayed. The disturbing video shows that the mother of the child did not call 911 about her having suicidal ideation or being in a mental health crisis. Instead, the mother is seen chatting with officers about her former significant other having a warrant for his arrest, and that he stole one of her cars.

The video goes on to show the child waits 19 minutes for treatment after being pepper-sprayed, and the EMTs request the cuffs are loosened for being too tight. An NPR report indicates the mother requested a social worker or mental health specialist to come to the call, and officers refused. Hospital officials also denied the child a mental health evaluation.

The mother is now suing the city while three officers are suspended, one without pay over the incident.

BIPOC, Editorial, LGBTQIA, Local, National

Malcontentment Happy Hour: February 22, 2021

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Our live webcast from the Seattle Anarchist Jurisdiction

The show from February 22, 2021, featured David Obelcz and our co-host Jennifer Smith.

  • Most Tacoma Police Department officers will have body cams by end of the week
  • UW students suspended from attending in-person classes after a snowstorm kegger
  • Rochester, New York Police release 86 more minutes of video of 9-years-old girl pepper sprayed
  • Justice for Elijah McClain inches closer
  • Malcontented Minutes
    • Ohio bomb squad is called on Sprinkles the cat
    • Mashpee-Wampanoag First Nation will keep their tribal lands
    • Mariners president resigns after telling the awful truth about baseball
    • Lake Travis residents in Texas help each other in face of winter disaster
    • Catholic League leaders say Joe Biden’s LGBT obsession is hurting Christians
    • LGBTQ virtual spaces help keep college students connected to combat isolation and depression
    • U.S. shelters for migrant children near-maximum capacity as Biden Administration struggles with “kids in cages’
    • A mariachi band from Houston serenades Ted Cruz outside his home to bring a bit of Mexico vacation to him
    • Mancin Music on TikTok video absolutely shreds Kashmir by Led Zeppelin
    • Kayne West and Kim Kardashian are calling it quits
  • Chad Wheeler arrest video and audio released by Kent Police
  • Walking while Black incident in Plano, Texas
  • Insurrection Update
  • The tale of three vehicular assaults and three different forms of justice in the United States

BIPOC, Breaking News, Local

Superior Court Judge Ramsmeyer upholds protesters’ claims of discrimination

[SEATTLE] – (MTN) Superior Court Judge Judith H. Ramseyer rejected the City of Seattle’s attempt to dismiss a lawsuit for wrongful death, personal injuries, and civil rights violations. Attorneys from Stritmatter, Kessler, Koehler, and Moore, and co-counsel Cedar Law PLLC filed the suit last fall on behalf of more than 60 plaintiffs who participated in Black Lives Matter protests. The plaintiffs, including the survivors of Summer Taylor, claim that policing decisions were based on discriminatory practices and negligence causing injuries and death.

In court today, lawyers representing the city argued that the Washington Law Against Discrimination (WLAD) is only applicable for employer-employee law. Lawyers representing the city stated that applying WLAD to this case would be a “radical departure of the law” and represented a new legal theory. “We’ve seen the difference between how the police have handled other protests such as the women’s march and blue lives matters protests versus those for Black lives,” said attorney Sarah Lippek of Cedar Law, PLLC. “We think the differences in treatment are discriminatory.”

The city’s argument was, in part, that since protesters are not city employees, the protesters were not protected by WLAD even if the city behaved in a discriminatory way. Karen Koehler argued that protesters of all races advocating on behalf of Black lives and then brutalized by police due to their advocacy should be covered under the non-discrimination law.

Judge Ramseyer sided with the plaintiffs and upheld the claim that authorities’ actions over the summer could be considered discriminatory under WLAD. “The judge upheld our cause of action that protesters of all races advocating for Black lives could bring discrimination claims against the police for their brutal and disproportionate response,” said attorney Lara Hruska.

Another finding in today’s case is that the streets are “places of public accommodation” protected under WLAD. In 2019 the Washington State Supreme Court found that places of public accommodation are broadly defined as facilities or businesses used by or open to the public. Judge Ramseyer’s decision expands that protection. “The court decided that the streets are an area of public accommodation, and the police can’t discriminate against protesters on those streets,” said Lippek. “I mean, what is more public than the streets?”

DISCLOSURE: Renee Raketty, field editor for Malcontent News is a plaintiff in this case.

BIPOC, Editorial, Health and Lifestyle, LGBTQIA, Local, National, Weather

Malcontentment Happy Hour: February 11, 2021

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Our live webcast from the Seattle Anarchist Jurisdiction

The show from February 11, 2021, featured David Obelcz and our co-host Jennifer Smith.

  • Winter Storm Watch in place, winter is coming, all in one week
  • King County warming center controversy and location
  • Malcontented Minutes
  • Chad Wheeler update and an interview of his victim Alleah Taylor
  • Tragedy in Central District – two dead, one wounded in an officer-involved shooting
  • Black History Month
  • Life in a bubble and why impeachment won’t bring an end to Trumpism

BIPOC, Editorial, Five Facts, Health and Lifestyle, LGBTQIA, Local, National

Malcontentment Happy Hour: February 6, 2021

Video

Our live webcast from the Seattle Anarchist Jurisdiction

The show from February 6, 2021, featured David Obelcz and our co-host Jennifer Smith.

  • Olympia homeless protest and direct action leaves everyone unhappy
  • Malcontented Minutes – our new speed round of news
    • Jenoah Donald shot by Clark County Sheriffs
    • Seattle student helps seniors sign up for COVID vaccine
    • Florida man with Florida forehead tattoo arrested in Florida
    • Louisiana library turns down grant for program on Black history and civil rights
    • Police officer fired for taunting fellow officer over COVID fears
    • J Lo and A-Rod reality stars in reality drama
    • New York State repeals “walking while trans” law
    • Biden Administration signs memorandum to advance LGBTQIA rights globally
    • Man buys every tamale he can find in Chicago to give to homeless
    • Kansas City Chief’s mascot causes grumbles as Super Bowl arrives
  • COVID-19 Five Fast Facts
  • Reading recommendations for Black History Month
  • David and Jennifer provide their insurrection update
  • Commentary on transphobia in our community

BIPOC, Editorial, Five Facts, Health and Lifestyle, LGBTQIA, Local, National, Weather

Malcontentment Happy Hour: February 1, 2021

Video

Our live webcast from the Seattle Anarchist Jurisdiction

WARNING: This episode includes videos of police violence, child abuse, protest, and discusses domestic violence in detail – viewer discretion is advised.

The show from February 1, 2021, featured David Obelcz and our co-host Jennifer Smith.

  • Rochester, New York Police pepper-spray a handcuffed 9-year-old child – community outrage explodes as body camera video becomes available
  • Malcontented Minutes – our new speed round of news
    • The state of Texas has things go very wrong when they issue an Amber Alert for Chucky – yes the murderous horror movie doll Chucky
    • Redditors go after silver commodity trading as a new tactic in their fight against hedge funds
    • Missouri Museum of history launches an online exhibit of LGBTQIA history in the state of Missouri
    • Jason Raantz (Seattle) goes on a racist rant about how BLM education during Black History Month in Seattle schools is instilling the fear of police into a new generation of children
    • David Bell, a Black man, dies in a hospital parking lot in Missouri after emergency room physicians refuse to treat him on his third trip for breathing problems
    • President Biden replaces Andrew Jackson’s portrait with a Native American sculpture
    • The National Zoo in Washington D.C. releases a video of a panda playing in the snow
    • LGBTQ activist Carmen Vasquez, 72-years old, dies of COVID-19
    • Data breach exposes the private personal identification (PII) of 1.6 million Washingtonians who have applied for or received unemployment for almost all of 2020, including bank account numbers and ID information
    • Birth certificate controversy over Archie, the child of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle explodes in tabloid press
  • Chad Wheeler domestic violence assault update as his victim faces him in court for the first time
  • COVID-19 Five Fast Facts
  • Reading recommendations for Black History Month
  • David and Jennifer provide their insurrection update

BIPOC, National

Rochester, New York police officers suspended after violent arrest of 9-year old

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From Malcontentment Happy Hour, February 1, 2021

Outrage over the pepper-spraying of a restrained 9-year old grows in upstate New York

WARNING: This report shows violent actions against a child, domestic violence, and abuse. Viewer discretion is advised.

[ROCHESTER] – (Malcontent News) Accusations of domestic violence and child abuse flew in Rochester, New York on January 29, as police arrested, and then pepper-sprayed a restrained 9-year-old child in the back of a police cruiser. Police were called about an incident involving the child, where she initially reported to officers that her mother had stabbed her father.

During the incident caught on multiple police body cameras, the mother of the child verbally and physically assaulted the restained juvenile, before police ordered her to go into her home. They attempt to take the child into custody, after telling her she wasn’t in any trouble, and then wrestle her to the ground and handcuff her. The child refuses to put her legs into the police cruiser and begs for a female police officer on video.

As a female officer attempted to deescalate, the other officers involved only made the situation worse, until the female officer also joined in, and ultimately pepper-sprayed the handcuffed 9-year-old in the face. She was then locked in the police cruiser while begging for her eyes to be wiped.

The police union on Sunday, January 31, 2021, attempted to defend the actions, stating policing is a hard job, labeling the pepper spray as an “irritant,” and talking about the trauma of day-to-day police work. The mayor and interim police chief could find no word to defend the actions.

On Monday, February 1, 2021, it was announced an unknown number of officers have been suspended, with pay, pending an investigation. The mayor of Rochester indicated that this was the only action they can take due to the police union contract and New York state law. Despite allegations of assault and child abuse and the abuse caught on camera, after taking the nine-year-old child to the hospital, she was released back to her family. The child is black, all 9 officers who were at the scene were white.

BIPOC, Local

Seattle not maintaining Captiol Hill BLM mural as agreed

When the Seattle Police department swept CHOP on July 1, 2020, one of the first assurances was the Black Lives Matter mural on Pine Street would be protected and maintained. Before the city had finished cleaning out the remains of the protest, traffic barricades had been placed around the painting. Within days the road was restriped, eliminating the parking lanes on the east and west sides. Despite those efforts, the mural was already in a state of disrepair.

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”19″ gal_title=”BLM Mural Cleaning”]

The first mural was never sealed and had been walked and driven over for almost a month, both intentionally and unintentionally. Road debris and gum pocked the mural which was further damaged by well-meaning community members who came to seal the painting but ended up sealing in the dirt and debris. The city commissioned a team of artists to redo the mural, with different groups or artists working on each letter within “Black Lives Matter.” With the project completed over the summer and the painting sealed, the city had committed to maintaining the mural. That commitment has fallen through.

By the end of 2020, the concourse was streaked with road grime and debris. As questions arose about the promise to care for the mural about the city, local art gallery owner John Mitchell rallied the community into action. Last Saturday they took to the streets and cleaned the mural removing months of accumulated grime over the entire day.

More questions are starting to arise over the location, condition, and state of other art work the city gathered before and immediately after CHOP was cleared. In that effort, many pieces of art were removed from June 26 to June 28 for protection. As part of the July 1 sweep, more art was placed into a large container that was kept on site. So far a plan has not been presented on where and when the art will be displayed again, or who is curating it currently.

CHOP was formed on June 8, 2020, when the city of Seattle ordered the evacuation of the Seattle police from the East Precinct. The six-block area on Capitol Hill became known as CHOP and garnered international attention. After a series of high profile shootings on the fringes and within CHOP, the city of Seattle swept the area and reclaimed the East Precinct building on July 1, 2020.

Renee Raketty contributed to this story.

BIPOC, Editorial, Five Facts, Health and Lifestyle, LGBTQIA, Local, National

Malcontentment Happy Hour: January 28, 2021

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Our live webcast from the Seattle Anarchist Jurisdiction

WARNIING: This episode includes videos of violence, protest, and discusses domestic violence in detail – viewer discretion is advised.

Editor’s comment: At the start of the show we had a software issue that resulted in about 15 to 30 seconds of no audio. We thank you for your understanding.

The show from January 28, 2021, featured David Obelcz and our co-host Jennifer Smith.

  • Update on the Tacoma Police Department officer who drove through a group of people on Saturday with a new day-of video
  • Malcontented Minutes – our new speed round of news
    • The Echo Project is turning a former Klu Klux Klan museum into a place for BIPOC to meet and a history exhibit
    • Colleen Echohawk becomes the first prominent candidate to announce she is running for mayor of Seattle
    • Dr. Joseph Sonnabend, a key figure in the identification of AIDS, passed away
    • 14 states are looking to pass anti-LGBTQIA bills targeting the transgender community
    • Phil Collins (yes that Phil Collins) has turned into “Florida man” with a bizarre story about his ongoing divorce woes
    • Pam Anderson announces she is quitting the Internet (if a tree falls in the woods and no one hears it…)
    • Jason Collier, a former police chief is in hot water for falsifying multiple documents to keep multiple wives and girlfriends from knowing about his bizarre world
    • A man from Afghanistan is attacked by a racist at a Portland convenience store, forcing the terrified man to lock himself in the cooler as he waits for the police
    • The Chinook Nation is going to receive monetary compensation and could be taking the first steps to be recognized as sovereignty again by the federal government
    • In Portland, Oregon the lumber baron and the cattle baron make up after a spicy incident over the weekend
  • COVID-19 Five Fast Facts
  • Chad Wheeler a now-former player of the Seattle Seahawks was arrested after a violent domestic violence attack – the NFL and Seahawks reaction leaves a lot to be desired
  • David and Jennifer provide their insurrection update