[SEATTLE] – (MTN) Seattle police reported a 16-year-old Rainier Beach teen was shot and killed at his family home after answering a knock at the front door.
Around 11:00 p.m., 911 received a call about a shooting in the 9200 block of Waters Avenue South. According to witnesses, the suspect knocked on the door of the residence, and the teen went to answer it. Upon opening the door the suspect shot the victim multiple times and fled on foot.
[KIRKLAND] – (MTN) The latest data indicates that King County is on the bring of falling backward to Phase 2 when the state Department of Health does their next evaluation on May 2. New cases per 100,000 are up to 217.5 and hospitalizations are 4.8. To remain in Phase 3, new cases must be below 200 per 100,000 people and hospitalizations below 5.0. According to the Department of Health, 85.4% of all ICU beds are utilized in King County, 12.2% with COVID-19 patients.
Pierce County, which moved back to Phase 2 on April 16, has not made enough progress on reversing the trend in the county. Cases are at 217.3 per 100,000 and hospitalizations are 7.2. Snohomish County is also at risk of dropping to Phase 2 next week. Hospitalizations have more than doubled since last month and new cases are 205.0 per 100,000.
Moving to Phase 2 would drop occupancy of restaurants and other facilities to 25% and could potentially end spectators at sporting events at high school, college, and professional levels.
On Friday, Dr. Jeff Durchin of King County Health explained, “King County entered Phase 3 with the rest of Washington state on March 22, at a time when cases and hospitalizations were already on the rise. Since that time, our 7-day average case numbers have risen by 70 percent, and hospitalization rates have increased by 75 percent.”
King County dashboard for April 24, 2021, at 10:00 AM
State, county, and hospital officials all echoed the same observations. New cases are mostly COVID variants such as B.1.1.7 from the United Kingdom. A majority of hospitalized patients are in their 30s and 40s and are presenting with extreme illness. One area hospital is canceling elective surgeries due to its patient load.
Currently, 36% of all King County residents are fully immunized and 57% have received at least one dose. The National Institute of Health, CDC, and other federal officials have stopped talking about achieving herd immunity, taking a more muted position due to vaccination hesitancy. The number of people being vaccinated is slowing down, with hundreds of available appointments in South King County going unused late this week.
Among the Black population of Washington, only 47% have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine. Distrust in vaccination programs born out of historical medical experiments conducted by the government on Black populations has created distrust and fear.
King County can move the numbers in the right direction before the May 2 evaluation. Wearing masks even if vaccinated, limiting exposure to people, and sticking with to-go options for restaurants and alcoholic beverages can help lower the positivity rate.
Our live webcast from the former Seattle Anarchist Jurisdiction
Editors Note: There is approximately five minutes of audio problems during our segment on Pinal County Sheriff Julian Navarrette. We apologize for the inconvenience.
The show from April 22, 2021, featured David Obelcz and our co-host Jennifer Smith.
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[OLYMPIA] – (MTN) Washington Governor Jay Inslee on Friday ordered the state attorney general office to investigate Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer, and his actions on January 27, 2021, involving a Black newspaper carrier.
“The initial reports of these events were very concerning to me, and I had hoped to see some action taken to initiate a criminal investigation at the local level,” Inslee said in a written statement released Friday. “But, to my knowledge, that has not happened almost three months after the incident. So now the state is stepping in. I have spoken to Attorney General Ferguson and his office will conduct this investigation and make the decision whether to initiate prosecution.”
Due to the inaction of Tacoma Police and Pierce County, Gov. Inslee sent a letter to the Criminal Justice Division of Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s office.
On January 27, 2021, Ed Troyer called 911 to report that a man had threatened to kill him and was acting suspiciously driving slowly from house to house. That man was Sedrick Altheimer, who is a newspaper carrier and was delivering papers on his route. Troyer followed Altheimer in his personal vehicle, never identified himself as a law enforcement officer, and reported he had blocked Altheimer’s vehicle.
Troyer repeated multiple times in the 911 call that he was threatened by Altheimer, and reported that he might be attempting to break into garages. Forty-two units from across Pierce County initially responded to the call, with six units arriving.
Troyer walked back his accusations when Tacoma police arrived. Tacoma police did not turn on their recently issued bodycams while talking to Troyer but did activate them when talking to Altheimer. Altheimer was never charged with a crime. When the story broke Troyer expressed surprise that a police report was even created.
The Pierce County Council voted on April 6 to pay former U.S. attorney Brian Moran $50,000 to look into Troyer’s behavior from January 2020 to January 2021 and investigate the incident with Altheimer. However, the investigator has no subpoena power and cannot put people under oath.
The January 2021 incident brought attention to a November 11, 2020, 911 call that Troyer made claiming to have confronted two Black men trying to break into his car and steal his wallet. In that incident when Tacoma police arrive Troyer brushed off the incident, and officers ultimately did not take a report. In March 2021, after the second incident occurred, the officer-involved with the November 11 911 call took an official report into that incident.
[SEATTLE] – (MTN) Lifting the pause on the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in the United States was recommended today by U.S. health regulators on Friday. A two-week review of data on over 8 million administered doses indicated that blood clot formations were extremely rare. A total of 15 significant adverse events were reported including 3 fatalities. The most recent reported fatality was a woman in Oregon, although investigators have not confirmed that her death was a result of the vaccine or other health issues.
Today’s recommendation opens the door for the one-dose J&J vaccine to be used again, once regulators confirm the CDC’s recommendation.
CDC official Sara Oliver told a panel today that approximately 26 people could suffer serious blood clots out of 10 million. However, she also reported that 1,400 deaths and 3,500 hospital admissions would also be prevented.
All of the people who experienced adverse events were born biologically as women and were from 18 to 54 years old. Some in the medical community are recommending a stronger warning for women about the extraordinarily rare risk. The panel rejected this suggestion in a second vote today.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has shown to be more effective on COVID-19 variants from Brazil, the United Kingdom, and South Africa. The vaccine also has fewer reported side effects than Moderna and Pfizer, particularly for people over 55 years of age.
Disclosure: The author of this story received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
SEATTLE] – (MTN) The Seatle Office of Police Accountability (OPA) opened an investigation into officer Eric Whitehead after a January 15, 2021 incident where he refused to wear a mask at an area hospital. In a follow-up with the OPA, a spokesperson told Malcontent News that the investigation is nearly complete and a report will be issued within two weeks.
Officer Whitehead was at an area hospital to get a statement from an assault victim and refused to wear a mask. According to a nurse in the emergency department, the officer “blatantly refused” to put a mask on despite COVID positive patients nearby and standing in a “high traffic” hallway.
The staff at the unnamed hospital gave the officer masks multiple times, that he repeatedly threw away. The nurse escalated to the Charge Nurse after the officer became belligerent, and was “condescending” with her. The Charge Nurse then notified the Nursing Supervisor, and the officer finally put on a mask.
The compliance was short-lived, with officer Whitehead stating that he would take the mask off when he went into the patient room, potentially exposing the victim of assault to COVID. Despite a larger police presence, the staff noted that no other officers interceded on the behalf of the hospital, to ask Whitehead to put on a mask.
Although no hospital was identified in the investigation, Harborview has come under fire from the rank and file of Seattle Police through the group Safe Seattle. On November 21, 2020, an anonymous source complained about the “vibe,” in a Facebook post. “It used to be friendly. Now it’s either like we are invisible and they can’t see us at all… or they will stare at us. We used to have conversations and joke around with HMC folks, but the vibe has changed. Jail staff have noticed it, too, when they have to do hospital watches. Sure, it’s not all the staff to be clear, but the vibe has definitely tensed up.”
In another post, anonymous Seattle police officers complained that free snacks were no longer available for them in the emergency department. After a COVID-19 outbreak in the medical center sickened 13 and killed at least one, hospital administration identified that lax mask policy in break rooms while eating food likely contributed to the infections. As a result, UWM banned all food, including single-serving packages from all areas of the hospital except the cafeteria for anyone who is not a patient.
Our live webcast from the former Seattle Anarchist Jurisdiction
Editors Note: There is approximately five minutes of audio problems during our segment on Pinal County Sheriff Julian Navarrette. We apologize for the inconvenience.
The show from April 21, 2021, featured David Obelcz and our co-host Jennifer Smith.
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[SEATTLE] – (MTN) At the end of World War II, countless dogs that were used to sniff out bombs and hiding Japanese soldiers were left behind on the island of Guam. The population exploded unchecked, and Guam became overrun with a unique mixed breed known as Boonies.
Guam is estimated to have 167,000 residents and 25,000 to 60,000 stray Boonie dogs. Frustration has boiled over with some residents and leaders. As recently as 2019, there have been suggestions to do annual hunting derbies to control the population. Hunting of dogs was never ratified. Instead overwhelmed officials are spaying and neutering dogs and cats before sending them back out onto the streets. The severely sick and injured are humanely euthanized, with the island working to maintain a no-kill policy whenever possible.
Ashley Ridley-Smith, co-owner of Sugar & Shears Spa in Seattle, is passionate about finding the Boonie dogs new homes. ” Unfortunately, Guam has a problem with animals. There’s over 60,000. A lot of street animals that need forever homes, love, and fosters,” Ridley-Smith explained.
The Boonie Flight Project is working to fly dogs to the United States mainland to awaiting foster families and owners. The first official flight happened on April 10 and the next flight is coming up on April 24. The journey isn’t an easy one.
“They just started the Boonie Flight Project, which is a charter flight that brought 25 dogs,” Ridley-Smith explained. “A lot of puppies all the way to Hawaii and it wasn’t cheap. It was a lot of work on the end of Guam and they pulled it off and they plan on doing it regularly until they can get this situation under control.”
Prior to COVID, Delta and United Airlines had regular service between Guam and Hawaii. Due to the sharp decline in travel, Delta suspended service. United Airlines suspended the transport of all animals, even for US service members and their families. The only way an animal can get on or off Guam is on a charter flight.
The Boonie dogs are carefully stored in crates for their charter flight to Hawaii. Hawaii maintains strict protocols for animals coming to the islands because rabies is not present on the archipelago. Guam also does not have rabies. However, the dogs still have to go through USDA inspection upon arrival. That can last 12 to 48 hours and during that time the dogs are not allowed to leave the facility. They are well cared for including being able to relieve themselves, getting fed, and having plenty of water. From Hawaii, they head to the United States on commercial flights, including Seattle.
On April 10, 2021, the first Boonie Flight brought 25 dogs to Hawaii, and then to the United States mainland to start a new life
Guam has a single animal shelter for dogs and cats that is incapable of handling the decades-long crisis, and the government of Guam, a United States territory, has long been accused of not enforcing existing animal control regulations.
Ridley-Smith explained, “These wonderful people on Guam have taken it upon themselves to figure out another solution that’s really working. They were able to get 25 dogs here and they have another plan on April 24 with tons of puppies looking for their forever homes.”
We had a chance to meet Pineapple, Frank, Cream Soda, and Lemon, who arrived last week. Each dog had unique personalities – Frank was laid back and fell asleep in Ridley-Smith’s arms while Cream Soda had a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. Frank has already found his forever home. “Frank is now mine,” Ridley-Smith said, “and his three sisters are ready for adoption. They were found in a box at two weeks old. So their fosters on Guam had to bottle-feed them.”
Frank and his brothers and sisters were found huddled together in a box at just two-weeks old
It costs approximately $1,300 per adult dog and $600 to $700 per puppy to fly them from Guam to Hawaii safely and humanely and the operation is run on donations. Ridley-Smith told us that adoptees sometimes sponsor a dog for their travel expenses, while others donate to help these pups find a forever home.
[SEATTLE] – (MTN) Seattle police used a large number of officers to shadow a small group of protesters, some in black bloc, in the hours after Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd in Minneapolis. In the moments after Derek Chauvin was found guilty of second degree murder, third degree murder, and second degree manslaughter, cheers erupted on Capitol Hill while fireworks went off on the eastside.
Protesters gathered at Cal Anderson Park and marched through downtown. The group was met by a couple of counter-protesters on Broadway, where words were exchanged when one person tried to drive through a car brigade. Seattle police appeared with a large contingent of officer, that was as large as the protest group.
Seattle Police repeatedly announced through LRAD for the protester to remain peaceful. There wasn’t any apparent damage done by the group, with a few moving traffic cones and temporary signs into the roadway. Two targeted arrests were made for pedestrian obstruction. The group then marched back up Capitol Hill to Cal Anderson. Seattle Police bike officers moved the group at a faster pace before disengaging.
SPD shifted tactics in October 2020 ending the widespread use of pepper spray and flash-bang grenades to disperse protesters. Data from the city attorney’s office indicates that pedestrian obstruction arrests will likely not end in criminal charges.
Earlier in the day, a consortium of city leaders and Black activists called for peace and calm at a hastily put-together press conference.
Derek Chauvin was filmed by a teenager holding a knee on the neck of George Floyd for more than nine minutes in May of 2020. The actions of Chauvin and the inaction of his fellow officers led to the death of Floyd, and Chauvin’s conviction in that murder.
The death of Floyd reignited the Black Lives Matter movement started in 2014 and forced a civil rights reckoning in the United States.
Derek Chauvin had his bail revoked and will have his sentencing hearing in eight weeks.
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