10 years ago: deaf Native American woodcarver shot and killed by Seattle police officer
On Sunday, August 30, Deaf Meskwaki activist Sarah Young Bear-Brown tweeted a tribute to John T. Williams, who was a deaf Native American woodcarver that was shot and killed ten years ago by a Seattle police officer after he walked across a street holding a piece of wood and a carving knife.
[Tweet: @SarahYoungBear1: “On August 30, 2010, John T. Williams, a Deaf Native American woodcarver, was walking across the street carrying his carving knife and a small piece of wood when he was shot four times by Officer Ian Birk of the Seattle Police Department. No justice for John T. Williams.”]
A Seattle magazine, SeattleMet, did a feature on John T. Willams in honor of him on the 10-year anniversary of his death. The author did an interview with John T. Williams’ brother, Rick.
The article said John T. Williams was deaf in one ear and was losing his eyesight. He was a member of the Ditidaht tribe. His family were skilled woodcarvers and sold totems around Seattle since 1909, passing down their carving skills. There is no indication that Williams was a signing deaf person, but he had hearing loss.
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The incident was on August 30, 2010, just after 4:00 p.m. Williams was walking across a street in front of a police cruiser driven by officer Ian Birk of the Seattle Police Department. There is a dashcam video that shows Williams walking across a street and the police officer walking out of the car, but the video doesn’t show the shooting.
[Video clip of dashcam video]
So, we can see that Williams was carving a piece of wood while going across the street, and he didn’t look like he was threatening anyone. The article said the officer shouted, “Hey! Hey! Hey! Put the knife down! Put the knife down! Put the knife down!” And then there are five gunshots.
Birk said later in the video in a conversation with another officer that Williams had the knife “open” and “kind of turned towards me.”
There was an inquest a few months later, which is a judicial process to investigate and review a person’s death. Seven out of eight jurors said Williams “posed no imminent danger.” The King County prosecutor decided not to file any charges against Officer Birk because state law at the time required proof that an officer showed “evil intent.” The Seattle police department said Birk’s use of force was unjustified and Birk resigned on that day. There were protests.
In 2011, the City of Seattle paid Williams’ family a $1.5 million settlement. In 2012, a 34 feet high totem pole was erected at the Seattle Center, where the Space Needle is located at, to honor John T. Williams.
Today, on the site where Williams died, there are three white deer painted on a crosswalk. The intersection is Howell and Boren. There is a plaque that honors John T. Williams. So, that’s what happened 10 years ago.
https://twitter.com/SarahYoungBear1/status/1300238041865490434
https://www.seattlemet.com/news-and-city-life/2020/08/the-shooting-of-john-t-williams