Seattle: Justice for Che Taylor! Police Stop Murdering Our People!
February 29, 2016 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
From a reader:
The police have killed yet another Black man: Che Taylor, 46, was gunned down by the Seattle police (SPD) on Sunday, February 21. He had been returned to the streets in 2014 after 20-plus years in the mass incarceration machine, and the system had its eye on him, eager to pull him back in. Police stalking the neighborhood decided they suspected him of possessing a firearm, and rolled up to quickly escalate the situation into deadly violence.
A dashcam video released by the police shows Che Taylor apparently going to the ground as they command him—but then they close in and open fire! It is notable that the SPD released this video the day after, apparently to avoid the sense of cover-up of police murder that people have been rising up against. The police have their story, that Che was going for a gun. But there have been so many cases documented nationwide showing how the police lie to cover up their murders and brutality. Che is dead, and now there is a media smear campaign repeating the words “convicted felon” over and over, implying that having a criminal record is justification enough to execute a person in the street.
Che Taylor was known and loved by many. A vigil was held the following night, at the spot where Che was killed, and more than 50 people gathered, many friends and family. They are in deep mourning. The mood and talk was that this killing cannot be allowed to stand, this police terror is ongoing, and if people don’t fight back it is just going to get worse. There is a video from the vigil on YouTube showing this, and also a video where people tell about how police lie. Family members there said they were not allowed to see Che in the hospital when they went there. They were not allowed to see his body after they were told he was dead. And they hate the way he is being vilified and criminalized. More vigils and protests are planned.
Seattle NAACP leader Gerald Hankerson, who has also been in the mass incarceration machine, said in a statement to the media that this was a cold-blooded murder. Hankerson also questioned the police claim that they found a gun and drugs, saying they could have come from a police supply closet. A lawyer for Che Taylor’s family also stated there may be additional videos of the incident that police are withholding.
The mayor of Seattle has stated that so far, this murder appears “proper,” and took the opportunity to press for the dead-end solution of body cams. The police murder of Eric Garner in Staten Island, New York City, was on video—with no cops convicted as a result. In the Seattle area, Tony Black was murdered by cops wearing body cams and they simply refused to turn over the footage.
One of the cops who hunted down and killed Che is Michael Spaulding, who also took part in the notorious murder of Native man Jack Sun Keewatinawin in 2013. No police were charged, and killer cop Spaulding and others were left free to hunt. The deadly SPD has been under Department of Justice oversight and ongoing “reforms” since 2012. The powers that be want to get people to sit back and “let the system work.” Meanwhile, police are STILL hunting people down in the streets.
Volunteers Needed... for revcom.us and Revolution
If you like this article, subscribe, donate to and sustain Revolution newspaper.
