Roughly 200 people spilled into Second Avenue in front of
the Chief Seattle Club Thursday night, holding candles,
praying, and singing for over two hours to commemorate the
life of John T. Williams, a carver from the Nitinaht tribe
who was
fatally shot on Monday by a Seattle police officer while
holding a carving knife.
"I'm proud to see this large gathering of nations here to
celebrate [Williams'] life," said Jenine Grey, executive
director of the Chief Seattle Club. Members of tribes in
Alaska, Canada, many parts of Washington, and all plains
nations were represented. City officials, most notably
Mayor Mike McGinn and City Attorney Pete Holmes,
stood in solidarity with the crowd. Elk stew and
fry bread was served, as one-by-one people stood to eulogize
Williams between songs and prayer. One woman spoke of the
LOVE tattoo displayed on Williams's hand, and how it
reminded him daily to "be a good person and to love
everyone." Grey spoke of Williams's carving work—"he was a
man who stayed true to his traditions"—which was sold in
local stores in the area, such as the Raven's Nest Treasure
in Pike Place Market and at Ye Olde Curiosity Shop.
But the peacefulness of the candlelight vigil couldn't mask
the growing anger at the Seattle Police Department over
Williams' death.
"The police have dehumanized [Williams]," said Real Change
Director Tim Harris. "They mention his criminal record but
don't mention his name. They paint the situation like we
need to reserve judgment. What I see is self-justification
and the closing of ranks."
"We have to stop police brutality—this is 2010," said Leona,
Williams' cousin. "He wasn't homeless, he had a home and a
family and he shouldn't have been taken from us."
"To see a Native with a piece of wood and a knife and not
put that together—that’s culturally ignorant,"
said Storme Webber, a local writer and performance artist
with Aleut heritage.
"Hearing about our club members dying on the streets is a
reality," admitted Grey. "But as more details emerged,
I got angry, outraged. I have a ton of
questions, just like everyone else who's here. Why did this
have to happen? Why didn't the officer subdue him? Why take
his life?"
At
this point, there are few answers to these questions. Grey
says SPD has been in contact with the Native American
community, that they've been assured the police are running
a full investigation, and that "Chief Diaz is interested in
meeting with us." However, outbursts of anger throughout the
evening showed a lack of faith in the police—specifically,
in police accountability—among the Native Americans and
homeless people present.
"This is a night of peace, love, and prayer—not
demonstration," Grey reiterated to the crowd. "But
the demonstration is coming. We can't let something
like this happen and not demand to see changes."
At
our 2008 spring potluck, Suquamish Chairman Leonard Forsman
welcomed members and told us that SON is now part of the story
he tells visitors when he is giving tours of the reservation. At
Chief Seattle's gravesite, he tells of SON's founding when the
grave was desecrated. This attack on the tribe's heritage turned
into the spark that brought the community together to respond to
the affront. And once we came together, we were able to
accomplish a great deal more, including the return of Old Man
House Park to the Tribe.
See
a short video produced by the Longhouse Media team about the
recent John T. Williams march and the leadership asking for
police accountability...citizen journalism and power of the
people! Go to
The
Suquamish Tribe honored Frances Malone,
former Co-chair of
Suquamish Olalla Neighbors, at this year’s
Time To Gather. She was honored not just for
her contribution to the Museum Building Fund
but also for her work as a community
volunteer and member of the Suquamish
Foundation. In accepting the honor, Frances
recognized members of her family in the
audience: oldest son Kevin Malone, his wife
Joan Garrow and her youngest son, Casey
Malone; as well as her “extended family” of
friends including Sandy Senter, Krista
Mixson and members of Suquamish Olalla
Neighbors, including Ted George and Sarah
van Gelder. She quoted from the US
Ambassador’s recent remarks before the
United Nations ...”this country has no
history without Native American history” and
urged the audience to support the building
of the museum so that the history of the
Suquamish Tribe , which is this history of
the entire community, can be preserved and
the precious Suquamish artifacts now stored
in other museums can at last be brought
home.