Aaron Roberts

Aaron Roberts was shot and killed by a Seattle police officer on Thursday, May 31, 2001, following a traffic stop at 23rd and Union. Just the day before, a Central District community delegation and local lawmakers had met at City Hall to discuss the problematic relationship between SPD and Central District residents.

On Friday, the day after Roberts was killed, community residents gathered to protest the killing. On Sunday, a vigil was held where Rev. Robert Harris spoke to a crowd of about 175 people. Both events were held at the intersection where Roberts was killed. Weeks of protests followed as Seattle's Black community asked for justice. The Seattle Urban League and the NAACP advocated for independent investigations at community meetings. On October 26, 2001, King County prosecutors declined to press charges against the officers.

The first community forum after the shooting was held on June 9, 2001, at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, 10 blocks from where the shooting occurred. Reverend Robert Jeffery (a pastor at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church) and local anti-racism activist Dustin Washington helped to organize the event to provide the community a space to voice their frustrations with SPD and discuss demands by the Black community.

Jeffery and Washington invited Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske, Mayor Paul Schell and the Seattle City Council to attend the forum and engage with residents. City Councilmembers Jim Compton, Richard Conlin, Nick Licata and Richard McIver attended the forum and were asked to respond to the list of demands from the community.

The demands included firing the two officers involved, an investigation into racial profiling, the establishment of an independent civilian review board and an economic development program to reinvest in the Black community. The councilmembers expressed cautious support for the demands, outlining those they could support. They also said they agreed that racial profiling is a problem and that more needs to be done regarding economic development, and expressed their support for a community-based police accountability review board. Councilmember McIver opened his remarks by stating, "I'm searching for the same thing you are, justice."

Speakers

Civil rights activist Dustin Washington calls for a movement in the community (Listen | Watch)

Dustin Washington: I want to say tonight, that the issue of police murder, or racial profiling will take a long term movement. If we're going to bring any change, any real systemic change, around how the police treat Black people, and other people of color and the poor, then we're going to need people to be in this until we win. [applause]

All too often, when a crisis occurs, we become reactionary, we want to get in the streets and yell and scream, but we're never to be found when it's time for a long time -- long term and sometimes boring work. Real social change does not come from loud and empty rhetoric. It does not come from oversized egos. It comes from ordinary people who are willing to work together for a common cause in the spirit of unity. [applause]

Real social change also calls for a plan. A comprehensive plan, not created from emotions, but created in a thoughtful and rational manner. But none of what I'm saying will mean anything if we don't work together. Last Wednesday, at the march, we had people who took their personal time to organize the event. People invested their blood, sweat, and tears, simply because they love justice. And they love each of you. And it was not just people from this community. It was white people, Asians, Latinos, and Native Americans who helped us and we should respect that help from people, and 99% of people there did. We had some folks in the crowd drinking alcohol, cussing in front of children, disrespecting women, and disrespecting the organizers of the march. And not only was that disrespectful to the organizers, but also, it only takes one incident to discredit everything we're fighting for. So if those of us who want justice can't respect and work together in unity, then we don't deserve justice. To be revolutionary is more than changing the system. We also have to change ourselves.

And as I have already said, we have to have more than anger. We have to have a plan. And tonight, we're going to present a plan to you that is good. A plan that hits the city where it hurts: in their pocketbooks. And I promise you, that if we support this plan, we will see some change about how police treat people in our City. Then Aaron Roberts's death will not be in vain and the darkness of his death will open up the door for life and redemption for our future generations to come. We are at a great moment of possibility. We have a chance to bring forth a new dawn to the city and change how the police treat people. But we have to work together. [applause]

Rev. Robert Jeffery of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church leads a discussion (Listen | Watch)

Rev. Robert Jeffery: Second thing is that we need an elected independent review board. [applause]

Now, somebody said, "Well, we have an elected City Council and look what that gave us." And I want to thank the City Council members for coming and I want to thank them for being here, I think that it's great for them to be here. But let me tell you something. I am not -- I am tired of brown-nosing. I'm tired of being afraid. I'm tired of when I go down the street seeing things wrong and not being able to say it because I might hurt somebody's feelings. [applause]

There is too much going on in this city and I appreciate you coming out, but what you gave us after our blood, sweat, and tears in the last round was just not good enough. We need an elected civilian review board with 2/3 of the people coming from the areas that the police are targeting -- coming from the areas where the incidents happen. And then the other areas can have the rest. [applause]

All right, it's what the People's Coalition for Justice demands. The second -- the last thing I want to say, is that we want an agreement with the City to sit down and work on an economic plan with the community, with the people in this room, who are community, with the people around these seats -- and any of you can come up and sit in these seats, if you want to be part of those negotiations, to negotiate an economic plan to stop our own people from being ripped off and kicked to the curb after they have built their homes and lived in their homes and paid taxes and lived law-abiding citizens. We are tired of our own people crying in the night because urban development wants to build these shabby little houses in our community! We will take our community back! [applause]

Seattle City Councilmember Richard McIver responds to Rev. Jeffery (Listen | Watch)

Richard McIver: Like I said, I don't know that I can guarantee anybody that we can fire police officers. As I said, what I believe we want to be here about, and what I wanted to be here about is justice. I want justice for those police officers, just as much as I want justice for this community. So, when that occurs, once that happens, they'll figure out what to do. I'll be happy to work with you if they find a problem with them, if I don't agree with them, I'll be happy to agree with you, if I don't agree with you.

Rev. Robert Jeffery: Let me ask you this, do you all trust Dustin and I to ask these questions for you?

Crowd: Yes!

Jeffery: Okay, let us ask these questions for you, please. All right, Brother Councilor? Don't walk away now, please. I'm just trying to ask a question. I'm trying to be respectful. I'm trying to understand. You said you cannot vote in favor of the fact that they should be fired?

McIver: I cannot – I want justice for everybody.

Jeffery: Would you - would you be in favor of community people in this period, coming together with City officials to review objectively and some objective person coming in to review with the community whether they should be fired?

McIver: Yes, I would.

Jeffery: You would be? If we gave you a list of names, would you receive those names?

McIver: Yes, I would.

Jeffery: Alright, secondly - a second thing is... [unintelligible over crowd clapping and cheering] Yes, sir?

McIver: I would be happy to facilitate with any of the police officers if you so desire.

Jeffery: Yes, sir, okay. The second thing is establishment of an independent review board elected by the community. Do you believe that we should work together to get that done?

McIver: I believe we need a review board. I don't know what kind yet.

Jeffery: But do you believe that we should work together to have an effective review board?

McIver: I think we should have a review board, but I obviously don't know what kind.

[crowd chatter]

Jeffery: So, in other words – wait a minute, wait a minute – so, in other words you're saying that what the City has in place now is unacceptable to you?

McIver: No, I'm saying is that I'm trying to understand as I talk to Mr. Grenell [sp?] here and as I talk to others, that I'm not saying that I don't agree with that, but what I need to do is educate myself on A.) why Judge Johnson, when he did his survey, did [unintelligible]...

Jeffery: So, at this time you have no comment?

McIver: No, I believe we need to have a different system that -

Jeffery: But you don't agree with this system?

McIver: I don't know what I agree with on that.

Jeffery: Okay, so that's no comment. We'll see next time. Two more and then we'll be through, I know this is hard. For adoption of the People's Coalition for Justice demands on racial profiling, do you agree with that?

McIver: I believe we are working on racial profiling and a study is going underway and I would support about anything I can -

Jeffery: Do you support -

McIver: - that has to do with racial profiling -

Jeffery: But you can't -

McIver: - which I believe exists.

Jeffery: So you can't give a confirmative answer on any of this?

McIver: I don't know what the People's Coalition for Justice want. I do believe that racial profiling – let me finish – I do believe that racial profiling exists and I support doing anything we can to deal with it.

Jeffery: [unintelligible]...we'll get there. All right, the last one and then – and I know this is difficult and you know, I was [unintelligible], so... Agreement to work with the community to develop a broad-based comprehensive economic program. The committee is going to be developing a broad-based economic program to deal with redlining and displacement of the senior citizens in the Southeast and Central area and we're going to be bringing that to the City to work on that – a program and the community will benefit. Would you agree that that sort of thing needs to be done?

McIver: Reverend Jeffery, have you ever asked me and ever I have not responded to that request?

Jeffery: Sir?

McIver: : Have you ever asked me to work with the community on development and I have not responded to that request?

Jeffery: So that's a yes?

McIver: Yes.

Jeffery: Thank you.

Seattle City Councilmember Nick Licata weighs in (Listen | Watch)

[member of audience]: Who are you?

Nick Licata: Oh, I'm Nick Licata, Seattle City Council. [applause]

Okay, demand number one: it's a "yes" but yet to be defined. I don't want to pre-judge the officers and I don't think you do either. I want a real investigation [inaudible over crowd noise] ...and if they are found guilty, then they would be fired, the law, the full extent of the law should apply to them. [applause]

I would like to see an independent community review board. There are many different kinds of independent review boards throughout the country. I will look at all of them. I want one that can be established. I want one that will be able to have an independent designation. It's a [inaudible], it's come up before. And that means that you folks and I and other people have to work towards it. [applause, sound of poster board rattling]

Rev. Robert Jeffery: Full adoption of the People's Coalition for Justice demands to end racial profiling?

Licata: I do not know what the full agenda is, but as the other councilmembers have said as well, we recognize that racial profiling does exist and we need to stop it and we need to do it as fully as we can, using all of the resources – public resources that we have. [applause]

Jeffery: A redirect of funds to build a broad-based economic program for the community?

Licata: You know, if we can afford to put a half-billion dollars into a stadium... [applause]

Jeffery: Let's stand up for him! Let's show him some love! Show him some love! Thank you! You know, it took a lot of guts...it takes a lot of guts for you – for you to stand up and do the right thing.

Resources

Watch the entire community meeting at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Seattle's Central District:
Community Forum (June 9, 2001), Item 8145, Record Series 3902-01

Watch a follow-up community meeting hosted by City Council on June 13, 2001, to discuss the People's Coalition for Justice's demands:
Part 1, Item 7253, Record Series 3902-01
Part 2, Item 7252, Record Series 3902-01