The Op-Ed piece by King County NAACP president Gerald Hankerson (“We need answers in shooting death of Che Taylor,” Feb. 6, Opinion) lacked any evidence backing any of Hankerson’s many serious accusations.
The inquest into the shooting is not complete, yet Hankerson felt justified long ago in rendering his verdict of “cold blooded killing.” He was not there, does not have all the evidence, but has watched the video (which doesn’t show the whole event). He says he’s “looking for the truth,” but he’s already made up his mind. He says “the so-called facts … don’t line up,” but he leaves out a lot of crucial information that does help the facts line up.
Hankerson’s lack of knowledge about use of deadly force and police procedure is obvious (I recommend the Seattle Police Department’s Community Police Academy). He implies that releasing Taylors’ criminal record was wrong. The felony record was the reason for the stop. It’s crucial to the proper telling of the event. He says “it’s time for answers,” yet his mind is already made up by biased interpretation of selected facts, combined with wild accusation. He carefully ignores much evidence that does not support his obvious anti-police narrative. It’s an old and tired tactic. We expect and demand more from honest leaders.
Pete Rogerson, Seattle