SPOKANE, Wash. – Police accountability activists and family members gathered outside of the Spokane County Courthouse on Friday to call for changes in the Spokane Police Department (SPD), in response to fact that law enforcement in Spokane County have shot and killed six people by the end of this March–four by Spokane Police officers and two by Spokane County Sheriff’s Office deputies.
“In a town the size of Spokane, to have the amount of police violence in this town is beyond the pale,” said Rev. Walter Kendricks with Spokane Community Against Racism (SCAR).
SCAR hosted the press conference, where the main focus was the fact that SPD is the second deadliest police department in the United States per capita according to the police accountability organization Mapping Police Violence.
“We’ve held that ranking since February, now March, April, May and now we’re into June. We were also ranked as number two in 2022,” said Debbie Novak, mom of David Novak, who was shot and killed by SPD in 2019. “I miss David very much, his whole family misses him very much. He should still be alive. When you have a loss of life of someone who was violently taken from their loved ones it is a ripple effect–it not only affects that entire family but the community as well.”
“We need to see change, not just promises, we need change on how the officers respond in situations like this,” said Monica Beckett, family member of Robert Bradley, who was shot and killed by police in Hillyard in September 2022. “Too many people have lost lives due to deadly force, not only by the Spokane police, but law enforcement across the nation.”
“He will never make any of his goals, he will never have any children,” said Cynthia Manycolors, mom of Bjorn Manycolors, who was shot by Spokane County Deputies last June. “He will never be able to be with his family again in the way that he was, and we’re just really devastated”
Activists once again are asking for change, in the form of SCAR’s “Platform For Change 2.0,” which calls for the city to completely re-evaluate its use of force policy in its police department. They say the department needs to emphasize de-escalation rather than violence, implement regular drug and psychological tests for officers, and a stronger officer discipline platform.
“The demands we’re asking for is for the City of Spokane and the Spokane city police department to recognize the Platform for Change, and work with the community to bring it to life,” Novak said. “It is a work in progress, and shows many, many hours of a thought out plan for change by the community.”
“One person can’t address the systemic changes that SPD needs and that impacted family members are demanding,” said police accountability activist Anwar Peace. “It is time for the city council to ask the Department of Justice for assistance in creating that systemic change needed to deal with the patterns of unconstitutional policing and illegal behavior by this police department.”
Activists are also calling for a change in how police shootings are investigated and prosecuted, saying police agencies and county prosecutors investigating other police agencies doesn’t usually result in substantive punishments, citing the fact that current elected Spokane County Prosecuting Attorney Larry Haskell hasn’t brought charges on an officer who’s been involved in a shooting during his tenure.
“It’s time to get it out of the hands of the local prosecutors, without that we’re going to be spinning our wheels another five years,” said Fred Thomas, board co-chair of the Washington Office of Independent Investigations.
NonStop Local KHQ made several attempts to contact the Spokane Police Department for a response to Friday’s press conference. SPD spokesperson Officer Daniel Strassenberg responded via email Friday afternoon saying Interim SPD Chief Justin Lundgren didn’t attend the press conference, and wouldn’t be making a statement at this time.
