In Other News...

Busy at work this week... plus, to be honest and to give all the many people that hate me some comfort, I've been pretty depressed lately because I just feel so damn isolated and alone.

It's funny really, writing this blog has made me a very unpopular person in Seattle. People that don't want to accept that misconduct happens in their name hate me for writing about it and as a representation of that abuse being that I'm a victim of it.

But, the people who accept that it happens seem to hate me because I'm a victim of abuse that wasn't content to be quiet about it. It seems most people like to have the safe buffer of a third party that writes about it in a sterile way instead of an advocate talking to them about it in a more visceral way.

I guess people like to read about people tortured in a far away land, but when confronted by the victim of torture they get uncomfortable, I guess I represent too close of a reminder of how, but for the grace of some deity, it could easily be them in my shoes instead of me, or that it's all done with their tacit permission, I suppose.

But, in the end, I didn't write this to be popular, I write these stories to stop what happened to me from happening to you. So, even if you don't appreciate it, like that bad medicine that mom gave you when you were sick, I'll keep writing until Seattle is a healthy place to live. I'll stay at it so long as there are still people who write who have been hurt like me who ask for advice and comfort. So long as there is someone I can help, I won't go away no matter how much all of you wish I would.

The point is, I guess, that it's not easy being the most hated person in Seattle... but that won't stop me from speaking out.

Anyway... enough of my grousing over things I cannot control, so I digress. Since I don't feel like writing the other stories I had in mind today, here's some news from some safer and sterile outlets:

Oregon Children File Suit Over Frequent Strip Searches and Body Cavity Searches
From the Seattle Post Intelligencer,
Two children who were charged with felony sexual assault and jailed for smacking the bottoms of some girls (charges were dropped against them after public outcry) were strip and cavity searched in jail from 5 to 8 times during their short 5 day stay, as were at least four other children who have joined the class action suit. Sounds like the adult guards might need to be investigated for pedophilia instead.

Resisting Arrest Charges Dismissed Against Anti-War Protester
From Real Change News,
Seems that an anti-war protester who was accused of splashing some pro-war protesters with water and was then jumped from behind by Seattle Police Officers was cleared of resisting arrest charges when the judge viewed a video showing the protester being pinned against a curb and held down by an officer's knee on his head that showed that he was unable to comply with orders to give officers his arms... because his arms were pinned underneath him by those officers. He plans to sue, I wish him all the best of course.

KCBS 91.3 "OneWorldReport" Does a Number of Stories on Seattle Police Misconduct
KCBS One World Report reporters did a pretty good series of stories and interviews on police and government misconduct issues, including an interview with:
David Shepphard of The Innocence Project
Attorney Lem Howell who won the wrongful arrest case of Bradford v Seattle
Michael Ladd who recently won his court battle against the Seattle Police (the protester noted above)
and Shelly Seacrist, the last remaining member of the city's citizen review board who is on her way out.
They actually contacted me about being on the show, but unfortunately I was out of state on business at the time so the logistics just didn't work out.

Until next time, stay safe out there.