Press "Enter" to skip to content

King County Councilmember McDermott Calls for Sheriff’s Resignation

Advertisement

king county metropolitan council logoKing County Councilmember Joe McDermott on Friday issued the following statement, calling for the resignation of King County Sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht in response to comments that surfaced in an internal KCSO email:

“Far from bringing ‘closure to this dispute,’ Sheriff Johanknecht ripped the bandage off a still fresh and painful wound in our community. Tommy Le needed help the night of June 13, 2017, should have graduated high school the next day, and today he should be helping his grandmother prepare her garden for Spring. This was a tragedy, and a tragedy that too many communities of color know too well.

Advertisement

“The email Sheriff Johanknecht sent regarding recent legal developments ignored this reality and was, in the most charitable light one might muster, disrespectful to the young person who was killed, to his family and to our entire community. Dismissing as ‘emotion’ the well documented disproportionate negative impacts policing and systemic racism has had on communities of color across our country, including here in King County, adds insult to injury.

“I am sorry that the Le family had to read such a message. I am sorry that our Vietnamese community had to read such a message. I am sorry families who have lost loved ones at the hands of police (KCSO or others) had to read such a message. And I am sorry that officers of KCSO were failed by their leadership with such a message.

“The ignorance, willful or not, displayed by publishing such a message is disqualifying for a leader in charge of a policing organization.

“As families of young people of color killed at the hands of police – Mi’Chance Dunlap-Gittens, Giovonn McDade-Joseph and Leonard Thomas – so bravely pointed out to us two weeks ago today, there is a pattern here that we simply cannot ignore.

Advertisement

“I have no confidence the Sheriff can effectively lead KCSO through the next nine months. I believe she must step down to limit the ongoing damage her decisions have inflicted against the trust of our BIPOC neighbors and our entire community. If the public cannot trust KCSO, everyone’s safety is compromised.”


The above is a press release from King County Councilmember Joe McDermott.  The Auburn Examiner has not independently verified its contents and encourages our readers to personally verify any information they find may be overly biased or questionable. The publication of this press release does not indicate an endorsement of its content.

Advertisement
More from CrimeMore posts in Crime »
More from NewsMore posts in News »
Advertisement

Be First to Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

WP2Social Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com