Spokane7
50°
March 18, 2010 in City
Rally marks 4th anniversary of Zehm confrontation
About 40 people chanted and held signs Thursday to remember the fourth anniversary of the confrontation with Spokane police that left unarmed shopper Otto Zehm fatally injured.
The gathering was sponsored by the Peace & Justice Action League at the Zip Trip, 1712 N. Division St., where Officer Karl Thompson confronted the 36-year-old, mentally ill janitor after two young women erroneously reported that he had stolen money from a nearby ATM machine.
Several signs reflected the group’s sentiments. “Mary Verner: Protect the people not the police,” “Never Again,” and “Hold Spokane Police Accountable.”
“What makes me infuriated is seeing the city’s legal argument that Otto’s own actions caused his death,” said Liz Moore, of PJALS. “What action? That he wanted a soda? Or was it that he wanted a Snickers? It’s disturbing … to see our tax dollars being used to make these horrendous and offensive legal arguments.”
Thompson faces a felony trial in federal court in May after he was charged with using unreasonable force and lying to investigators following the March 18, 2006 confrontation.
Thompson was the first officer to arrive at the scene and began hitting Zehm with a police baton and jolted him with a Taser. Six more officers later arrived and joined the struggle in which they hogtied Zehm. He stopped breathing after a plastic mask was placed over his face and never regained consciousness before dying on March 20.
For months after the confrontation, police officials maintained their story that Zehm lunged at Thompson. But video surveillance later showed Zehm retreating; only then did police officials acknowledged that their previous comments were incorrect.
A civil suit brought by public interest law firm Center for Justice has been put on hold until the criminal case against Thompson concludes.
Closing Geiger: Wise or worrisome? 
ChefGus/ John Olsen on March 18 at 6:11 p.m.
Mr Clouse… thank you for your article on line…. this is indeed a travesty … and the sad part is I’d guess that all the parents of Otto wanted was an apology…. four years and counting… there are 250-300 folks on our streets every day that are “potential OTTO’S ….. mentally ill… and not conventionally functional members or our Inland Basin…. and we are called to accept and include them… “a society is judge by how it treats the least”
Mr Zehm was a functional employed member of our society… and he was killed. Dr John Olsen/ Chef Gus volunteer Chef Shalom/House of Charity social services and feeding….
CharlesBillford on March 18 at 7:28 p.m.
We the citizens of Spokane empower OUR publlic servants with the power of life and death over us. Yet they are not accountable to the same ones that give them this power.
Never again.
PlanB on March 18 at 7:58 p.m.
Thank you for reminding the city of the despicable crime committed by the Spokane Police and the even more despicable response by the city.
When one person’s civil liberties are violated, everyone’s civil liberties are violated.
Orange on March 18 at 8:18 p.m.
Agree with PlanB. This is just a sad reminder. The video says it all. The police made a huge mistake. Time to own up.
mtorres on March 19 at 10:22 a.m.
Thank you for the story - let’s hope the City Council reads the paper. However, more than 60 people signed our sign-in sheet at that rally, and I believe that sheet was shown to reporters there, yet S-R reports 40 ??!!!
A loud message for City Council and the Mayor - The people of Spokane don’t care to pay the Ombudsman $100,000 a year to perform as an Intake Clerk, taking a complaint from a member of the public and carrying it over to Internal Affairs for investigation.
If SPD’s Internal Affairs were capable of carrying out such an investigation, the Feds wouldn’t have had to intervene when they saw what a farce IA’s “investigation” was, or charged Policeman Thompson with causing Zehm’s death - the city would already have done it!
We need INDEPENDENT OVERSIGHT of the Spokane Police Department, with INVESTIGATIVE AUTHORITY, and now! Why must we wait until the next Otto Zehm or Shonto Pete incident? When that happens (WHEN, not IF) and we still have no independent oversight, we’ll be left with the same coverup we had with Zehm, Pete, Yohe, Levy, etc, etc.