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November 13, 2011 in City
Doug Clark: Condon, put your pull where your rhetoric was
We’re still weeks away from that familiar moment when Spokane’s next one-term mayor will slide behind the desk in that spiffy City Hall office with a view.
Although quite frankly, if Mary Verner keeps refusing to concede last Tuesday’s election, David Condon may have to call for an eviction.
Hopefully it won’t come to that.
But Verner’s refusal to accept reality (she now needs 80-plus percent of the remaining votes to keep her job) and allow Condon his victory is bad form.
You’re better than that, Mary.
But while Condon cools his heels, I’d like to offer the mayor-elect a morsel to chew on.
Otto Zehm Park.
That’s one suggestion for what to call the new – and as yet unnamed – downtown riverbank conservation site where the YMCA once stood.
Or, since the land is part of Riverfront Park, we could call it Otto Zehm Grove or the Otto Zehm Scenic Area or …
You get the idea.
The point is to officially and permanently honor the innocent and mentally ill janitor who died unnecessarily in 2006 after a violent and criminal encounter with Spokane cops.
This could help the city heal from one of the most rancid episodes in our history.
Officer Karl Thompson was convicted in early November by a federal jury for using excessive force and lying to investigators afterward in attempt to cover up his brutish attack on Zehm.
And let’s hope the justice doesn’t end there.
Everyone involved in this disgrace should be prosecuted to the fullest.
I wish I could claim credit for Otto Zehm Park.
Truth is, I heard about this the other day from Jeffry Finer, a civil rights attorney who represents the Zehm family in a lawsuit against the city.
This park idea is not part of that action. The originator is Stacie Bering, whom Finer refers to lovingly as his “soul mate.” She was inspired earlier this month by news accounts about the transformation of the old Y location.
There’s a 227-foot path that borders the south bank of the Spokane River, a perfect place for peaceful reflection. The area gives “viewpoints of the river and north bank cityscape and highlights a stream that ran beneath the Y building,” our news story reported.
“Basalt outcroppings and informational plaques dot the area, as well as newly planted ponderosa pines and other landscaping.”
Finer dubbed Bering’s idea “a natural” and I couldn’t agree more.
This is a long shot, of course. Emotions can run high when it comes to naming public landmarks, and new Mayor Condon wouldn’t have the final say.
“Officials,” as our story indicated, “want to allow ample time for community feedback.”
That said, Condon’s backing could be quite helpful.
It would also be a good indicator of his sincerity regarding Zehm. While campaigning, Condon invoked the name Otto Zehm many times.
Verner wasn’t the mayor when Zehm was killed. But as mayor, she completely fumbled this issue.
“I’ve looked into the details surrounding this incident,” said the mayor back in 2009, “and I just don’t think the behavior of the officer rose to a criminal level.”
Condon picked up a lot of votes as a result.
But I wondered over the course of the campaign whether the candidate’s concern for Zehm was genuine or opportunism.
OK. I went further than that.
I suggested that until he saw that there were votes to be grabbed, Condon didn’t know Otto Zehm from AutoZone.
So prove me wrong, David.
Prove me wrong.
Doug Clarkcan be reached at (509) 459-5432 or dougc@spokesman.com.
Recent stories by Doug Clark
Doug Clark: Roskelley’s candidacy is all downhill from here May 27, 2012 15- Clark: No clear inspiration for ‘Spokane Motel Blues’ May 24, 2012 6
- Professor’s ‘Motel’ mystery needs you to solve it May 22, 2012
- Clark: City ordinance shows lack of sound thinking May 20, 2012 21
- Doug Clark: Many wrongs, one big right in Zehm case May 17, 2012 24
ChefGus/ John Olsen on November 13 at 5:55 a.m.
So…. we can simply surface this wonderful idea a bit more by going to City Council tomorrow night and speaking at the Open Forum… Consider it done…. I will be there… any others that like the idea are welcome to show up too… full credit to Mr Finer and Ms Bering. Thanks Doug
wheels on November 13 at 7:07 a.m.
A BIG 2nd on that here Doug C.Very nice and appropriate idea.
misjustice on November 13 at 7:37 a.m.
“…until he saw that there were votes to be grabbed, Condon didn’t know Otto Zehm from AutoZone.”
Exactly.
Lewis on November 13 at 7:37 a.m.
a park while the other scum still work at the SPD? better idea make a statue of Thompson hanging from a tree, with a plague “this is what happens to cowards in spokane”.
we still haven’t seen him sentenced if he will with Van sickie his right hand man making the decision.
the heck with a park lets see some justice for once.
gopin2012 on November 13 at 8:22 a.m.
Isn’t that quaint? A park? Really?
A memorial to lawlessness is more like it.
Just wait until Officer Thompson is set free by his second trial and see how long it takes the SPD and The Guild to shut this idea down.
Non-Partisan GOP in 2012!
Ron_the_Cop on November 13 at 8:25 a.m.
Exactly right Doug,
This election was Verner’s to lose. Watergate keeps coming to my mind - what did she know and when did she know? Verner’s cardinal sin was lying to the public with a straight face. Verner’s was in charge and heads should have rolled re the overt cover-up - SPD command rank officers and legal staff that condoned, sanctioned and facilitated it.
Condon has a full plate ahead of him. First order of business is fire certain legal staff - Delaney and Treppiedi. Then bring in a police leadership team who can and will lead.
Condon can in advance of taking office call for the US Atty to expand its current criminal investigation to include any who were complicit and or aided/abetted in the cover-up for obstruction of justice. Call for a civil pattern and practice investigation of SPD by the US DOJ. And lastly call for inquest panels for all officer involved shootings deaths. These panels to be presided. Over by a superior court judge under the rule of law and evidence before a jury picked from the jury pool.
another_perspective on November 13 at 8:27 a.m.
The Otto Zehm memorial Public Safety Building might just be a daily reminder for those that are employed inside.
Condon better bring a big broom and shovel to clean out all the dirt in City Hall. I expect to see a big green dumpster outside.
Scoutster on November 13 at 9:11 a.m.
The idea is great. I vote for something near the public safety building as well.
C’mon, Davey. How ‘bout it?
WWCD? (What would Cathy do?)
Pat O'Leary on November 13 at 11:40 a.m.
Very good Scoutser.
WWCD indeed.
misjustice on November 13 at 12:14 p.m.
Condon, put your pull where your rhetoric was
Condon has pull?
DocTom on November 13 at 12:22 p.m.
Psalm 55
Sugarbear on November 13 at 12:36 p.m.
Everyone seems to be jumping to the conclusion that Verner lost because of Otto Zehm. Wrongly, I suspect. I think Verner lost because of the atrocious condition of Spokane roads and the seemingly out-of-control excess of downtown drunks, derelicts and obviously mentally ill. I think she would have done well by pushing the demoralizing abundance of prostitutes back behind the internet instead of on the streets. Getting Spokane businesses to mark with bold signs where 25 feet from their entrances exist and seeing the no-smoking rule enforced with as much publicity and controversy as possible surrounding arrests would have made excellent campaigning. Spokane is a shabby town and that’s unacceptable.
misjustice on November 13 at 12:53 p.m.
@ Sugarbear, I agree; SPD should be clubbing non-compliant smokers and prostitutes should not be seen trolling for clients on the Sprague corridor. Spokan’t has a reputation to uphold!
DickAdams on November 13 at 12:55 p.m.
Officials want community feedback? Undoubtedly it didn`t work listening to the citizens utter disgust regarding the cover-up of the Otto Zehm crime. I`m hoping the attention span is not redundant of the past, a week at best, so using Otto`s name would insure we shall NOT FORGET him.
PassinThru on November 13 at 5:11 p.m.
I think this was one of the best columns ever submitted by Doug Clark. I was thinking of a statue of Otto, erected outside the Public Safety Building, facing the building. But, a park named after him would work okay, until it gets Occupied.
Truthhurts on November 13 at 5:44 p.m.
Zehm was a victim of criminal violence, and the cover-up was a more odious criminal conspiracy.
Zehm Memorial Park is a good idea.
Or, if a true review of police violence is inspired by the eventual clean-up of the correction, perhaps the “Zehm Memorial Overlook” would be more appropriate.
Truthhurts on November 13 at 7:36 p.m.
Sugarbear: You are simply wrong.
Condon was a 40/60 loser and Verner was drifting to victory. I literally watched, personally, nearly 200 people review the facts of the trial and start drifting away from Verner, and then her FAQ performance made them angry as well as the solid signs of what she knew in 2006, and then her “time to heal” comments (instead of time to fire and dig, and fire some more, commitment) did her in.
I thought it was her lame response to the SPD driving to Yakima to salute a killer, but in following up (albeit a large but non-scientific, sample) Verner’s failure to act, and appearance of wanting more cover-up, threw her from office.
I know many of you Condon supporters were uneasy when Condon “discovered” the Zehm issue — Condon claims it was while door-belling that he learned how big of an issue Zehm is, but many fear he knew all along and wanted to be a “good old boy” until he saw he would lose without his promises to dig to the bottom of the scandal.
“Discovering Zehm” is a bad sign that he was living under a rock, but Condon was the only hope for a Zehm/Dodd, etc. clean-up. Condon will have ZERO legitimacy, and an immediate recall attempt, if he was lying about his commitment to ending the Zehm cover-up.
Truthhurts on November 13 at 7:37 p.m.
Look, Verner had a chance to effect a “regime change,” which was why she was elected. She was too weak and let herself be absorbed by the status quo.
Condon is even weaker in terms of having even less knowledge of the administration than Verner had, but we can only hope he has a stronger and more independent character.
Ron_the_Cop on November 13 at 7:44 p.m.
Truthhurts you nailed it on why Verner loss. She had no spine and couldn’t pull Roco out of her ear. She’s an attorney and should have known what Roco and others were pulling.
Sadbuttrue on November 14 at 8:12 a.m.
It is becoming increasingly clear to me that the Spokane Police Department will not be brought to heal and defanged until they are stripped out of their collective bargaining rights.
In every respect that is important, in light of the “We Support Karl Thompson” facebook page, the SPD is simply a criminal organization, best analyzed as a sort of unhinged, out of control mafia that is not answerable to its customers or the law. It took a federal criminal prosecution to establish this disturbing realization.
Condon, in order to be effective, should put all of his energy into the Washington Legislature and fight to have the SPD particularly stripped of the right of collective bargaining. Lacking success there, Condon should pressure the feds to systematically continue with their prosecution efforts and make full disclosures of the facts and circumstances regarding the Otto Zehm coverup. Once literally the entire power structure of the SPD is in federal prison, the Police Guild can be attacked as being a criminal union organization by the feds.
Sugarbear on November 14 at 11:36 a.m.
Truthhurts: 40% of the more than 50% that voted for Condon still voted for him for something other than Zehm.
I think they voted for better roads, fewer drunks, derelicts and mentally ill downtown and fewer prostitutes openly advertising their trade. I think they voted to have the air cleared of the foul stench of ubiquitous cigarette fumes. I think they voted for full occupancy.
Otto’s dead.
His killer is convicted.
Give the new Chief a chance to straighten out SPD.
Let’s move on.
Let’s fix the roads.
AnalyzeThat on November 16 at 10:17 p.m.
I think Doug’s idea is bad. What happened to Otto and all that has followed is sad, but do we really want a big public building or park to proclaim forever how stupid this town can be? A small memorial would be more appropriate. Not everyone in this town wants to be reminded forever of this terrible situation.
Regarding Condon, knowing how fickle Spokanites are, we’ll probably be saying the same things about him in 4 years as are currently being said against Verner.