Stabbing Investigation Reopened Sheriff Makes Announcement At Town Meeting On Racial Equity
With new information from eyewitnesses, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Department has reopened a September case in which a black youth was stabbed by the mother of a teenager he was fighting with.
According to Sheriff John Goldman, eyewitnesses recently gave their accounts of what happened the night of Sept. 7 when Karen Beeman stabbed University High student Tim Buchanan at the Interstate Fairgrounds.
Before stabbing Buchanan, Beeman sprayed him twice with Mace as he fought with her son Tristan, an East Valley student.
Goldman made the announcement Saturday at a town hall meeting before before 100 people at the Jepson Center Auditorium at Gonzaga University. Many local civil rights groups organized the meeting in response to the county prosecutor’s decision against charging Beeman. Supporters of the Buchanans say Beeman looks white, although she has said publicly she is of Samoan decent.
Goldman said witnesses felt the Mace would have separated the two combatants and Beeman did not need to use a double-edged boot knife.
“The fact that he was incapacitated by Mace may have given her the opportunity to break off the fight and retreat,” Goldman said. “It might effect the self-defense issue.”
The new findings have been submitted to Spokane County Prosecutor Jim Sweetser’s office. Sweetser, who was at the meeting, said his office hasn’t had a chance to review the latest findings.
An hour after Saturday’s meeting, Buchanan’s parents and others talked to Sweetser.
“Obviously if more people have added information about the case, we’ll definitely take a look at that,” Sweetser said.
In addition to Sweetser and Goldman, Spokane Police Chief Terry Mangan listened to concerns and fielded questions from a multi-racial audience, many of whom shared personal accounts of racism they’ve experienced in Spokane.
Many African-Americans in the audience were critical of what they view as institutionalized racism in the ranks of local law enforcement.
Some said the perception of young African-Americans as being mainly gang members contributed to random automobile stops and searches by police.
During those stops they were asked to produce identification and proof of insurance though they were never ticketed for vehicle violations.
“We can’t keep your children safe and be accused of harassment,” Mangan responded to the charges.
Quoting statistics, Mangan said Spokane’ African-American population is 1.9 percent. And in 1995, “11 to to 12 percent of all arrests made were of African-American suspects. Many of whom were gang members.”
“There are more shootings and there is more violence since the gang arrival in ‘88,” he said. “Look at the arrest statistics. We don’t invent that.”
Mangan said those in the audience should “use the system” to make change. “We have a citizen’s review committee.”
At that, Tim Buchanan’s mother, Bernice, said: “We went through the channels, that’s why we’re having this town hall meeting.”
In the Buchanan case, the prosecutor’s office said Karen Beeman believed her son to be in danger of great bodily harm - giving her the right to protect him, thus the case was originally viewed through her eyes.
“That’s like viewing a bank robbery through the eyes of the robber,” Bernice Buchanan said. She went on to say that Tristan Beeman is bigger than her son and couldn’t pose the kind of threat Karen Beeman alleges.
Tristan Beeman, a football player at East Valley, is listed at 5-foot-11, 195 pounds, Buchanan, who plays at University, is 5-foot-11, 190 pounds.
In addition to the Buchanan case, many in the audience talked about how important it is for the Spokane community to come together and fight against racism and racist perceptions.
“I’m encouraged that we are all here today,” said Raphael Jones of Fairchild Air Force Base, “but I’m concerned that we aren’t more inclusive.
“I think it’s important, to excuse the phrase, can’t we all just get along,” Jones said.
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 Color Photos