City needs healing

It was very troubling to read the responses of Spokane law officers to Officer Karl Thompson’s incarceration, and city officials’ responses in the Jay Mehring civil trial. We have law officers brazenly saluting a convicted officer in front of the Otto Zehm family in court. We have city officials speaking publicly and derisively of Mehring, who has now twice triumphed in court. Since Mehring was acquitted in court he is not a felon. And merely being charged with anything means nothing.

A life has been taken and reputations have been ruined. Too many Spokane police officers have withheld evidence, and outright lied. City officials failed in their duty, particularly Chief Anne Kirkpatrick, Mayor Mary Verner and attorney Rocco Treppiedi. But it is the taxpayers who will pay for their actions.

When officers of the law and city officials can so recklessly show such disrespect for the laws they took an oath to uphold, and the legal system that enforces our laws, then one can hardly expect the citizenry of this community to have respect for those same officers and officials. Let us hope this city can be healed and we become a better and more enlightened Spokane.

Dennis Johnson

Spokane