Convene grand jury

The request from the Spokane NAACP chapter to continue the investigation of the hate mail found in the chapter’s U.S. Postal Service box deserves a timely and affirmative response. The facts of this matter invite the scrutiny of law enforcement officials beyond the Spokane Police Department because there is the very real possibility that federal laws have been violated.

I believe our U.S. attorney would be justified in convening a federal grand jury to examine evidence already gathered by local police, and to take testimony, behind closed doors, from witnesses who have evidence or information relevant to the inquiry, including Rachel Dolezal, the former chapter president, and anyone else who had access to the mailbox.

Committing perjury before a federal grand jury is a serious matter for which many individuals have been imprisoned in recent years. The government has the authority to grant “use immunity” to an individual who has relevant information but fears possible prosecution for disclosing it. Once granted immunity, that individual has no choice but to testify honestly.

Our entire community deserves to know the truth about this alleged hate crime, and a federal grand jury would be an appropriate vehicle for seeking the truth here.

Tom Keefe

Spokane