WA BLM Alliance calls for Justice Dept. investigation into Pierce County Sheriff for excessive use of force against Black residents
Nov. 22, 2021
SEATTLE—Today, the Washington Black Lives Matter Alliance (WaBLM) called on the United States Department of Justice to launch a civil rights investigation into the disproportionate use of excessive force against Black people and people of color by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.
Sakara Remmu, lead strategist for WaBLM, met with U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington Nicholas Brown to discuss the request and other urgent matters related to the Department.
Pierce County recently released a report on use of force incidents by the Sheriff’s Department. Among its findings: Black residents experience 5.62 times as much police use of force as white residents. Native American or Alaska Native residents experience 2.31 times as much force as white residents.
According to the report, Black children—the most vulnerable in Pierce County—experience force seven to 13 times more than white children.
“It doesn’t get more clear than these numbers; the need for a new vision for justice is overdue at the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department,” said Carol Mitchell, former Senior Counsel for Justice Services at Pierce County, Founder of the Institute for Black Justice, and member of the WaBLM steering committee.
“If the DOJ digs further, they will find that Black people are arrested more often and over-represented in the Pierce County Jail and at Remann Hall. When involved in domestic conflict, Black children are not diverted to family therapy, but arrested and sent to detention. Black children are presumed to be gang-affiliated just because of their family name, and get charged with more serious crimes than their white counterparts engaged in the same behavior.
“How can residents have any faith in a department that is brutalizing young Black people? How can residents have trust for a department lead by a Sheriff facing criminal charges for false statements that nearly got an innocent Black man killed? How can residents believe in a department that’s being sued by its three highest-ranking Black employees for a history of racial discrimination and harassment?
“The answer is, they cannot. It’s time for the Department of Justice to step in.”
The complaint is below
November 11, 2021
Nicholas W. Brown, U.S. Attorney
Department of Justice
Western District of Washington
700 Stewart St. #5220
Seattle, WA 98101
U.S. Attorney Brown,
Earlier this week Pierce County released its first report examining use of force incidents by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department. As publicly reported:
The study found Black residents experienced more than five times as much force as white residents, leading to about 87 additional incidents each year. And even though Black residents make up 7% of the sheriff’s department service area, Black residents represented 23% of physical use of force incidents.
KNKX news report 11/09/21
The report was conducted by Pierce County’s Criminal Justice workgroup. When transmitting the use of force report to the Pierce County Council, the attached cover letter from the workgroup notes:
…the Work Group recommends independent reviews of the use of force, beginning with all uses of force involving juveniles.
The Washington Black Lives Matter Alliance requests the Department of Justice initiate a civil rights investigation into the disproportionate use of excessive force by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department with particular emphasis on use of force against minor-aged Black and youth of color. The county’s own report found that Black children- the most vulnerable in our communities- experience force 7 to 13 times more than white children.
WaBLM further requests the Department of Justice review, investigate, and address disproportionate detainment and arrests of Black people by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department. In 2020 the same workgroup issued a similarly-styled report which found: in every corner of Pierce County Black people are arrested disproportionately to white people.
WaBLM urges your swift attention and action on these matters.
For all Black lives,
Sakara Remmu, Lead Strategist
Washington Black Lives Matter Alliance
Attachments: Criminal Justice Review of Policies and Practices; Pierce County Sheriff Use of Force Analysis