(Image: CHS)
A protest and march to the Seattle Police Officer Guild headquarters is being planned for Saturday continuing rallies and calls for justice in the city for Jaahnavi Kandula as her January death has become the center of growing criticism of the city’s police force.
Saturday’s march is planned to begin Saturday at 4 PM at 5th and Jackson near Union Station. No groups have been listed as organizers but flyers have been posted across the central city encouraging people to attend.
“Bring your walking shoes; we’ll be marching to SPOG!,” a Reddit post promoting the rally said.
The Saturday demonstration will follow a rally last Saturday and smaller demonstrations around the city that have so far remained peaceful and without conflict with police.
Meanwhile, a petition calling for officers in the case to be held accountable has reached more than 200,000 signatures.
CHS reported here on recently revealed comments captured by police union vice president Dan Auderer’s body-worn video as the officer joked on the phone with SPOG president Mike Solan after the deadly January crash. Auderer, a cop who started as a rookie in the East Precinct in 2009 and now serves as a “drug recognition expert” frequently called to collisions across the city, left his body camera running after responding to the South Lake Union scene where officer Kevin Dave struck and killed Kandula while speeding 74 mph to a reported overdose. Kandula was thrown 100 feet.
There have been calls for Chief Adrian Diaz to take action despite what the chief says are limited options under the officer union contract and the investigation from the Office of Police Accountability. A department statement from the chief said SPD “reserves any comment on the substance pending the completion of OPA’s investigation.”
SPD also has declined to address whether Auderer is still working or is on paid leave. Dave, meanwhile, continues to work in the department. The department is directing media to file public disclosure requests related to the situation “due to it being an active and open investigation.”
A statement from SPOG, meanwhile, states Auderer’s comments were taken out of context and promised more information would be made available.
Mayor Brucer Harrell expressed his condolences to the victim’s family and said Auderer’s comments don’t represent Seattle but has not called publicly. The administration says it is responding to concern about possible union interference in investigating the collision by asking the department to “review whether or not restrictions can be placed on SPOG leadership in investigations of possible officer misconduct” in response to the video, the Seattle Times reports.
The video has raised new criticism of the officer union and spurred possible new efforts to weaken the organization. The city has mostly cooled on any efforts to weaken the union at the state level but there are new calls for exploring options like decertifying the union or doing more to remove the union’s ability to block reform. Decertifying any union is a major undertaking with federal guidelines requiring signatures from at least 30% of workers to even begin the petition process.
Meanwhile, the King County Prosecutor’s office says its review of the crash investigation for possible charges is not yet complete. Dave was responding to a high priority emergency call in a Seattle Police SUV struck and killed the woman on a Monday night in the South Lake Union neighborhood. The call was later revealed to have involved a person who called 911 to report they had taken too much cocaine who was not overdosing. “Priority one” and “help the officer” calls authorize responders to travel at extremely high speeds through the city. SPD says the officer struck the pedestrian near the intersection of Dexter Ave N and Thomas around 8 PM. Kandula was taken to Harborview but later died from her injuries.
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The president of SPOG went on to Tucker Carlson after January 6th and said it was caused by “BLM”. The VP and the president of SPOG are terrorists.
We know what side SPOG is on, they love white people and Fox News…
Solan needs to be chased out of town. I’ve had enough.
I agree that t here are problems with SPOG, but to call them “terrorists” is a bit of hyperbole, isn’t it?
Agreed that the video sounds deeply cynical on face value, but it doesn’t take that much imagination to see a scenario in which a presumed private conversation seen from one side could look a lot worse than it actually was at the time. In the same way an EMT gets desensitized to death, I can see how this sort of conversation could come up. Expect more professional behavior from cops? For sure. But this poster is pretty offensive. Posting dude’s picture and calling him a killer without providing a lick of context? Grow the f up.
I think his explanation makes some sense, though he should probably be guided through some professional training. Unfortunate (and a bit irresponsible) video leak, but this rally sorta stinks of Seattle having nothing to protest for too long. Go ahead, call me a boot-licker. Don’t give two shits. I am not a big fan of SPD, I just think this is pretty opportunistic – both the rally and the “journalism”.
Exactly this.
Boys will be boys right?
It’s just shop talk right?
Nah, people entrusted with the ability to kill on behalf of our society should be held to a higher standard. Laughing about how their coworker had recklessley killed a young woman is reprehensible, and demonstrates a deep contempt for the people they are supposed to be protecting and serving.
Cool, so can we hold protesters to the same exacting standards? The power held in mass protests where you get to challenge the fabric of your society with total impunity doesn’t appear on face value to be accepted with a perfectly mature, measured approach.
I fully understand that people with guns or power need to be held to a higher standard, but if you don’t account for the fact that humans are in charge of keeping the peace, you are in fact, a FASCIST. Doesn’t matter whether you are right or left leaning. You have to work within the imperfection of humanity when considering rules made for both law enforcement and society, or you’re not much better off than any fascist regime.
My point is that we are currently really fucking pissed of that, what, a cop was disrespectful in conversation with another cop? It’s not like they intentionally hit someone with their car. Do you really expect that everyone that works within the police force be perfectly aligned with Seattle’s progressive arm? How wildly unrealistic that would be! If you expect this, you are in fact a fascist.
It is entirely understandable that people would be pissed about the video, but you have to be fair and balanced, even in your ire. What’s the real sin here? I mean, what’s the real sin that you have actual evidence for? Don’t foment YET ANOTHER protest in the streets that fucks up your local businesses, your city vibe, your relationship with law enforcement, your potential for democracy, just because there is the capacity to blame someone for something.
The poster doesn’t say what you claim it says. It identifies officer Kevin Dave who allegedly hit and killed Kandula as her killer, but it pictures Dan Auderer,, who made the offensive comments.
You are correct. I didn’t read carefully. I wonder how many other people glance at the poster, see his picture, the word “killer”, and assume he’s the cop that struck her with his car.
I’m glad that someone has the courage to state this opinion, which is very reasonable. Dan Auderer’s explanation as to the context of his remark (a hypothetical conversation between lawyers) is at least somewhat credible, and I don’t think it’s fair to just dismiss it as “spin.”
“Meanwhile, the King County Prosecutor’s office says its review of the crash investigation for possible charges is not yet complete.”
If Kevin Dave were a civilian, not an SPD officer, would it take 9 months to investigate his reckless driving case? I doubt it. It’s time he is fired and tried.
Let’s grow this!!! Everyone come out and support Jaahnavi!