[Seattle-editorial] Seattle Occifer Larame: Law Breaker!

[Laury]

I would reject this as an editorial.  A cop wouldn't give his name --  
however, the Kirsten got the name anyway.  BFD.

What is the takeaway on this article?  Memorize cop faces???? The  
article doesn't prove a conspiracy -- just the behavior of one  
(cranky?) cop.

For an editorial entitled "Seattle Police Breaking Law", I'd like to  
see two things:

(1) A series of incidents that show a specific pattern:  3-4 cops that  
do the same thing (esp. with proof:  e.g., pictures and/or a recording  
of the request)
(2) Kirsten taking the issue further by filing a formal complaint. at  
the cop shop (or the city -- I'm not sure the correct venue) to see if  
the city will enforce the law.  (We're all assuming they won't -- but  
actions speak louder than assumptions)

I'm glad that Kirsten posted her experience on the newswire -- and I  
think she should continue to post her experiences.  However, I'd like  
wait until the pieces have fallen into place -- this will make the  
editorial have more impact and relevancy . . .

-- Laury


I'd like to see the writer take this
On Apr 24, 2004, at 7:33 AM, sheelanagig at juno.com wrote:

> Hey Seattle Indy Media folks -
>
> I have had it with fucking law breaking cops in Seattle. I am gonna  
> start
> profiling them for us to memorize these assholes' faces. Here is the
> first in a series I am sending you. In a few days I will send my  
> profile
> of SPD Officer David Fitzgerald, another notorious law breaker. I think
> this shit needs to go on main page feature section so we can MEMORIZE
> these faces...for the next time they go on a rioting spree hiding their
> ID, we will ALL be able to finger the fucker if it is Larame or
> Fitzgerald at least. The more that memorize these names and faces the
> better. Let's out them NOW. Portland IMC is doing it, we need to follow
> their lead. I edited this a bit from the original posting at
> http://www.seattle.indymedia.org/en/2004/04/240074.shtml ...and I am
> attaching a better pic of his face, bigger than one on original in this
> email. This is important. This above portion is not for publishing, the
> bottom is. Notice in each picture he is purposely hiding the area on  
> his
> right upper torso, where his name tag is.
>
> ************************************************************
>
> Summary -
>
> At approx 11 AM on April 23, 2004, Seattle Police Officer "Larame" or
> "Larabee" broke the law at Westlake. I am enclosing pictures of him
> breaking the law. Police policing police is not working. Seattle police
> use Muni Code 3.28 AS TOILET PAPER. It is time Seattle citizens  
> MEMORIZED
> the faces of Seattle cops who want to remain anonymous on duty. Those  
> are
> the cops, presumably, who will hide their nametags the next time the  
> SPD
> riot on unarmed, nonviolent protesters with city permits for the march.
> Let's all memorize their faces so we can all testify, en masse, as to  
> who
> did what, name tags hidden or NOT. Plus, how lovely to look at a SPD  
> cop
> as he tries to whack you with his big whacking stick, with his hidden
> name tag, and you blurt out, "Joe! How are you doing?" making it clear
> you know his name, and you know who he is, WITHOUT HIS NAMETAG, before  
> he
> tries anything.
>
> Story -
>
> Today I approached 4 Seattle police officers at the Westlake "protest"
> and watched Officer Larame proceed to break the law, as other officers
> just chuckled. According to Muni Code 3.28 all citizens HAVE A RIGHT TO
> ASK ANY Seattle COP ON DUTY HIS NAME, AND AGENCY AND PER LAW, THE COP
> MUST ANSWER, and also the code says the cops MAY NOT interpret asking
> their names as harassment. So why is it that today, when I walked up to
> this group of cops on duty, every one of them, (but Officer Williams  
> who
> I commend) BOLTED, TRYING TO HIDE THEIR FACES? Officer Larame  
> (Larabee?)
> put on a spectacular show today, twisting his body so I could not see  
> his
> name tag, riding in circles trying to avoid my camera catching his  
> right
> side with his name, and outright violating my rights as a citizen and
> breaking the actual law. Notice in the accompanying pictures he is
> purposely hiding his right upper torso where his name tag is from me
> repeatedly.
>
> Larame immediately said "You are rude!" when I walked up to take their
> picture. He kept twisting away from me so I could not see his nametag,
> over and over, saying "this is really rude." I said "what's rude is you
> are on city dollars, on city property, violating city codes, I have  
> every
> right to photograph you out here." He said "The way you are going about
> it is rude..." Yeah, right. I walked up silently and tried to click a
> picture without incident. It was Larame who turned it into a circus.  
> You
> will notice Officer Williams is laughing in the background of the
> picture, as I am telling Larame he needs to follow the law. You will  
> also
> note Officer Williams does not bolt or run, he just stands openly the
> whole time, in the same place, hiding nothing, which I respect. I told
> Officer Larame that BY LAW HE MUST REVEAL HIS NAME, and he refused,
> REPEATEDLY. HE broke the law SEVERAL TIMES TODAY. Damn those citizens  
> who
> know the law, eh, Occifer Larame?
>
> I went up to the paddy wagon on site and told the cops inside that this
> officer was refusing to follow the law and tell me his name. They just
> looked at me through their locked window laughing. I then approached
> Officer Ibuki and told him to please tell Officer Larame to obey Muni
> Code 3.28 and he laughed in my face and said he was not going to do any
> such thing! But then, he was one of the 3 officers who bolted when I
> showed up with the camera to take their group picture. SO, SEATTLE  
> POLICE
> WIPE THEIR BUTTS WITH SEATTLE MUNI CODE 3.28 apparently.
>
> So, let me get this straight, Seattle police expect us to follow the  
> law
> while they break them in front of us? And since the POLICE ARE SUPPOSED
> TO ENFORCE THE LAW, AND APPARENTLY WILL NOT ENFORCE THE LAW ON EACH
> OTHER, then that is pretty creepy, gross and scary. AND THAT IDEA OF
> CITIZEN'S ARREST ON A COP, IS AN URBAN MYTH, AT BEST. THERE IS NO  
> ACTUAL
> WAY TO DO IT. If these men will break that law, what other laws will  
> they
> break? Another notoriously immature and potentially dangerous Seattle  
> cop
> is David Fitzgerald. He also twisted his body, ran in circles and flat
> out defiled Muni Code 3.28 last year in front of me. I will be  
> profiling
> him next with pictures, watch for it next week.
>
> If Seattle Police expect any respect, perhaps THEY SHOULD START  
> FOLLOWING
> THE LAW TO SET AN EXAMPLE?!
>
> I am tired of these cops disobeying their own laws. I am sick of cops
> like Larame trying to HIDE their identity while on CITY TAXPAYER  
> DIMES. I
> am tired of cops not enforcing the law on their own (BRAME, ANYONE
> REMEMBER THAT NAME?)...
>
> What I saw Officer Larame do today made me sick to my stomach. WHAT IS  
> HE
> HIDING? WHY DOES HE WANT TO BE UNIDENTIFIED WHILE ON DUTY IN PUBLIC?  
> WHAT
> IS THIS MAN DOING?! MEMORIZE THIS COP'S FACE TODAY. KNOW HIS FACE...so  
> it
> does not matter if he hides his name or not, WE KNOW WHO HE IS, BY  
> FACE.
> His name is Larame or Larabee, again proving he violated the law as I
> never was allowed to see his nametag...but I found out his name because
> after many many requests, I cannot remember if he or another cop  
> blurted
> his name out in a way I could barely understand, but it was something
> like Larame or Larabe, I will find the correct spelling, you bet. Just
> trying to get a picture of a Seattle cop who will not let you see his
> name tag, and does not want to be identified, should not be such hard
> work. THAT IS WHY MUNI CODE 3.28 IS ON THE BOOKS PEOPLE.
>
> Just start by memorizing this law breaking cop's FACE TODAY.
>
> If I had walked up to that row of cops today with my camera, and just
> taken their picture, all would be okay. But Larame, I think Ibuki, and
> another cop, bolted when I showed up with a camera and you have got to
> wonder why. Apparently Officer Williams is the only one who has any
> integrity at all out of that cast of clowns. He had no problem with me
> taking his picture and I have no problem with him. The other hiders and
> the law-breaker Larame, I have SEVERE problems with his law breaking,  
> yes
> I do. And no, I am not wasting time "reporting" this to the City or the
> SPD, OPA, et al. I already reported the machine gun aimed recklessly a
> foot from my son's head on March 22, 2003, they need to rectify that
> first. I have NO faith in the SPD policing itself any longer, the OPA  
> is
> a joke since it allowed that unprovoked beating on Tim Young and others
> that my son and I witnessed on March 22, 2003 on Marion and First  
> Avenue.
> Not to mention that unprovoked and what seems to be an illegal false
> imprisonment of hundreds of nonviolent, unarmed protesters obeying  
> every
> law, even crossing with the lights, that day! No, to report these
> incidents to the police themselves is humorous. No thanks. How about
> instead I take their pictures, tell the public what happened, and we
> collectively memorize these faces. Yes, let's try that method, since  
> the
> other way did/does not work.
>
> <lawbreakerlarame.JPG><photo42304copsatwestlake.JPG><photo; 
> aramebreakslaw2.JPG><photolaramebreakslaw.JPG>_________________________ 
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