Rantz: Another indescribably stupid claim of racism against King County deputy

An anti-law enforcement activist group has leveled the latest bogus and indescribably stupid claim of racism against a Seattle law enforcement official. This time it stems from a Taser incident in Pioneer Square. Ironically, this is one of the best examples of de-escalation a deputy could use.

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The group, Mothers for Police Accountability (MPA), claim a woman’s “blackness” was viewed as threatening, per a Seattle Times write up. It’s an extremist revision of what happened.

The incident occurred around 3:15 p.m. on May 15, when a woman, reportedly suffering from schizophrenia and high on an unidentified substance, was running in and out of traffic while wearing nothing but socks.

She wasn’t able to make eye contact with a nearby King County Sheriff’s deputy when he approached, offering her help. According to the incident report, the woman was “muttering unintelligible words” at a very fast pace.

At that point, the deputy saw the woman run into traffic, punching one or two cars. She then “swung her fist at several pedestrians” in a “very aggressive and threatening manner.” The deputy said she appeared to be “shadow boxing.”

After about 10 minutes of de-escalation, the deputy feared for this woman’s safety — and the safety of the people around her. He wrote in the report: “It was clear to me that any attempt to physically restrain her could result in potential injuries to her and anyone attempting to help.” The deputy believed she “was clearly an imminent danger to herself and others.”

After a bicycle officer with SPD arrived on scene, they still were not able to control the woman. The deputy gave her an opportunity to stop, but she didn’t, so he used his Taser to stop her from her dangerous behavior.

After they handcuffed and subdued her, the deputy covered her in a blanket. She wasn’t charged and she was given the medical attention she needed at Harborview.

This is great policing — but it gets rewarded with a complaint from a fringe group.

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Former state representative and current member of MPA slammed the incident at a recent press conference.

“We have a white, liberal, democratic, progressive city and look what’s going on. We can’t blame this on No. 45 and his make America great again people,” Dawn Mason is quoted in the Times, referencing President Donald Trump.

Her statement almost reaches parody-level.

Think about it: Mason is actually upset that a deputy used a Taser to safely prevent a mentally ill woman from being hit by a car or assaulting passers-by.

The deputy is in a lose-lose situation with these lunatics that are always hostile to law enforcement. Had the deputy done nothing and the woman was hit by a car, they’d say he was in derelict of his duties. If he shot and wounded or killed the woman, it’d be called murder. He tried to deal with the woman, she didn’t listen. He tried to deal with her even more. And she didn’t listen. Finally, he did what was necessary for her well-being.

The officer deserves kudos for a job well done, not a complaint.

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