By Jior Cameron

The Seattle Medium In a press conference held last Thursday, The Seattle/King County branch of the NAACP officially closed its involvement in the Robert Thomas, Sr. case. The Robert Thomas, Sr. Inquest was a response to the fatal shooting of Robert Thomas, Sr. on April 7, 2002 by off-duty King County deputy sheriff Mel Miller, who was dressed in civilian clothes at the time of the incident. The press conference was in response to a meeting between U.S. Attorney John McKay, Attorney Lem Howell, and members of the NAACP where McKay’s outlined the findings of the U.S. Justice department with regards to the Thomas case. Howell and Seattle/King County Chapter NAACP President Carl Mack addressed the media concerning the findings. In a letter addressed to Mack, the U.S Department of Justice, United States Attorney Western District of Washington detailed the outcome of the investigation. “The Civil Rights Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have conducted an independent investigation and carefully considered the information which you furnished. However, the government could not prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, a willful violation of the applicable federal criminal civil rights statute. Accordingly, we have no choice but to close this matter,” the letter read. Although Mack was not pleased with the findings of the inquest, he and Howell appreciated the efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Civil Rights Division of The Department of Justice and, and the FBI. “We are very pleased that Mr. Mckay’s office reached out to us. Although we don’t agree with the findings, we clearly respect the process,” remarked Mack. Howell. “At least somebody was listening. This is the first time the Justice Department has listened to our community’s concerns.” Outside of the cooperation of the specific governmental offices dealing with the Thomas, Sr. investigation, Mack was dissatisfied and clearly shook up about the findings. “I am extremely disappointed and disturbed with the findings of the U.S. Department of Justice,” said an emotional Mack at the press conference. Perhaps what troubled Mack the most were discrepancies between the findings of the report findings and what he felt were the actual accounts of what happened, and the influence that these disparities had in the outcome of the case. Discrepancies, such as whether or not Miller had his gun on him or went and retrieved his gun once he found out that Thomas, Sr. was on his property, both indirectly and directly affected the case. They dealt with a point that the case hinged on — whether the officer, beyond a reasonable doubt, acted willfully. (this part needs to be cleaned up to make better since… see me) Although the Thomas, Sr. case was heard by an inquest jury, Howell was still uneasy with the number of cases like that of Thomas, Sr. that had been prosecuted by the Justice Department. “I am disturbed. Out of the thousands of Blacks that have been shot (unjustly), there have only been 250 prosecutions,” Howell stated. “They (Justice Department) feel proud they won 211 (out of 250 prosecutions). Mack, in his dismay, added that he felt that this should have been one of the cases prosecuted by the Justice Department. Mack later commented there was some good that came out of the Thomas, Sr. matter, including a relationship with the Seattle Police Department. “The Seattle/King County Chapter of the NAACP and the Black community have at least developed a relationship with the Seattle Police Department,” said Mack. “We (the Black community) lost nine lives in nine years (2002 and prior). At least in the last two years we haven’t had any incidents,” he continued. Mack also stated that he is proud that the Seattle/King County Chapter of the NAACP handled the Thomas, Sr. matter to the fullest of their abilities, utilizing all the necessary resources. “I respect the fact that this branch of the NAACP used every element of the legal process with this situation,” remarked Mack. By using these elements, the branch not only gained insight into the legal process, but recognized changes needed to make the system better. “There are things that can be done to improve the (inquest) process. The (inquest) jury should be eliminated to eliminate the use of racial bias,” said Mack. “The questions (in inquests) are always biased. (That is because) the jury is never a jury of peers,” Howell added, referring to the “jury of peers” for African Americans, considering the small percentage of the Washington State population that African Americans make up. In the end, despite their concerns with the legal process, it was evident that Mack and Howell respected it, and were pleased that the Thomas, Sr. case did not fall on deaf ears. Howell praised Mack’s efforts in dealing with the case, and cited him as one of the main reasons it moved forward. “Carl Mack played the role of an extremely effective advocate (for the case),” said Howell. With the Thomas, Sr. case, strides have been made in the effort to further the civil rights cause. Although the case had a negative outcome, a precedent was set showing that incidents like that of Thomas, Sr. will be investigated and truly prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.