In a press conference Thursday at The Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, The Seattle/King County Chapter of the NAACP officially closed its involvement in the Robert Thomas, Sr. Inquest. The Robert Thomas, Sr. Inquest was a response to the fatal shooting of Robert Thomas, Sr. on April 7, 2002 by a civilian clothed police officer, Mel Miller.?

Brought on by Wednesday’s press conference at ?? detailing the findings of the Thomas, Sr. Inquest, attorney Lem 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. Keys’? office reached out to us. Although we don’t agree with the findings, we clearly respect the process,” remarked Mack. Howell followed, “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. This was evident in moments of anger and tears during the press conference. “I am extremely disappointed and disturbed with the findings of the U.S. Department of Justice,” an emotional Mack said. Perhaps what troubled Mack the most were the discrepancies — report findings that weren’t aligned with accounts of what actually happened, and their involvement 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. Although the Thomas, Sr. case was prosecuted, Howell was still uneasy with the number of cases like that of Thomas, Sr. that had been taken to level of an inquest. “I am disturbed. Out of the thousands of Blacks that have been shot (unjustly), there have only been 250 prosecutions,” Howell stated. “They (prosecutors)? feel proud they won 211 (out of 250 prosecutions). This should have been one of them,” Mack added. 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,” stated 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 particulars of 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.