Tag Archives: Charleena Lyles

Voices

OPINION | Seattle’s Police ‘Reform’ Process Hasn’t Tackled Lethal Policies

Charleena Lyles’ inquest hearing highlights systemic failures under the consent decree and the inability of Seattle’s police accountability entities to change deadly policies.

by Dr. Howard J. Gale

July 6, 2022 — The headline in our local paper of record shouts, “Seattle police officers justified in killing Charleena Lyles, panel finds.” The just-concluded King County inquest into the 2017 SPD murder of Charleena Lyles was never going to provide accountability, justice, or even closure. On July 6, following the verdict, Katrina Johnson, Lyles’ cousin, said (at 00:21:12):

“I’m not sure that this process is in the best interest of impacted families. Being a person that works with impacted family, I don’t even know how I recover from this. Truly, now, this is just as bad, if not worse, than the day Lena was killed. It might even be worse because this is just completely unnecessary and just the amount of intimidation and abuse of power at display from the officers and the attorneys has just been next level. And I don’t know why anybody would want to subject themselves to this.”

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News

Summary of Inquest Hearings into the SPD Shooting of Charleena Lyles

by Vee Hua 華婷婷

Last Updated on July 7, 2022, 11:48 am.

Content Warning: This article contains discussions of police killings, violence, mental health crises, and suicide.

Inquest hearings continue through July 6 around the death of 30-year-old Charleena Lyles, a pregnant mother of three who was shot seven times by Seattle Police Department (SPD) officers following a disturbance call to her home in 2017. Thus far, the hearings have provided insights into the timeline of the day’s events, actions of officers, firefighters, and paramedics at the scene, attempts to revive Lyles, and traumatic impacts on Lyles’ children.

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News

NEWS GLEAMS: Lyles Inquest Deliberations Begin, 988 Launches July 16, & More

curated by Vee Hua 華婷婷

A round-up of news and announcements we don’t want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!

Jury deliberations are underway beginning July 6, the last day of the Charleena Lyles inquest hearings. They will be asked to answer 100 questions related to whether the involved officers, Jason Anderson and Steven McNew, followed Seattle Police Department training policies in the shooting of Lyles in June 2017. As inquest administrator Michael Spearman instructed the jury on Friday, July 1, “The questions that you are going to be asked to answer are about how and why Ms. Lyles died, and whether the officers’ actions in this case complied with Seattle Police Department policy and training, and whether Ms. Lyles’ death was caused by criminal means.” See our daily summaries of the inquest hearings on the Emerald.

This week’s News Gleams otherwise shares details of 988, a new mental health alternative to 911! The Duwamish River Opportunity Fund also has a call for community-initiated projects and grant reviewers. Lastly, we will be expanding News Gleams to twice a week, and hope to see you out for SCIDpda’s Outdoor Party in Canton Alley this Saturday, July 9!

—Vee Hua 華婷婷, interim managing editor for the South Seattle Emerald

Continue reading NEWS GLEAMS: Lyles Inquest Deliberations Begin, 988 Launches July 16, & More →
News

NEWS GLEAMS: Charleena Lyles Inquest Hearings Continue, SPL Reduces Hours, & More

curated by Vee Hua 華婷婷

A round-up of news and announcements we don’t want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!

Hearings continue this week and next around the 2017 death of Charleena Lyles and the Jan. 6 Insurrection. Yesterday, we heard jarring testimonies and revelations from both. Stay tuned for more in-depth South Seattle Emerald coverage of the Charleena Lyles case tomorrow, but in the meantime, we want to hear what you think about the Jan. 6 hearings and how it affects South End communities.

In other news, the Seattle Department of Transportation is adding bus-only lanes on Rainier Avenue South and requests your feedback on transit improvements; Seattle Public Libraries will be limiting their hours for the summer, and Artist Trust is offering emergency funds for artists.

—Vee Hua 華婷婷, interim managing editor for the South Seattle Emerald

Continue reading NEWS GLEAMS: Charleena Lyles Inquest Hearings Continue, SPL Reduces Hours, & More →
News

NEWS GLEAMS: Charleena Lyles Inquest Begins, WAESN Youth Activist Academy, & More

A round-up of news and announcements we don’t want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!

curated by Emerald Editors

This weekend, the City of Seattle officially celebrates Juneteenth as a holiday for the first time, based on legislation sponsored by Councilmember Tammy Morales in 2021. Make sure you check out the Emerald’s guides on South End events celebrating Juneteenth and Pride 2022!

This week’s News Gleams are heavily focused on topics of police accountability and reform, including new proposed legislation and the upcoming inquest into the death of Charleena Lyles. Relatedly, the Emerald’s latest Watchdragon coverage uncovers former Police Chief Carmen Best’s involvement in the abandonment of the East Precinct during the 2020 protests, and much more.

—Vee Hua 華婷婷, interim managing editor for the South Seattle Emerald

Continue reading NEWS GLEAMS: Charleena Lyles Inquest Begins, WAESN Youth Activist Academy, & More →
Community

The Morning Update Show — 12/1

The Morning Update Show — hosted by Trae Holiday and The Big O (Omari Salisbury) — is the only weekday news and information livestream that delivers culturally relevant content to the Pacific Northwest’s urban audience. Omari and Trae analyze the day’s local and national headlines as well as melanin magic in our community. Watch live every weekday at 11 a.m. on any of the following channels, hosted by Converge Media: YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, Periscope, and whereweconverge.com.

We also post the Morning Update Show here on the Emerald each day after it airs, so you can catch up any time of day while you peruse our latest posts.

Morning Update Show — Wednesday, Dec. 1

Say Her Name! Charleena Lyles | LIVE — Justin Carder of Capitol Hill Seattle Blog | Updates on Sawant Recall | World AIDS Day

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News

Family of Charleena Lyles Reaches Settlement With City of Seattle for 2017 Shooting

by Paul Faruq Kiefer

(This article originally appeared on PubliCola and has been reprinted under an agreement.)

After a grueling 13-hour mediation on the night of Monday, Nov. 29, the family of Charleena Lyles reached a $3.5 million settlement with the City of Seattle and two Seattle police officers, ending a four-year-long wrongful death lawsuit that began when the officers shot and killed Lyles in her Magnuson Park home in June 2017.

“This has been a horrible case. Shameful,” said Karen Koehler, the lead attorney representing Lyles’ family, during a press conference at the Stritmatter law firm on Tuesday afternoon. On a television behind her, Lyles’ eldest daughter — watching from her aunt’s house in California, seated in front of a Christmas tree — leaned off-screen to cry.

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Community

The Morning Update Show — 8/16/21

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The Morning Update Show — hosted by Trae Holiday and The Big O (Omari Salisbury) — is the only weekday news and information livestream that delivers culturally relevant content to the Pacific Northwest’s urban audience. Omari and Trae analyze the day’s local and national headlines as well as melanin magic in our community. Watch live every weekday at 11 a.m. on any of the following channels, hosted by Converge Media: YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, Periscope, and whereweconverge.com.

We also post the Morning Update Show here on the Emerald each day after it airs, so you can catch up any time of day while you peruse our latest posts.

Morning Update Show — Monday, August 16

Welcome to Converge Media’s New Studio! | Walkout at Cascade Behavioral Health | Local News Outlet Pushing Misinformation and False Narratives | #BlackVoicesMatter | Reflecting on Charleena Lyles | Connie Thompson and Jesse Jones | Proof N The Play

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News

In Victory for Families of People Killed by Police, Court Allows Inquest Reforms

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by Paul Kiefer

(This article previously appeared on PubliCola and has been reprinted under an agreement)

The Washington State Supreme Court sided with the families of people killed by police officers in a unanimous decision Thursday, restoring reforms to King County’s inquest process that have stalled since 2018 under pressure from law enforcement agencies.

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Voices

OPINION — Say Her Name: Charleena Lyles

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Four years after she was killed by police, her family still seeks answers.

by Katrina Johnson, Jesse Hagopian, and Michael Bennett

The broadest protests in U.S. history occurred last spring and summer in the wake of the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others. While this uprising around the country — in all 50 states, in rural and urban areas — was certainly about those widely publicized horrific murders at the hands of police, masses of people rose up around the country in large part because they had seen similar police violence in their own communities — including here in Seattle. 

Four years ago, Charleena Lyles, a 30-year-old Black pregnant mother of four, was fatally shot by two white Seattle police officers.

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