Seattle man needed state official’s help to avoid charges for ‘walking while black’

[Jesus Malverde]

Despite criticism from both the public and a former state lawmaker, Seattle police defended arresting a 70-year-old black man last year without justification before a top Black official intervened, the Stranger reported.

According to former state Rep. Dawn Mason (D), officials “tried to convince me nothing was wrong” when Officer Cynthia Whitlach arrested William Wingate for allegedly threatening her with his golf club.

The Stranger posted dashboard camera footage on Wednesday of Wingate’s arrest after recently acquiring it through a public records request. The video shows Whitlach stopping her patrol car in front of Wingate, then ordering him to let go of the club, which he uses as a makeshift cane.

Wingate, a retired veteran and local bus driver, can be heard saying in the video that he has used the club to help him get around for 20 years.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/01/seattle-man-needed-state-officials-help-to-avoid-charges-for-walking-while-black/

Officer Cynthia Whitlach's interaction with Wingate begins at the 1:45 mark.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

1. What the ever fucking fuck?

Can someone point out what could have even been, under the worst light, construed as a threat by that old guy????


From the comments (via Photography Is Not A Crime) come this little tidbit of the pig's comments elsewhere on the web. This is the pig that stopped the guy:

[Blecht]

11. Wow! Bigoted and illiterate.

I feel a lot dumber after reading that.

[uponit7771]

32. +1

[Cha]

19. I'm sick and tried of entitled,paranoid, racist ignoramus' who give that "White America" a bad name

thank you for the vent forum, Hassin.

[countryjake]

2. Officer has been placed on "administrative assignment".

SPD officer at center of golf club complaint reassigned Jan 29, 2015
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/SPD-officer-at-center-of-2-complaints-reassigned-290265571.html

SEATTLE -- The Seattle police officer who wrongfully arrested a man with a golf club has been placed on administrative assignment while the department investigates.

Police arrested William Wingate last summer on Capitol Hill. An officer is seen on police dash cam video telling Wingate to put down a golf club after she says she saw him swing it at her.

The city attorney later dismissed the charges against Wingate, and Seattle Police returned the club after both agencies took a second look at the case.

Wingate, a retired Metro bus driver and military veteran, says he now has post-traumatic stress. Attorneys have filed claim seeking at least $750,000 in damages.

"I was afraid. I was scared. I didn't know what (the officer) was going to do. I didn't know what was going to happen to me," he said, about the July 2014 incident. "It was the most miserable night I've ever had."

Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole Orders Review of Officer Cynthia Whitlatch's Conduct Wed, Jan 28, 2015
http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2015/01/28/seattle-police-chief-kathleen-otoole-orders-review-of-officer-cynthia-whitlatchs-conduct


Was This Racist Post Written by the Cop Who Arrested an Elderly Man for "Walking in Seattle While Black"? Wed, Jan 28, 2015
http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2015/01/28/what-facebook-user-cynthia-whitlatch-wrote-about-chronic-black-racism

UPDATE Thursday 8:35 a.m.: Many are confused by Chief O'Toole's reference to "two incidents that took place during the summer of 2014." SPD spokesperson Sean Whitcomb clarifies that the two incidents are Officer Whitlatch's arrest of William Wingate in July and an alleged racially charged exchange of comments on Facebook with Brian Davis in August.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

3. Just saw that. Six months late is better than never.

I hope he gets every penny of the $750k he is suing the city for. And I hope he spends it on golf.

[countryjake]

6. Check out those screenshots of her FB posts...

here

Hell, I'm hoping that Mr. Wingate gets an entire golf course from this. From reading those views of hers on Blacks, I'm surprised that she didn't gun him down.

She's off the streets, but still being paid.

Yet another Civil Rights case in Seattle that will probably go nowhere (remembering the murder of John T. Williams)

[lunasun]

7. Not fired still being paid because you know,Black so something must be wrong

[countryjake]

14. And yet, just two short weeks ago...

there was this display in our own Capitol building...


Gun owners raise their weapons in the upper gallery of the House chambers, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2015, at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash.



A claim that a senior citizen is brandishing a weapon (otherwise known as a worn golf club, being used as a cane) on a major Washington city street, requires his immediate arrest and incarceration.

A whole slew of bona fide weapons being waved around in our Washington state capitol...see news of that group's success at six.


Yes, something is very wrong.

[lunasun]

34. Hey that family in the front - guy with the mask on

Yes if they are all walking around like that as a unit , a cop may have the right to ask what's up ,but one senior citizen with groceries and a golf club needs to prove he wasn't trying to kill her after being arrested? Even being stopped and questioned is harassment BS

[countryjake]

36. From his arrest to the apology, Mr. Wingate faced systemic racism...

there's no other possible way to describe what happened to him on the street and in the courts. Until some sort of positive action is taken by ThePowersThatBe to ensure that such injustice stops occurring and people right up the ladder are held accountable, Seattle will remain a city that is not safe for any minority.

He was charged with the unlawful use of a weapon, an old friggin' golf club, and without the persistent intervention of a few concerned women, would have been forced to accept that conviction.

It is outrageous!

[Jesus Malverde]

10. "hoping that Mr. Wingate gets an entire golf course from this"

DUZY

[Cha]

20. ".. spends it on golf.."! :)

[Jesus Malverde]

8. She's a nasty person.

Couldn't imagine the pain and anguish he felt sitting in the back of that van. She needs to be fired.

Then the cop in the van is listening to crazy talk radio.

They defended her until the public got a glimpse, SPD rotten to the core.

[countryjake]

12. Watching the video of Mr Wingate being "transported" to jail made me so angry...

seeing a 69 yr old person, handcuffed with hands behind his back, a man who has used a golf club just to help him walk for the past twenty years, trying his best to get up into that van, unassisted...the first thirty seconds of that video made my blood boil. I made myself watch all twelve minutes of it, just to imagine how he must have felt on his way to spending the night in the King County Jail.

The Stranger Slog has a couple more very enlightening articles on this case, one about that guy, Brian Davis, who had the FaceBook chat with a racist Cynthia Whitlatch back in August and another interviewing an ex of hers.


http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2015/01/29/how-a-black-gay-man-from-nebraska-lost-confidence-in-the-seattle-police-department

http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2015/01/29/ex-tukwila-cop-says-spd-officer-cynthia-whitlatch-is-a-racist-who-once-stole-marijuana-from-police-evidence

[Jesus Malverde]

15. I totally agree, thanks for all the good input and links.

Last edited Sat Jan 31, 2015, 02:53 AM - Edit history (1)

My blood was boiling too. I couldn't understand why the cop would not help him get in the van, he was totally struggling. He was very hard of hearing, elderly and appeared in shock and disbelief on the ride.

I saw the links on thestranger - that ex-girlfriend of hers seemed out for blood.

Thanks again for all the great input on the thread. Its a terrible incident that really illustrates the problems out there.

[countryjake]

21. Now the Seattle Police Officers' Guild President was on our news tonight...

claiming that their racist cop is "feeling threatened". Since the dashcam video is spreading like wildfire, people are seeing exactly what she did. Emails are pouring in and she "feels under attack".

And he's claiming that her dashcam doesn't tell the whole story.

Typical.

She's on the list of cops who filed a lawsuit against the government, claiming that they couldn't do their jobs properly since the Department of Justice investigated them after the murder of John T. Williams and came to the decision that the SPD had problems with racial profiling and the use of excessive force...the Feds ordered reform of the SPD and both the police union and that police officers' guild have been fighting it ever since.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

39. "She's a nasty person."

And yet so many operate on the belief that the nasty people among us will be kept in check if only we create institutions of power.

All the while not realizing that the nasty people among us will seek-out institutions of power because they are nasty people.

Police departments don't keep bigots at bay; police departments create a place for bigots to collect a badge and a gun. That's not to say that being a cop makes a person a bigot, it means bigots want the power to exert control over others and these institutions give them the power under the guise of Law to do so.

Take away this fool's badge and a dozen passers-by might well have intervened (not that she would have had the authority to act in the first place) but because she had a badge the good people were cowed into not taking action because they know that The System, LLC would destroy their lives in spite of the fact the moral good was on their side. The System, LLC will leave their lives in ruins, not because they did anything wrong but simply because they challenged The System, LLC.

[Jesus Malverde]

43. You make some great points.

I've heard sociopaths do well in a corporate setting because their very nature allows them to be ruthless without remorse. Your point is well made, we need a way to identify and flag these types.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

44. "we need a way to identify and flag these types."

A system to decide who gets to run for office or own a business?

Where do you think the sociopaths will flock to then?

[bravenak]

4. What a scummy liar!

Thanks cops!

[uppityperson]

5. 2:39 "you just swing that golf club at me"? W.T.F? no, he didn't.I'd've been so scared if I were him

She tells him she is recording and repeats again he swung at her.


Liar liar liar liar liar cop.

[Jesus Malverde]

9. I was waiting for her to threaten him with violence.

Discusting, thank g-d it was caught on film. The bad actors are not the ones walking down the street.

[dilby]

13. ugh, and the worst part is she is part of a minority group that should know about

Being harassed and having to fight for equality.

[JI7]

16. how can someone be so fucking hateful, you can easily tell he is older and needs help

walking and hearing with the way he is moving. yet she decides to bully him and he could have almost got killed.

fucking scum. i hope he gets a lot of money.

[JustAnotherGen]

18. I know! I know!

16. how can someone be so fucking hateful


She's a bigoted asshole who is too wet to step on and too low to kick.

Can't wait to catch her on Faux News playing chin music because that's all I will hear out of her filthy mouth.

[lunasun]

35. They pick on kids and old because they are sadistic racists imo. She was hoping if he did

Protest too loudly she could use violence. Vulnerable young and older are easier get over on

[JustAnotherGen]

17. I'm waiting . . .

Understand this is my attempt at -

Well he must have done SOMETHING wrong.
Why was he walking on that sidewalk?
Why didn't he just follow orders?
He MUST have a criminal record.
Can we talk about how he stole a pack of gum in 1950?
He could have done SOMETHING to avoid this.
This happened to me when I was protesting XYZ.

Done. I sincerely hope the race minimizers and those focused on "other issues" don't derail this thread with nonsense about how this isn't as important and it is a sign of SOMETHING else.

The woman is a bigot. Point blank - she's a bigot. She used her authority and power to implement racism.

She's a bigot.
Her actions were racist.

End of discussion.

So ignore my post if you disagree because I don't see it as anything but bigotry and racism and I've no fucks to give about her being innocent until proven guilty. She's not the person who got harassed by the police. She's sitting at some desk Face booking and Tweeting drinking coffee and donuts and she's getting paid to do it.

How many DUers wouldn't LOVE that gig? Nice work if you can get it.

[mythology]

22. I find the headline from raw story to be inaccurate

Wingate didn't avoid charges. He took a plea deal that fortunately included no jail time, but subjected him to judicial oversight for a couple of years. That means that either the prosecutor didn't see the dashboard camera footage (thus defeating the point of having them) or saw it meaning he or she didn't care and failed the judicial conduct code of turning over exculpatory evidence.

While Whitlach herself obviously needs to be fired, arrested and convicted, the prosecutor needs to suffer the same.

I also think that the chief of police needs to go as she has only now begun a review of Whitlach's actions. Meaning she had months to get off her ass, but only started the review once the shit hit the fan. The case was dismissed back in September. What, everybody in the police department was too busy to look at the dashboard camera for 4 months? Either that or they looked and didn't care. Either way, O'Toole needs to be fired.

[csziggy]

24. After the plea agreement from Rep. Dawn Mason assistance got the charges dismissed

From the link in the OP:

According to former state Rep. Dawn Mason (D), officials “tried to convince me nothing was wrong” when Officer Cynthia Whitlach arrested William Wingate for allegedly threatening her with his golf club.

<SNIP>

Mason’s efforts led in part to the case against Wingate being dismissed last September. She said that Assistant Chief Nick Metz “kept trying to convince us nothing was wrong” while watching footage of the arrest with her and Captain Pierre Davis, who heads up the district where Wingate was detained."

[woolldog]

26. Prosecutor should be fired as well

for not securing and reviewing the dashcam footage beforehand

[BklnDem75]

31. According to the Seattle Times...

“After Craig discussed the issue with Deputy (Police) Chief Carmen Best, our office determined that justice would be served by agreeing to dismiss the case before the agreed two-year time period, as Mr. Wingate had no previous criminal history,” Mills said in an email on Wednesday.

On the city’s recommendation, the case was dismissed by a judge on Sept. 19.

Best personally met with Wingate, returned his golf club, and offered an apology for his arrest.


http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today/2015/01/seattle-police-apologize-to-man-for-2014-arrest/

[uponit7771]

33. +1

[world wide wally]

23. She is a disgusting human being

Period

[Ichingcarpenter]

25. Female cop with delusions of reality and power

And a liar,oh wait don't point out she is a she.


How about PIG.

The cop acted like a pig

[SamKnause]

27. Total disregard for the safety

of citizens.

Do you think that jail transport vehicle was safe ???

Are civilians allowed to ride in the back of vans on metal benches with no seat belts or restraints of any kind ???

What if the vehicle was involved in an accident and the passenger or passengers were killed ???

Safety is of ZERO interests to the police state.

Your innocence is of ZERO interests to the police state.

Your rights are of ZERO interests to the police state.

Now this police 'woman', and I use that word lightly fears for her safety.

Why does she still have a job in the police force ???

Why wasn't she fired ???

Why wasn't she prosecuted ???

I feel such empathy for this vet for being treated they way he was.

I hope he wins his lawsuit.

I hope the jury and judge award him even more than then the lawsuit is asking for.

When will the citizens of the U.S. get tired of paying the fines for these racists thug cops ???

They are bankrupting entire communities.

[RedCappedBandit]

28. Imagine this happening to an elderly white lady and tell me race has nothing to do with it.

[AtomicKitten]

29. That video is freakin' unbelievable.

Knowing the incident is being videotaped, I just can't believe she had the audacity to accuse him of swinging the golf club at her. Unfreakinbelievable.

[Alkene]

30. Seattle cops are devoutly to be avoided.

The SPD motto is, Service, Pride, Dedication.
It's just a motto; you're lucky if they don't punch or kick you in the head.

[Liberal_in_LA]

37. kick

[Hassin Bin Sober]

38. One the cop's other victims steps forward:

http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2015/01/30/metro-bus-driver-says-she-was-also-bullied-by-officer-cynthia-whitlatch-warned-spd-years-ago

CRIME / NEWS Metro Bus Driver Says She Was Also Bullied by Officer Cynthia Whitlatch, Warned SPD Years Ago

Yesterday, we broke the news that Seattle police officer Cynthia Whitlatch—the cop whose racially charged Facebook remarks and treatment of a retired Metro bus driver, William Wingate, have landed her in hot water—has a history of using the n-word and once stole marijuana from SPD, according to her former girlfriend, an ex-cop.

Now another person has come forward alleging that she, too, has been on the receiving end of Whitlatch’s aggressive behavior.

Fifty-seven-year-old King County Metro bus driver Kathleen Dunne says Whitlatch harassed her several years ago. According to Dunne, she was driving a route on Capitol Hill on a chilly morning in November. Dunne, who is white, said that Officer Whitlatch would regularly park her patrol car in the bus stop on the west side of Broadway near the intersection with Roy Street. That morning, Dunne had to go to the bathroom (Metro drivers' attempts to secure accessible bathrooms is whole 'nother story). On her way in to Roy Street Coffee to use the restroom, Dunne said, she asked Whitlatch and her partner to move their patrol car out of the bus stop. It wasn’t the first time Dunne had asked one of them to do so.

[JustAnotherGen]

40. The more layers you pull back on this onion

The more it stinks.

[countryjake]

41. One of the most rotten things about the SPD...

For the past 14+ years, she's been a Field Training Officer.

Cynthia Whitlatch, teaching other cops to be just like her.

[Jesus Malverde]

42. SPD is a piece of work...nt