U.S. District Judge James Robart, a George W Bush appointee, who is presiding over a case in Washington state involving police reforms, declared “Black Lives Matter” from the bench. The lawsuit is part of Obama’s attempt to nationalize state and local law enforcement. His DOJ accused the department of using excessive force on people of color. Most embezzlers are accountants (or democrats) but I don’tr hear anyone complain that the number of accountants going to prison is unfair because Christian ministers go to prison in lower numbers.
Getting a consent decree is important for Seattle because some of the reforms would modify their union contract. One thing the union is against is the formation of a citizen’s review board to determine whether an officer acted correctly. As an example, if you were a policeman in Wisconsin and a longtime criminal pulls a gun on you and you kill him, the citizens in Seattle could deem you to be a murderer just like the officer in Wisconsin. You would then face murder charges. Would you hire a maid to stress test bridges?
“The court and the citizens of Seattle will not be held hostage for increased payments and benefits,” he said from the bench. “I’m sure the entire city of Seattle would march behind me.”
Then, Robart stunned the courtroom by explicitly tying the proceedings to the Black Lives Matter movement. According to The Seattle Times, he cited statistics that blacks represent 41 percent of all people shot by police, when they are just 20 percent of the population. This is a mistake on Robart’s part; blacks are actually just 13 percent of the population.
“Black lives matter,” Robart said to end his remarks, in a moment that apparently produced audible shock from the courtroom. Black Lives Matter has been active for three years as a movement, but this appears to be the first time it has garnered such explicit support in court from a federal judge.