I have many troubling connections to Seattle’s Cinerama, location of the May 10 Belltown head-bashing incident luridly video-captured by a security-cam. Saw the Seattle premiere of Godfather 3 there in 1990 and then hurled in front of Ralph’s Grocery and Deli across the street. Get this: a hapless witness to the bashing, standing just five feet away? A Belltown Messenger newsbox. Oh, and I made a crazy film about the Cinerama’s owner and billionaire savior, Paul Allen, called “Paul Alien,” in 2005. In which I playfully accuse him of plotting with space aliens to destroy the world economy. Recently cut an entire hour of crap out of it so it would fit within Facebook’s 20-minute video time requirements, and now some people say it’s funny and somehow foretold the destruction of the world economy in 2008. You can see the Paul Alien “re-mix” at paulalien.com.

You can tell I’m digressing. Painful, the head-bashing ... so disturbing to me on so many levels that my legal advisor suggests I defer commentary to professional opiners less likely to come completely unhinged. He has, however, given approval to the following two predictions. Like many of us, police departments are capable of learning. All U.S. jurisdictions stopped using choke-holds – those holds designed to block the flow of blood to the brain – when those holds started killing people by blocking the flow of blood to the brain. After Rodney King, it was deemed bad form to break the arms and legs of stubborn arrestees. There’s a reason that, after a cop has manhandled, frisked, brow-beaten and cuffed you, he then carefully buckles you into the squad car: you’ve done nothing to deserve being sent hurling through the windshield on the way to the station. Therefore: I predict that, by this time next year, it will no longer be institutional law-enforcement policy to treat suspects as human blocking sleds when other, more intelligent options are readily at hand.

Secondly, I predict that that Cinerama video will be worth 5 million dollars to the guy in the coma and his family. Now I’m going to let my media pals do their jobs on this one: here are some quotes from various parties involved in the incident and from media types who use their real names. And also some interesting, unverifiable blather from anonymous commenters.

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The preliminary findings are that “our deputy didn’t break any laws from his use of force,” and that his actions were in compliance with department policy, insists Urquart. The fact that Harris, a completely innocent man, was left with life-threatening injuries after being propelled headlong into a wall is “a tragic accident.”
It apparently doesn’t occur to Urquart that the fact a deputy can – without fear of criminal penalties or professional consequences – leave an innocent man nearly dead from an unjustified assault may have something to do with Harris’s understandable decision to flee.

William Grigg
lewrockwell.com
May 22, 200

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“I’m saddened and outraged that the false-arrest victim may not recover from his brain injury.
Why does Metro have officers in black uniforms sneaking around? Sorry, but I associate black uniforms with the bad guys–like Waffen SS officers. And what of the woman who made the false accusation of the alleged “assault” for which there is zero evidence? What’s her story?”

The Red Baron
Kirkland, WA
May 20, 20009

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“SPD has released video of the arrest ... I just feel like there’s too much confusion around this story to really formulate an objective opinion.”

Jesse
Belltownpeople.com
May 22, 2009

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“The Seattle cops have always been bad - always. When we were kids I remember - they were mean, mean to kids even. My brother will say that too - he’s in his 50s now. The SPD have always been mean, brutal.”

Diana
Native Seattleite
May 22, 2009

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“The egregiousness and criminal negligence of this assault is only compounded by the lack of any regard for another human’s life by the deputy as he pulls a seriously-injured man around like a ragdoll.”

gatorbot - dailykos.com
May 22, 2009

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“Authorities have released surveillance video showing a burly sheriff’s deputy slamming a man (Christopher Harris, 29) head first into a wall earlier this month, leaving him in a coma.

Harris comes into view, makes a slight turn and slows down as Paul gives him a fierce shove, knocking him off his feet. Harris’ head slams into the base of a tiled wall outside the movie house.”

Tim Klass
seattlepi.com (AP)
May 23, 2009

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“A common attitude among Americans is that if a police officer did it, whatever or however bad, it must have been justified.

It seems like one of the few things that agencies have left to bank on, as extremely large amounts of force continue to be applied to Americans in seemingly undeserving circumstances.

As the King County Sheriff’s Office states publicly that the tragedy is “nothing more” than an accident, in the face of such clear video, Chris Harris remained comatose and in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center in Washington.”

Tim King
Salem-News.com
May 27, 2009