Native Lives Matter

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YOU'RE STILL ON STOLEN LAND 😁

On July 3 2019, 39-year-old Stonechild Chiefstick was shot to death by a police officer at a fireworks show in Poulsbo, Washington.

Stonechild was approached by Officer Craig Keller and two other cops. They were responding to a call that Stonechild was allegedly brandishing a screwdriver. 12 seconds later, Stonechild was shot in the face and chest. He was then handcuffed and died at the scene.

Craig Keller, the cop who killed Stonechild, claimed that he did not know and had never met Stonechild. But a later investigation found that Keller ran Stonechild's name through the department's system prior to the day of the shooting.

The county prosecutor determined that Officer Keller was following policy and that the killing was justified because Stonechild allegedly lunged at the cops with the screwdriver. But, according to other witness statements, Stonechild stumbled back and dropped the screwdriver before he was shot.

But either way, a screwdriver does not warrant deadly force.

And this determination by the county prosecutor completely overlooks Keller's pattern of behavior. In the year of 2018, it was found that Keller was responsible for 20% of the department's use of force incidents. But instead of facing any kind of disciplinary action, Keller was promoted after the shooting.

Stonechild was a citizen of the Chippewa-Cree tribe of Rocky Boy reservation in Montana but spent a majority of his life in Washington. He was a father of 6, a lifelong fan of the Seattle Seahawks, and a proud Native American.

This tragedy was poignantly summarized in a statement issued by the Suquamish Tribal Council. The statement read:

"That local police were unable to manage an uncomfortable situation involving a person of color without violence has become all too common. We believe that this was a preventable homicide. This father … a valued member of our community, did not have to die.”

RIP STONECHILD CHIEFSTICK