Tommy Le (c. 1997-2017), a US high school student, was killed by police in the Seattle suburb of Burien on June 13th 2017, the night before his graduation. He was armed with – a pen. Le was Vietnamese American.
This came just five days before Charleena Lyles, a pregnant woman, was shot dead by Seattle police.
Like Lyles, Le seemed not to be in his right mind, was approaching police with what was said to be a knife, was only about 100 pounds, and was not White.
Unlike Lyles, there is no video or audio (so we have only the police account to go on), the police ordered him to drop his weapon, used tasers, and later made public the name of the killer cop: Deputy Cesar Molina of the King County Sheriff’s Office.
Press coverage: I heard about the Lyles shooting a day later, but did not hear about the Le shooting till two weeks later. The Washington Post, The Root and Heavy.com, which are generally good on police brutality, did not report it.
According to police, they got several calls about a shooting. It turned out to be a homeowner firing a warning shot to frighten off Le, who was holding “a knife or some sort of sharp object.” Despite the warning shot Le kept coming. The homeowner ran back inside and Le pounded on his door and stabbed it, shouting that he was the “Creator.”
When two police officers found Le they ordered him to drop his weapon and get on the ground. He did neither. They shot their tasers. One taser missed, the other hit. That should have stopped him but he still kept coming. Deputy Molina then shot his gun three times. They immediately tried to save his life.
The police looked everywhere for a knife. They did not find one – till they searched his friend’s place where he was staying. A week later police admitted that all Le had was a pen, which they would not show.
The police think maybe he was on drugs. The county medical examiner is testing for that.
Deputy Molina, like the police officers who killed Charleena Lyles, had received Crisis Intervention Training – for just these sort of cases. And like them, he apparently does not know how to disarm someone with a knife – or a pen.
Le had no known history of drugs, mental illness, crime or violence. Even the Seattle Times could not find anything.
Linh Thai of Seattle’s Vietnamese Community Leadership Institute:
“I think the community is struggling with two narratives. On the one hand, it’s a fellow Vietnamese American person, a member of the community, and that them being shot dead by anyone regardless of whether it is police is difficult for the community to grapple with. It’s impacting everyone in that sense.
“On the other hand, the community also has a tradition of respecting the law. … We trust the police. They’ll tell us what happened when they’re ready to tell us. That kind of stuff.”
– Abagond, 2017.
Sources: King County, Seattle Times, Seattle Weekly, Huffington Post, New York Daily News.
See also:
- also shot dead by police in Washington state:
- Charleena Lyles – pregnant Black woman
- Jackie Salyers – pregnant Native woman
- Asian Americans
- killer cops
- Phantom Negro Weapon
- Heavy
540
It’s strange how so many are reported to be out of their minds in these killings.
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Reblogged this on The Militant Negro™.
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Yet they aren’t going to tell you because the story they concocted doesn’t even seem like the truth. Let’s not even get started on the fact that a pen and a knife look nothing alike. If a cop can’t tell the difference between the two then why are they even working.
That blind trust of police is the reason why this will be swept under the rug with no resolution. It goes back to the attitude of “why care when you don’t”.
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RIP Tommy
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Amazing that I didn’t hear about this. Again my policy on this has also been centered on citizen rights and Due Process. We can’t render judgement on dead people. Many developed nations are able to deal with such issues without the body counts.
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First and foremost, RIP Tommy Le, you certainly did not deserve the disposition of death at the hands of law enforcement personnel who didn’t pay attention while being trained for this type of crisis. A writing pen, … really! (smh)
“I think the community is struggling with two narratives. On the one hand, it’s a fellow Vietnamese American person, a member of the community, and that them being shot dead by anyone regardless of whether it is police is difficult for the community to grapple with. It’s impacting everyone in that sense.” – Lin Thai, Seattle’s Vietnamese Community Leadership Inst.
Perhaps Lin should consider whether or not the objectives of Seattle Vietnamese Community Leadership Inst. failed Tommy or in the alternative, is the “Model minority” stereotype which is simply a wedge between Blacks and Asians, is in the beginning stages of finally being officially revoked.
“On the other hand, the community also has a tradition of respecting the law. .… We trust the police. They’ll tell us what happened when they’re ready to tell us. That kind of stuff.” – Lin Thai, Seattle’s Vietnamese Community Leadership Inst.
To me, when I deconstruct Lin’s comments, I extrapolate the following in terms of what he truly wanted to say, was this: The Vietnamese community has a tradition of respecting the law, while Blacks in general do not. Also, the Vietnamese people trust the law while on the other hand, Blacks generally do not. (smh)
From my personal experience, the vast majority of these people from a social standpoint are a bunch of snakes, but of course, not all of them. To further demonstrate my personal point of view, approximately one month ago, my employer had to summon the HR Director from Los Angeles to investigate a complaint that I filed. I was in the process of filing a lawsuit against three Vietnamese employees on civil and criminal charges, and perhaps a temporary restraining order as well. One of them is actually a supervisor. At some point, I would’ve also sued the company in the process for enabling the nonsense that was taking place in the first instance.
Apparently, my legal tactic worked because now, when I see them in the hallway, suddenly they’re noticeably on mute. The stern warning from HR apparently came through loud and clear.
Again, RIP Tommy!
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@ blakksage
Thanks for that personal story.
Personal experience is a good antidote to propaganda.
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@blakksage
I want to know the details of your struggles involving these Vietnamese co-workers. They were sabotaging your or what?
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How is this extrapolated? Why should we assume that it is a veiled statement about blacks? Is it possible that we can deconstruct and analyze in any other way?
When I read that statement, I saw no latent message that it implied that others did not respect the law, and even after reading the proposed extrapolation and rereading the original statement, I do not see how we should assume that that is the underlying meaning.
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@ Jefe
Yeah, I read that statement simply as saying the community traditionally has trusted the police as authorities and are now struggling to balance that trust with their dismay over what happened to Tommy Le. Basically that the community is being pulled between two different reactions: 1) “There must be a valid reason this happened and we must continue to trust that the authorities will explain in due time” and 2) “The police did something wrong and racist and nothing can justify it.”
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“How is this extrapolated? Why should we assume that it is a veiled statement about blacks? Is it possible that we can deconstruct and analyze in any other way?”
“When I read that statement, I saw no latent message that it implied that others did not respect the law, and even after reading the proposed extrapolation and rereading the original statement, I do not see how we should assume that that is the underlying meaning.” – jefe
You are (jefe), making it way, … way too easy for me. You shouldn’t burden me in this manner. However, I will be happy to oblige your inquiries. But first, would you be so kind so as to tell us your extrapolation(s) are of Mr. Lin’s statements and why are they so different from mine’s. After you reply, then I’ll play along with you and we can go to and fro from there. I’ll be waiting!
“@blakksage, I want to know the details of your struggles involving these Vietnamese co-workers. They were sabotaging your or what?” – TeddyBearDaddy
I would go into more detail; however, I don’t think Abagond would appreciate my altering or derailing the topic here. The topic is about Tommy Le. But trust me those three stooges are of no concern to me. They are all hemmed up in a metaphorical corner, awaiting to be sued in either their individual capacity; get terminated or get arrested, … that’s if they stepped out of that corner. They found out the hard way that I wasn’t the one to be messed with … huh! I believe that my reserved demeanor fooled all of them!
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When responding to and in apparent support of jefe’s most recent post, Solitaire said:
“@Jefe, Yeah, I read that statement simply as saying the community traditionally has trusted the police as authorities and are now struggling to balance that trust with their dismay over what happened to Tommy Le. Basically that the community is being pulled between two different reactions:”
Hang on, allow me to clear my throat; don my pedagogue cap and change the caption that addressed only jefe. Now, I will add Solitaire as well. The caption should now read jefe & Solitaire, et al. Therefore, my previously post to jefe is now proposed to include Solitaire as well. Now, either one of you may proceed to respond to my post. However, don’t waste my time, please let your response(s) be of substance. Thank you!
Meanwhile, I’ll sit back; pat my feet and hum that old spiritual, Gullah hymn, Kum ba yah, which literally translate to, Yah come by here, until jefe & Solitaire et al. reply.
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@ blakksage
Um, I took Linh Thai’s statement at face value, so I’m not extrapolating anything from it, and I’m not trying to read his mind and proclaim what “he really wanted to say.” So I don’t see how I can answer your question in the way it’s framed.
shrugs
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“@ blakksage, Um, I took Linh Thai’s statement at face value, so I’m not extrapolating anything from it, and I’m not trying to read his mind and proclaim what “he really wanted to say.” So I don’t see how I can answer your question in the way it’s framed.” Shrugs – Solitaire
My dear Solitaire, perhaps you could respond to my post in the same manner in which you responded and blindly threw your support behind jefe’s post. Personally, I’d never throw my support behind someone if I truly didn’t believe in what another person is saying or if I didn’t have my OWN full explanation running parallel to another blogger’s opinion, further expounding as to why I’m agreeing with that person. Just food for thought!
LOL! No problem, I’ll accept your empty gesticulation of a “shrug” as a signifier of throwing in the white sheet or on the other hand, your full throttle state of retreat. Although this may be a discourse here, a party retreats in war when they recognize that they either lack the required armaments or their adversary is too formidable to defeat. Discourse is in fact, a microcosmic form of war. Therefore, keep you pruning hooks sharp (mental faculty)!
@jefe, I’m still waiting!
“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
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I made no extrapolation beyond the original statement, in particular, no extrapolation about any other group not mentioned in the statement.
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I don’t see how one person’s comments about trusting the police is representative of an entire community of people. My opinion is that the Vietnamese community is wary of the police and do not trust the police but it’s also probable that there are comparisons being made between the Vietnamese and Black issues with the police. LInh Tai’s comment does seem to allude to that, so I think blacksage is probably correct in coming to that conclusion from the statement.
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Blakksage and vanishingpoint made a very good point. Most cops see Asians as the model minorities. It is unlikely they would have thought the community would act out from this. As such Linh Thai’s statement was unnecessary unless Linh was unaware of this stereotype and the impacts it has on the Asian community.
For arguments sake let’s say he was unaware. Then we can gladly take his position at face value. See it as a gesture to the police that the community will be respectful. However, seeing as he knows of this history of trust between the vietemese and police, then it is likely he is very much aware. As such blakksage would be very correct in that Linh was alluding to the idea that “unlike other groups we respect the law and trust the police.”
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@jefe said,
“How is this extrapolated? Why should we assume that it is a veiled statement about blacks?
Jefe, I need not rehash all of Amerika’s history of perpetual hatred, violence and assassination of character targeting so-called African Americans. However, instead I will point no further than Lee Atwater’s Southern Strategy (circa 1981).
Additionally, when I look at the counter on the top right portion of Abagond’s home page, it references the amount of Black people unnecessarily killed by white officers, not Bulgarians, or Swedish nor Laotian, Burmese or Vietnamese.
In American politics, the southern strategy was a Republican Party electoral strategy to increase political support among white voters in the South by appealing to racism against African Americans.
Questioner: But the fact is, isn’t it, that Reagan does get to the Wallace voter and to the racist side of the Wallace voter by doing away with legal services, by cutting down on food stamps?
Atwater: You start out in 1954 by saying, “Nigger, nigger, nigger.” By 1968 you can’t say “nigger” — that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states’ rights and all that stuff. You’re getting so abstract now [that] you’re talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you’re talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is [that] blacks get hurt worse than whites. And subconsciously maybe that is part of it. I’m not saying that. But I’m saying that if it is getting that abstract, and that coded, that we are doing away with the racial problem one way or the other. You follow me — because obviously sitting around saying, “We want to cut this,” is much more abstract than even the busing thing, and a hell of a lot more abstract than “Nigger, nigger.”
The point I was getting at is that Linh’s statement is in fact a heavily filtered, watered down version of Atwater’s Southern Strategy. In other words, he was referring to Black people’s failure as a group to respect the law without actually pointing his finger or saying so that he is in fact speaking of them. In today’s political climate, he cannot overtly say Black people do not “respect the law” or “trust the law.” Of course, that wouldn’t be beneficial because the social and political repercussion will be swift.
So instead, he merely settles for the word “we”, a pronoun referring to all Vietnamese when in fact, the shooting of Tommy had nothing to do with all Vietnamese.
In short, Linh’s statement was nothing short of racist, dog-whistle politics wrapped in a Vietnamese vernacular. To me, he told on himself because he utilized the word “we.” Merriam Webster’s definition of the word states the following:
WE: “I and the rest of a group that includes me.”
He didn’t have to use the word “we.” The topic was Tommy Le, the young man that was unnecessarily shot to death by an officer of King County’s Sheriff Department. Had he kept the focus on Tommy and the unfortunate circumstances surrounding his death, he wouldn’t appear so darn racist to me.
Furthermore, if you’re incapable of critical discernment or deep thinking beyond what’s placed in from of you, that is not my problem.
Is it possible that we can deconstruct and analyze in any other way?” – jefe
No! To me, it is what it is. Besides, if we were to do that, we’d be supporting Linh’s racist, dog-whistle statement.
“When I read that statement, I saw no latent message that it implied that others did not respect the law, and even after reading the proposed extrapolation and rereading the original statement, I do not see how we should assume that that is the underlying meaning.” – jefe
Regarding the second inquiry, I will refer you to Atwater’s Southern Strategy and the definition of dog-whistle politics listed above. Even further, in order to fully understand, first you’d have to be able to empathize or walk in the shoe of a “ni**er” that Lee Atwater and Gov. George Wallace hated so.
Additionally, you(jefe), appear to suffer from “Naive realism”: In social psychology, naïve realism is the human tendency to believe that we see the world around us objectively, and that people who disagree with us must be uninformed, irrational, or biased.”
https://psychology.iresearchnet.com/social-psychology/decision-making/naive-realism/
“Important asymmetries between self-perception and social perception arise from the simple fact that other people’s actions, judgments, and priorities sometimes differ from one’s own. This leads people not only to make more dispositional inferences about others than about themselves (E. E. Jones & R. E. Nisbett, 1972) but also to see others as more susceptible to a host of cognitive and motivational biases. Although this blind spot regarding one’s own biases may serve familiar self-enhancement motives, it is also a product of the phenomenological stance of naive realism. It is exacerbated, furthermore, by people’s tendency to attach greater credence to their own introspections about potential influences on judgment and behavior than they attach to similar introspections by others. The authors review evidence, new and old, of this asymmetry and its underlying causes and discuss its relation to other psychological phenomena and to interpersonal and intergroup conflict. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)”
http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=buy.optionToBuy&id=2004-15929-009
@vanishingpoint said: “I don’t see how one person’s comments about trusting the police is representative of an entire community of people.”
By Linh simply uttering the word “we.” Refer to the definition of this word above.
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It seems Linh Thai isn’t being truthful in his public statmemt. He is saying what the police department wants to hear from the Vietnamese community.
http://www.latimes.com/local/orangecounty/la-me-little-saigon-police-20160222-story.html
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@ michaeljonbarker
“He is saying what the police department wants to hear from the Vietnamese community.”
Yes, carefully positioning the Vietnamese community from unruly Black people who get angry when their community members are killed with phantom weapons in their hands.
Thanks for that LA Times link.
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“…the bulk of the comments essentially boil down to “Asians are racist so it’s no big deal if people kill them.””
Still dropping by for the occasional unfounded rant….
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@Afrofem
Always. Any post in Asians he has to insert some type of illogical thought. It wouldn’t be normal if he hadn’t.
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With not in
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Another cop hating piece of crap blogger.
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^^^ Another boot licking piece of crap poster
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Another criminal/criminal loving scumbag.
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@ Marc Remillard
Why should Black taxpayers love the police when they murder innocent Black taxpayers and walk away from their crimes scott free?
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