In review: 1 month of PNW Justice Journal

Welcome to the first edition of The Monthly PNW Justice Journal.

Thank you

Sending you bits of reporting, some reflections and key headlines each week has given my otherwise directionless summer so much meaning. And while still incredibly challenging to self-motivate at times, particularly in the dog days of summer¹, I've so appreciated those of you who have signed up as members, giving me both the space to follow my unique perspective and the accountability to deliver consistently. I'm also starting to see new patterns and trends from reading so many headlines across the region, including AI-powered state surveillance extending into HOA's and police crackdowns on visible homelessness after the recent 9th Circuit decision in Grants Pass, Oregon,

By the numbers

Through six weeks, I've reviewed and reformatted over TWO-HUNDRED EIGHTY-FIVE LINKS, mostly by hand to start (terrible, would not recommend, constantly ruminating whether anyone actually reads them??) All that reading, formatting and thinking has added up to over 13,000 words in six weekly newsletters and one "breaking news" email, all edited by yours truly with the help of AI grammar bots. Fortunately, I've only stayed up writing past midnight twice.³

All said and done, it's taken me at least a full day each week to write the newsletter, comb through links and self-edit to the best of my ability, not counting all the time I spend reading and cataloging links throughout the week. When I'm not doing that, I'm reading public records, talking with folks closest to the issues I cover and seeking partners to expand this project. All that and meeting deadlines!

How everything else is going

When it comes to the non-journalism part of starting a micro news organization, I've truly been flying by the seat of my pants. So far, I got a business license, built a website, opened a bank account, learned about taxes, joined small business groups, met with potential collaborators, and so on. My to-do list is way too long and still growing, but I'm excited about what's to come.

I've also moved! I'm hoping Olympia can be a home base for more travel to parts of the PNW not named Seattle or Portland. Reply to this email with your ideas.

What's coming up

My two upcoming pitches for NPR involve AI police surveillance and the unique settlement agreement in the Olympia police killing of Timothy Green. Know of anything related or otherwise happening in your neck of the woods? Drop a line.

I want a key feature of my website to be hosting some sort of repository for public records and court documents, some of which I'll link to from my reporting, and others submitted by vetted contributors.

Feedback please

I measure success through engagement and connections as much as data. I want to hear from you! What have you liked about The Weekly so far? What do you want more of? What could you use less of?

This month in PNW justice history

August 30, 2010: The Killing of John T. Williams

John T. Williams, a respected Indigenous woodcarver, is shot and killed by Seattle Police Officer Ian Birk after crossing the street downtown. Birk claims Williams, walking slowly with a pocketknife and a piece of wood, was a threat. Dashcam footage showed Birk opening fire on Williams, who was hard of hearing, moments after exiting his patrol car and yelling for Williams to drop the knife. Birk resigns but is never charged for Williams' killing, which helped spur the DOJ review of SPD revealing systematic excessive force, particularly among people of color, and a 2012 federal consent decree. The John T. Williams Honor Pole is later carved at Seattle's Pier 57 by friends and family, then transported to Seattle Center. Several years later, Williams' killing helps galvanize support for citizen's Initiative I-940, which strikes down Washington's nearly impossible barrier for prosecuting excessive force in 2018. SPD still needs to work on crowd control and discipline to get a federal judge to lift the rest of the 12-year-old court-ordered reform agreement with the DOJ.

Footnotes

1: The two heat waves we had were particularly painful for focus, hence a few late Friday and Saturday morning deliveries. I've learned being an entrepreneur, like being a journalist, means staying up on your computer until 2 a.m. sometimes.

2: I'm working on joining a local news association for tax-deductible status and also creating a pay-what-you-want sliding scale.

3: Maybe three now...