The column published in September, “The Trouble with Tying All Police Shootings to Racism,” asks us to wait for the facts before we determine whether the shooting of Mr. Stonechild Chiefstick in Poulsbo on July 3 was racially motivated. I would argue that racial bias in our U.S. justice system is already a well-documented fact.

This article claims “white officers are not any more likely to fatally shoot” people of color than non-white officers. This shows a woeful misunderstanding of the reality of institutionalized racism and how it transcends the skin color of individual officers. Stonechild Chiefstick’s death is the result of a much deeper issue than the skin color of the officer who killed him. It is the result of a justice system that values white bodies over bodies of color.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King wrote, “Justice too long delayed is justice denied.” Mr. Chiefstick did not deserve to be killed. Our Suquamish community does not deserve our silence.

Rev. Jessica Star Rockers

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