Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best said as recently as March 30 “even racist name calling should be reported to police.” Yet when Kert Lin said he attempted to report such an incident this week to the Seattle Police Department, he said the officer refused to take the report.
The incident happened in the parking lot of the Home Depot on Utah Avenue in Seattle. Lin said he called 911, but when the officer arrived, rather than take the report, he defended the name caller’s first amendment rights.
“’Ch*nk open your eyes. Go back to China,’” Lin quoted the other shopper as directing toward him.
“The racist even goaded me to get out of my car while I was calling 911,” he said.
Chief Best encouraged all such incidents to be reported in a video taped message with Lori Matsukawa, longtime journalist and recently retired news anchor with KING-TV in Seattle.
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“We will document and investigate every reported crime, even racist name-calling should be reported to police,” said Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best in that video.
“Officer Jones responded and said no crime was committed, that man was exercising his first amendment rights. No law broken, no report taken,” said Lin.
Lin also accused security at Home Depot of the same inaction.
“The Home Depot security guards advised me not to call the police and allowed the racists to do their shopping and leave, all while laughing smiling and waving to myself and security as they left,” he said. The Home Depot response, both from the manager on duty and form their corporate customer care line, stated their stance was “we do not control what others do”.
Maybe so, but you do control who shops at your store. If a customer is causing a ruckus, a store has every right to ask the customer to leave.
Lin says there is bodycam footage of his exchange with Officer Jones. Lin says he has received an apology from Chief Best.
AsAmNews has reached out to both the Seattle Police Department and Home Depot. If we hear back from them, we will add their comments.
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