Seattle march protests cop killing of Che Taylor

Militant/Clay Dennison

SEATTLE — Chanting “Whose life matters? — Che’s life matters,” more than 100 people marched and rallied in front of police headquarters here Feb. 25 to protest the killing of Che Taylor by Seattle cops five days earlier. Many people joined in as the demonstration went through downtown. Protesters demanded Michael Spaulding and Scott Miller, the two cops who fired at Taylor, be charged and that Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole be fired.

“We have a purpose. The cause must be clear, we must not be destructive,” André Taylor, above left, Che’s brother, told the rally. “Let us tell the police and every city official: “Not this time.”

“This is not just about Che,” Taylor said. “It is about a cause.”

Gerald Hankerson, Seattle King County NAACP president, called the shooting “cold-blooded murder” at a Feb. 23 press conference. He said police efforts to highlight Che Taylor’s felony record were an attempt to tarnish him. “Whatever he did in life,” Hankerson said, “is irrelevant to us.”

The family and supporters invited people to attend Che Taylor’s March 5 funeral, publicizing the time and place on the Internet.

— CLAY DENNISON