‘All Lives Splatter’ post during protests gets detective fired, Washington cops say
A detective who posted a photo on Facebook with the words “all lives splatter” after two protesters were hit by a car during the George Floyd demonstrations in July has been fired, according to a memo from the King County sheriff.
Detective Mike Brown was placed on leave in July for the post, and the King County undersheriff recommended he be fired, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. Brown, a deputy of more than 40 years, was officially terminated Thursday, Sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht wrote in the memo, which was sent to the former detective Wednesday.
“It is necessary that I also consider your ability to be effective as a law enforcement officer, given the ample material now available to discredit and undermine you and your work for this Office,” Johanknecht wrote. “The damage to your integrity and ability to continue to serve as a law enforcement officer cannot be repaired.”
Brown’s Facebook posts
The sheriff’s office investigated eight of Brown’s posts, dating back as early as June 1, 2020, based on complaints from the public, Undersheriff Patti Cole-Tindall wrote in a memo sent to Brown in October. The sheriff’s office received the most complaints about the “all lives splatter” post, according to the memo.
The image posted by Brown showed a truck plowing into people and also had the words “keep your [expletive] off the road,” according to a screenshot from the sheriff’s office. Brown posted it shortly after two protesters were hit by a driver during a demonstration on a closed freeway in Seattle, the sheriff’s office said.
One of the victims, Summer Taylor, 24, died from her injuries.
A June 1 post that included the repost of a video from Baltimore showing a Black woman striking a police officer, followed by an officer punching the woman and knocking her to the ground, was also investigated, according to the memo.
“You wrote a post with the video that reads, “When in doubt... Knock em out,” Cole-Tindall wrote in the memo.
Unrest in Seattle
Cole-Tindall considered the context in which the posts were made during the investigation, she wrote in the memo.
She wrote that after George Floyd, 46, died while in police custody on May 25, his death sparked an avalanche of protests across the nation.
Some of the demonstrations included clashes between protesters and police, thefts, fires and other unrest.
“Protests became violent and destructive in some instances in downtown Seattle, resulting in rioters burning police cars, [destroying] property, and looting,” according to Cole-Tindall’s memo.
Authorities have said the violence and thefts involve much smaller groups at mostly peaceful gatherings. The vast majority of the protesters across the nation were “peaceful demonstrators calling for change,” law enforcement officials told ABC News in June.
Brown placed on leave
Johanknecht learned of the “all lives splatter” photo and put Brown on leave shortly after, the sheriff’s office said in a July Facebook post.
“We value all members of our community and are committed to serving everyone equally, with dignity and respect,” Johanknecht said in a statement, McClatchy News previously reported. “I will take swift action to thoroughly investigate when the conduct of Sheriff’s Office members fails to reflect our core values and violates Sheriff’s Office policy.”
Undersheriff’s recommendation
Cole-Tindall announced in the October memo that after investigating Brown’s conduct, she recommended he be fired, McClatchy News previously reported.
“Despite your stated intentions, that your thoughts were about the risks for pedestrians on freeways, the obvious impact of the post was quite different,” Undersheriff Patti Cole-Tindall wrote in a memo sent to Brown. “It callously endorsed the actions of those who injured protesters on the freeway.”
After he was presented with the undersheriff’s findings, Brown was offered the option to meet with Johanknecht “to present his position prior to the sheriff making a final disciplinary decision.” He and the sheriff met on Nov. 19 for a “Loudermill Hearing,” where they discussed “the proposed termination resulting from this investigation of your Facebook postings,” according to a memo from Johanknecht detailing her findings.
This story was originally published February 12, 2021 at 5:01 PM with the headline "‘All Lives Splatter’ post during protests gets detective fired, Washington cops say."