Seattle mayor assault case erupts in courtroom

By Elizabeth Murtaugh

Associated Press

SEATTLE — A man accused of whacking Mayor Paul Schell in the face with a megaphone was dragged shouting from a courtroom Monday as a throng of supporters demanded his release.

Omari Tahir-Garrett, 55, who has denied striking the mayor and says he was arrested only because he is black, shouted as bailiffs pulled him away that he wanted his trial moved to a Native American jurisdiction. He did not have a chance to explain the request.

King County District Court Judge Eileen Kato postponed setting his bail until Tuesday. She ordered him held on a charge of felony assault.

Police and witnesses say Tahir-Garrett, whose given name is James C. Garrett, struck the mayor during a community celebration Saturday. Garrett was one of a handful of people who attended the event to protest the recent shooting of a black man by a white police officer.

The mayor, who suffered broken bones around his right eye in the attack, returned to work at 6:30 a.m. Monday with a nasty shiner.

Garrett interrupted the judge several times during his hearing Monday afternoon. He told her he wanted to represent himself, but that he might change his mind about that at any time.

A crowd of supporters, including several women in traditional Islamic dress, filled four rows of benches and spilled into the aisles in the court’s observation room.

They demanded Garrett’s release, chanting "Free Omari," "No justice, no peace, no racist police!" and other political slogans. When he appeared, they applauded for 30 seconds before the hearing began.

Eos Mandisa, 33, a mother and political activist from Seattle, blamed politicians and police for many problems in the Central District, where the mayor was attending an event lauding efforts to revitalize the neighborhood.

"They’re demonizing our youth. They’re gentrifying our community," she said. "It’s not just a black or white issue. Lots of people are suffering."

She added: "You can’t come into our neighborhood and holler about unity without addressing why there’s disunity in the first place. … People are tired of this."

After Garrett was removed, the judge ruled there was enough evidence to keep him in jail. She also appointed Seattle lawyer Lisa Daugaard as his counsel.

After the hearing, Daugaard argued Garrett’s request for a change of jurisdiction should have been considered by the judge.

"Mr. Tahir-Garrett was simply objecting to the court’s jurisdiction," Daugaard said. "That’s a legal motion the court could have heard and ruled on."

In recent interviews, Garrett has insisted that he didn’t hit the mayor, saying someone else threw something at him when Garrett approached to begin a conversation.

Police said Garrett is lying.

"We have more than a dozen witnesses, and their statements are all consistent regarding who struck the mayor and how the assault occurred," said Capt. Brent Wingstrand.

Garrett was arrested after officers wrestled him to the ground at the scene of Saturday’s attack.

Garrett is a longtime activist in the black community. He also is a fringe mayoral candidate running against Schell in this fall’s campaign.

Garrett has focused much of his activism on pressing the city to turn an abandoned school in the Central District into a black heritage museum. Activists occupied the school intermittently for eight years.

On Monday, Schell showed up at work earlier than usual. After taking media calls, he started preparing for staff meetings, a ribbon-cutting ceremony at a new addition to the Washington State Trade and Convention Center, campaign appearances and a trip to watch baseball’s All-Star workout at Safeco Field, spokesman Dick Lilly said.

Schell said the attack will not deter him from going out into the community and working with people to improve life in the city.

"It’s clear we can’t afford to slip at all here," he said. "There are real issues in the Central Area, in the African-American community, that need to be addressed," ranging from racial profiling to economic opportunity.

"We need to redouble our efforts and be very careful that we don’t let this escalate into something it’s not," Schell added.

In Saturday’s attack, Schell hit the ground near candle drippings and a chalk body outline protesters left in memory of Aaron Roberts, a black motorist shot to death after a traffic stop May 31. Police said he was trying to drive with an officer hanging from his car when another officer climbed into the passenger seat and shot him.

Roberts, 37, was a convicted felon wanted on an arrest warrant.