Case 2:20-cv-00887-RAJ Document 80 Filed 07/29/20 Page 1 of 28

THE HONORABLE RICHARD A. JONES

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON
AT SEATTLE

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BLACK LIVES MATTER SEATTLE-KING
COUNTY, ABIE EKENEZAR, SHARON
SAKAMOTO, MURACO KYASHNATOCHA, ALEXANDER WOLDEAB,
NATHALIE GRAHAM, and ALEXANDRA
CHEN,
Plaintiffs,

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v.

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CITY OF SEATTLE,

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I, ROBERT L. CHRISTIE, hereby declare as follows:

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1.

I am over the age of eighteen years and am a citizen of the United States. I have

personal knowledge of the facts set forth herein and am competent to testify to them at trial.

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DECLARATION OF ROBERT L.
CHRISTIE

Defendant.

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NO. 2:20-cv-00887

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I am one of the attorneys of record for defendant in this matter.

3.

I provided the following links to videos on Twitter to defendant’s expert William

Neale:

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DECLARATION OF ROBERT L. CHRISTIE
(2:20-CV-00887) - 1

CHRISTIE LAW GROUP, PLLC
2100 WESTLAKE AVENUE N., SUITE 206
SEATTLE, WA 98109
206-957-9669

 Case 2:20-cv-00887-RAJ Document 80 Filed 07/29/20 Page 2 of 28

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https://twitter.com/daeshikjr/status/1287270463773609987?s=09

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https://twitter.com/lukeryderrr/status/1287172224588214272

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https://twitter.com/NLG_Seattle/status/1287427693680582656

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https://twitter.com/SimoneReports/status/1287223999869497345?s=20

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4.

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Mr. Neale’s firm Kineticorp “stabilized” the above videos, inserted them onto

PowerPoint slides and shared the slide deck with me through a secure link.
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I added to the PowerPoint presentation by creating a cover page and final page. I

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also took screenshots of certain moments in some of the stabilized videos and added slides with

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those images, in each case placing the slides before the actual video. I labelled each slide with the

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Twitter link name to indicate the source for each video or screenshot. I also added a time reference

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for each screenshot, some editorial comment, and some circles/squares/arrows for focus. The

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videos and screenshot images are unaltered from the original source, other than the stabilization

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as described in Mr. Neale’s declaration and my obvious additions as described above.

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6.

A true and correct copy of the final version of the PowerPoint presentation is

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attached hereto as Exhibit A. A PDF version of the PowerPoint presentation is attached hereto as

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Exhibit B.

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7.

As required by a federal consent decree, Seattle Police Department has extensive

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procedures to ensure the integrity of its internal force reporting and review systems. All uses of

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force are reported by officers and reviewed by their chain of command. See section 8.400-8.500

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of the Seattle Police Manual, available at https://www.seattle.gov/police-manual/title-8

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DECLARATION OF ROBERT L. CHRISTIE
(2:20-CV-00887) - 2

CHRISTIE LAW GROUP, PLLC
2100 WESTLAKE AVENUE N., SUITE 206
SEATTLE, WA 98109
206-957-9669

 Case 2:20-cv-00887-RAJ Document 80 Filed 07/29/20 Page 3 of 28

8.

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Under SPD Manual Section 8.500-POL-2(4), officers have 30 days from the date

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force is used to complete their use of force reports and for sergeants to review. They can also

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request extensions to this deadline.
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For all serious uses of force, a supervisor or a team of specialized detectives

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responds to the scene to investigate. SPM § 8.400-POL-4 & POL-5. In this context, serious force

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means any force that causes or is reasonably expected to cause physical injury greater than

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transitory pain. See SPM § 8.050. After each investigation is complete, SPD’s Force Review

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Board determines whether the force complied with policy, training, and tactics, and makes

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recommendations, if necessary, for systemic changes. SPM § 8.500-POL-4. Throughout this

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process, the chain of command and the Force Review Board both make referrals to the Office of

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Police Accountability (OPA) for disciplinary investigations as appropriate. SPM § 8.500-POL-

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4(10) & 5.002-POL-5 & POL-6.
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OPA is an independent, civilian-led agency that investigates allegations of

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misconduct against individual police officers.

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3.29.010(B). All of OPA’s investigations are reviewed by the Office of Inspector General for

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Public Safety which makes a determination as to whether the investigation was objective,

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thorough, and timely. Id. § 3.29.240(C). Once OPA’s investigation and the OIG’s review are

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complete, then OPA provides the Chief of Police with case analysis and recommended disciplinary

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findings, if any. Id. § 3.29.135.

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///

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///
DECLARATION OF ROBERT L. CHRISTIE
(2:20-CV-00887) - 3

Accountability Ordinance, § 3.29.100(B) &

CHRISTIE LAW GROUP, PLLC
2100 WESTLAKE AVENUE N., SUITE 206
SEATTLE, WA 98109
206-957-9669

 Case 2:20-cv-00887-RAJ Document 80 Filed 07/29/20 Page 4 of 28

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I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America that the

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foregoing is true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.

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SIGNED in Seattle, Washington, this 29th day of July, 2020.

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/s/ Robert L. Christie
ROBERT L. CHRISTIE

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DECLARATION OF ROBERT L. CHRISTIE
(2:20-CV-00887) - 4

CHRISTIE LAW GROUP, PLLC
2100 WESTLAKE AVENUE N., SUITE 206
SEATTLE, WA 98109
206-957-9669

 Case 2:20-cv-00887-RAJ Document 80 Filed 07/29/20 Page 5 of 28

Exhibit A is a PPT file on a CD
Submitted to the Clerk

EXHIBIT A

 Case Document 80 Filed 07/29/20 Page 6 of 28

EXHIBIT 

Case 2:20-cv-00887-RAJ Document 80 Filed 07/29/20 Page 7 of 28

Plaintiffs’ submitted videos
Stabilized with isolated screen captures
Submitted by the City of Seattle
Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County et al v. City of Seattle
C20-887RAJ

 Case 2:20-cv-00887-RAJ Document 80 Filed 07/29/20 Page 8 of 28

Armed individual targeted with OC spray. 3:02

https://twitter.com/daeshikjr/status/1287270463773609987?s=09

 Case 2:20-cv-00887-RAJ Document 80 Filed 07/29/20 Page 9 of 28
https://twitter.com/daeshikjr/status/1287270463773609987?s=09

5:66

 Case 2:20-cv-00887-RAJ Document 80 Filed 07/29/20 Page 10 of 28
Woman grabs
and pulls backwards against baton and is sprayed. 6:86

https://twitter.com/daeshikjr/status/1287270463773609987?s=09

 Case 2:20-cv-00887-RAJ Document 80 Filed 07/29/20 Page 11 of 28

https://twitter.com/daeshikjr/status/1287270463773609987?s=09

 Case 2:20-cv-00887-RAJ Document 80 Filed 07/29/20 Page 12 of 28

Officer giving directions to move back. 2:10

https://twitter.com/lukeryderrr/status/1287172224588214272

 Case 2:20-cv-00887-RAJ Document 80 Filed 07/29/20 Page 13 of 28

OC spray deployed in a targeted non-sweeping burst. 13:47

https://twitter.com/lukeryderrr/status/1287172224588214272

 Case 2:20-cv-00887-RAJ Document 80 Filed 07/29/20 Page 14 of 28

Armored individual with leaf blower. 18:75

https://twitter.com/lukeryderrr/status/1287172224588214272

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https://twitter.com/lukeryderrr/status/1287172224588214272

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Legal Observer’s starting position. 0:00

https://twitter.com/NLG_Seattle/status/1287427693680582656

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Officer begins a targeted release of OC spray at an individual out of frame. 1:75
https://twitter.com/NLG_Seattle/status/1287427693680582656

 Case 2:20-cv-00887-RAJ Document 80 Filed 07/29/20 Page 18 of 28

Legal Observer moves left towards stream while filming. 2:28

Spray cloud to her left

https://twitter.com/NLG_Seattle/status/1287427693680582656

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https://twitter.com/NLG_Seattle/status/1287427693680582656

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Nurse was not providing medical aid.
She was de- arresting an individual.

Elise Barrett, Dkt. 54
https://twitter.com/SimoneReports/status/1287223999869497345?s=20

 Case 2:20-cv-00887-RAJ Document 80 Filed 07/29/20 0:00
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https://twitter.com/SimoneReports/status/1287197567772553216?s=20.

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https://twitter.com/SimoneReports/status/1287197567772553216?s=20

Dropping her backpack 6:70

 Moving to engage the police 10:58

Case 2:20-cv-00887-RAJ Document 80 Filed 07/29/20 Page 23 of 28

https://twitter.com/SimoneReports/status/1287197567772553216?s=20

 Case 2:20-cv-00887-RAJ Document 80 Filed 07/29/20 Page 24 of 28

OC spray deployed as she tries to de-arrest. 11:89

https://twitter.com/SimoneReports/status/1287197567772553216?s=20

 Case 2:20-cv-00887-RAJ Document 80 Filed 07/29/20 Page 25 of 28

Bottle thrown at officer involved. 13:66

https://twitter.com/SimoneReports/status/1287197567772553216?s=20

 Case 2:20-cv-00887-RAJ Document 80 Filed 07/29/20 16:93
Page 26 of 28

https://twitter.com/SimoneReports/status/1287197567772553216?s=20

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https://twitter.com/SimoneReports/status/1287197567772553216?s=20

 Case 2:20-cv-00887-RAJ Document 80 Filed 07/29/20 Page 28 of 28

Elise Barrett
• Q13 Fox Reporter: What were you trying to do in that moment
before you go sprayed?
• Nurse: “Pull the guy away. I mean, I’ve seen footage from Hong
Kong, of like, how you have to get people away from the cops
because once they get them they arrest them, they brutalize them,
they beat them, they look like, I saw the guy with the
baton……..”
“I saw the guy with the baton, I saw the guy they
tried to drag down and thought no no, shit no. So yeah”