From the Congressional Commission on Civil Rights, investigation of Sonoma County law enforcement's excessive police killings, 13 years ago, when the Oct 22 shooter had been on the force for eleven years and the boy he killed, had been just born.
"While
the Commission has held hearings in many instances where the two sides do not
see eye to eye on the issues, there has rarely been, in my experience, a
situation so polarized such as Sonoma County where one side so vehemently denies
that there is a problem at all. Even given the abnormally high number of
police-involved deaths in recent years, given the strong regional reaction to
the killing of Mr. Kuan Chung Kao by the Rohnert Park Public Safety Department,
and given the overwhelming turnout of concerned citizens on the day of the
hearing, local law enforcement continued to paint a peaceful picture of
police-community that defied all belief. Instead of using the hearing as an
opportunity to candidly respond to issues and concerns of the community, local
law enforcement chose to raise a blue shield in defense and deny that any such
problems existed at all."
"The
members and supporters of law enforcement went so far as to pack the hearing
room with supporters wearing yellow buttons to the exclusion of any other
voices. While dozens of community members representing other viewpoints were
forced to wait downstairs, many supporters of law enforcement refused to comply
with the Commission’s request to yield their seats in turn so that we could
have a complete and balanced perspective."