The Seattle Police Department is apologizing and Chief Adrian Diaz has ordered inspections of the precinct headquarters across the city after revelation of a video from 2021 showing a mock gravestone for a Black teen shot and killed by police and a Trump flag on the walls of Capitol Hill’s East Precinct.

CHS reported here on the body-worn video taken around the time of the January 6th United States Capitol attack showing a “TRUMP 2020” flag and a mock gravestone for Damarius Butts — a Black 19-year-old killed in a “justified” shooting by Seattle Police.

Friday, SPD released a statement on the video. “While we do not know the origin of the items in question from 2 ½ years ago, there is no doubt they are inappropriate,” the statement begins. “We recognize the hurt and disappointment this has caused.”

In the statement, SPD says Diaz has ordered “thorough inspections of our precincts and office space to ensure any décor is appropriate under City standards and aligns with our core values and mission of public service.”

The statement released Friday attempts to explain the presence of the items, saying the Trump flag was removed long before the video surfaced. “The department does not know who hung that flag 2 ½ years ago, but it was likely removed as improper political speech in the workplace,” SPD’s statement reads.

A poster depicting a tardigrade “water bear” with the slogan “Live Tiny, Die Never” and the letters “WBDC” is “a reference to resilience under pressure,” the department says, and remains on the wall in the precinct above 12th and Pine.

Meanwhile, SPD said the mock gravestone was likely an artifact of the protests outside the East Precinct.

“During 2020/2021, the East precinct was a focal point for protests and riots,” the statement reads. “Protestors often placed items around the precinct, and they’d wind up on a storage shelf until they were discarded. The Trump flag was removed prior to the release of this video.”

SPD says the department is reviewing policies and procedures “with respect to the maintenance and use of our facilities.” In addition to department policies, the display of the Trump campaign flag is a possible violation of state law regulating involvement in partisan politics while on duty.

The Office of Police Accountability announced it has launched an investigation following publication of the video.

Seattle Police said earlier in a statement about the fake gravestone that it had “no reason to believe it was placed as a ‘trophy’ or with any pejorative intent.”

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has not spoken publicly on the situation.

UPDATE: Harrell’s office informs us the mayor has addressed the video including this interview with KIRO. They also provided the following statement:

“This display is an alarming and unfortunate setback that is simply unacceptable as we work to build and repair trust between our Seattle Police Department and the community. It reflects poor judgement and a lack of sensitivity from the officers involved and from the officers who observed and allowed these displays to remain. It does not reflect the values we expect of our officers who serve the public. We support OPA’s investigation and believe it’s crucial to understand who was responsible, how long these displays remained in the break room, why police supervisors didn’t recognize the problem of allowing these items to be displayed in a City facility, and how we prevent it from happening again.

“We are working every day to develop a culture at SPD that reflects the values and priorities of our Seattle community – a department that is committed to keeping people safe, respectful of community members, continuously growing and learning, and accountable. This incident demonstrates that we have more work to do to create the department that fully lives up to those ideals.”

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