Raven Chronicles Literary Press nominated 6 poems & prose works for the 2019 Pushcart Prize, XLIV Edition. This is one of the nominated pieces:
Blues for John T. Williams
“Hey! Hey! HEY!” the cop shouted. “Put the knife down! Put the knife down! PUT THE KNIFE DOWN!” The old Indian, walking along the sidewalk, lifted his gaze from his carving and looked over his right shoulder toward the young, white lawman nine feet behind him. The officer jerked the trigger of his sidearm five times. The Indian fell to the sidewalk, dead. It was just past 4 p.m. on August 30, 2010, at the corner of Boren and Howell. The sky was blue. The air was still. The Seattle Police Officer’s name was Ian Birk. The Indian’s name was John T. Williams.
Deliberate and unlawful killing of one person by another is homicide. The officer’s shooting was ruled as “unjustified,” but the officer was not charged with homicide. The killing was awful but lawful.
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