On March 27, 1984, Robert Baldwin killed King County Police Officer Michael Raeburn with a sword when he was being served a notice evicting him from a Yesler Terrace apartment. After a 17-hour standoff, the emergency-response team stormed the unit. Baldwin died of 21 bullet wounds in his back. Despite considerable evidence to the contrary, the jury found the police were justified in their use of deadly force. The Baldwin incident and the subsequent criticism over the police handling of the situation have influenced how police handle standoffs now.
In this image members of the Robert Baldwin Coalition gather in front of the King County Courthouse to protest the disposition of the Baldwin shooting case. Approximately 30 people from various political groups attended the rally, upset over the inquest into the shooting death of Robert Lewis Baldwin, a mentally disturbed Black man by the police. The poster in this image also names Riley Frost, a Black inmate who died after a neck hold was applied by a prison guard attempted to get his fingerprints.
Caption information source: The Seattle Times, Thursday, July 26, 1984, page 15 Caption information also derived from captions written by Post-Intelligencer staff and attached to the back of the photograph.
Physical Description: 1 photographic print : b&w ; 5.75 x 8.25 in.
Additional Information: Digital copy of this item available thanks to funding from a 2016 Institute for Museum and Library Services grant. Metadata updated as part of a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Library Services and Technology Act, through the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.
Credit: MOHAI, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection, 2000.107.047.32.03, photo by Mike Bainter
