By Aaron Miller-
A Seattle Police officer is under investigation for hurling racist slurs and making threats towards his elderly Chinese-American neighbor. The incident has been met with outrage and calls for accountability within the police force.
The unsettling incident came to light when the victim, Zhen Jin, an elderly Chinese-American woman who works as a Seattle Public School bus driver and cares for her blind, elderly Palestinian-American uncle, recorded audio of the encounter.
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The recording captured Seattle Police Officer Burton Hill, also a realtor, and his wife, Agnes Miggins, using racist language and threats against Jin during a heated confrontation.
The altercation occurred in August 2022 and took place in the Kenmore condominiums where all three individuals reside.
The dispute reportedly began when Hill and Miggins accused Jin of endangering their dog by allegedly leaving chicken bones in the condo’s courtyard, a claim that Jin vehemently denied.
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The audio recording, lasting approximately 20 minutes, reveals a disturbing pattern of behavior.
Explicit Racial Slur
Hill and Miggins repeatedly dismissed Jin’s participation in the conversation due to her not owning the property, despite property records indicating otherwise.
During the confrontation, Hill directed a racial slur, offensive to East Asians, towards Jin, saying, “You think that’s funny, you dumb fing ch?”
Hill also subjected Jin to verbal abuse, using derogatory language and making baseless accusations, such as accusing her of stealing money from her uncle.
Unaware he was being recorded, at one point, Hill menacingly told Jin, “You’re going to jail.” The recording further captured Hill mocking Jin’s uncle’s accent and Miggins making insensitive remarks about his nationality.
Persistent Misconduct
This incident is not an isolated case for Officer Burton Hill. The Office of Police Accountability (OPA) has initiated six investigations into Hill’s conduct since he joined the Seattle Police Department in 2016.
Four of these investigations involved allegations of bias-policing complaints, though none of the accusations were sustained by the OPA.
Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz took immediate action upon listening to the audio recording, placing Officer Hill on paid administrative leave and ordering a review of Hill’s arrest and investigation history.
Chief Diaz acknowledged said he acknowledged the need to rebuild trust between the department and the community, emphasizing the work yet to be done in achieving this goal.
Seattle Police Chief: Adrian Diaz
Community Outrage and Calls for Accountability
The incident involving Officer Hill and the subsequent investigation have ignited outrage within the community, with demands for accountability growing louder.
Advocates for police reform emphasize the importance of transparent investigations, robust oversight, and meaningful consequences for officers found guilty of misconduct.
Seattle’s history, like many other cities, bears the scars of past racially discriminatory practices within the police force.
Only last week, a Seattle police officer was put under investigation after his body-worn camera captured a phone conversation following the death of a woman from India who was fatally struck by a police car speeding on a routine call out.
The recording featured the officer is laughing and says the victim “had limited value,” and a statement from the Seattle Police Department confirmed this.
Earlier this month, Adrian Diaz spoke confidently about how his force is evolving into a special force that is always finding ways to get better.
In 2011, a comprehensive investigation by the Justice Department announced its findings that the Seattle Police Department (SPD) haf engaged in a pattern or practice of excessive force that violates the Constitution and federal law.
It said it found reasonable cause to believe that SPD engages in a pattern or practice of excessive force, in violation of the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994.
It also raised serious concerns that some of SPD’s policies and practices, particularly those related to pedestrian encounters, could result in unlawful discriminatory policing.
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