Shannon Harps' murder: the mental illness factor
On the Soundoff page of an article regarding the Shannon Harps murder in today's P.I., commenter mik kacian is gloating - and they've got a right to.
I was the first person on PI soundoff and all the media to blame mental illness. This was met with such opposition and denial from so many. Why so many folks are in such denial about mental illness here?! It's not rocket science, it's in your face everyday, and it's not supposed to be like that in a jurisdiction where a lot of people get paid to take care of this issues. Just say it: MENTAL ILLNESS IS A HUGE PROBLEM IN SEATTLE'S RESIDENTIAL AREAS! It's like talking about race here! taboo taboo, taboo! and the problem goes on on and on.
Don't believe mik kacian's assertions that they were first to point the finger in the right direction? Then look below for a post we at Seattle Crime Blog originally authored on January 3, 2008 - just three days after Shannon Harps' murder - but decided against publishing, for fear of needlessly throwing blame around so soon after the victim's death.
But, our beliefs on the role of the mentally ill in this slaying remained in the back of our minds, waiting for the right opportunity to come forth...so in light of recent developments (and due to the fact that we put some work into it that would otherwise go to waste), we feel this lengthy post deserves to see the light of day. See the full rant after the jump.
Note: the rant below was originally authored January 3, 2008, and features a P.I. commenter who seemed to have remarkable foresight on who would go down for Shannon Harps' murder.
In the Soundoff section of the P.I.'s coverage this morning, readers are pointing out that there could potentially be a connection between Capitol Hill's mentally ill community and Harps' murder. Please note that at this point, none of this is anything more than speculation...there has been absolutely no official connection made between Harps' murder and the residents of local mental health homes. But it makes you wonder...especially since, as commenter mik kacian notes, members of the mentally ill community have been responsible for local assaults in the past.mik kacian's post is pretty solid all the way through, and raises some good questions. They write:
He went East on Howell and south on 16th? There is a huge mental illness facility, as well as some funky housing for them is scattered around that facility. They always hang out outside, bang their heads on the walls and walk around in total confusion. [Note: the Seattle Crime Blogger can attest to this fact, as he has witnessed the aforementioned activity on multiple occasions - Ed.] Anyone bothered to check there? It's crazy how the city allows such facilities to be so close to residential, school, and other public spaces. Mental illness is a serious issue, and is out of control in Seattle. The amount of mentally ill here is amazing. I never seen so many sick people in public spaces without any supervision ever anywhere. Downtown, Queen Anne, Capitol Hill, University District, metro buses, etc. It's unbelievable, I am beginning to think that local government don't want to deal with this, or don't think it is an issue.I have no doubt that it was done by a mentally disturbed person. [As usual, emphasis added by the Seattle Crime Blogger - Ed.]
Of course, as is often the case here in the National Capitol of Political Correctness, other readers were quick to jump on mik kacian and criticize his seemingly logical response. Aptly-named user Liberal Dragon retorts:
Your sense of reality here is way off and it's "not just that facility on 16th" that's the problem. It's the mentally ill on Broadway, Downtown and across every city in the U.S. because we simply don't believe in taking care of, or making the financial investment to take care of people suffering from mental illness.Please stop the finger pointing and witch hunt tactics. It's not the local government that's the problem here, it's the Federal Government because Seattle is NOT imune to this problem.
"Witch hunt tactics?" Please. Spare us the preaching. mik kacian's post is simply making connections from the point of reason, without taking a specific side in the debate. Bringing in national problems and blaming the federal government does nothing to help solve Harps' murder, and turns an incredibly local issue into one that covers the entire nation. Liberal Dragon may very well be correct in their assertions on the problems spawned by the federal government; but this is neither the time nor the place.
It is obvious to anyone with half a brain: Seattle is notorious for being overly accepting of problematic individuals. And now, if mik kacian's assertions are correct (and that's a big if), it appears that our liberal approach to the mentally ill may have led to murder.
Something has been really bothering since they arrested Shannon's murderer and I've yet to see it addressed in the media or elsewhere. If they had the murderer's DNA the next day, why was that sample not processed prior to the DNA of the other suspect that was sitting in jail. Why if the murderer was at a bus shelter near the crime, with a beer can identical to one found at the scene, and DNA was taken from him on the spot - why was the DNA sample not expedited immediately and the murderer placed in custody for everyone's proection. He was free to roam and potentially kill again until January 18. I do not understand what happened with the DNA sample. What if this guy had gone on to kill someone else before the 18th?
What you're experiencing is called the "CSI effect". Williams gave a voluntary sample the night of, but what were SPD detectives to compare it to? What evidence did they have at the crime scene on that night?
Sending DNA samples off to a lab doesn't happen within a 60 minute time frame complete with commercial breaks. It takes a lot of time, and it doesn't happen in-house, it goes to the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab...who are already running many other cases.
It was fortunate that by the time a match was made that Williams was in DOC custody, made the SPD detectives' job a lot easier in finding him.