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I'm an ER Nurse in Seattle. Last night @SeattlePD officers came to the ER to obtain a statement from an assault patient. One officer, Eric Whitehead, blatantly refused to put a mask on while standing in a high-traffic hallway. There were covid positive pts in nearby rooms. 1/
Multiple nurses handed him masks. When I saw he threw them away I asked if there was a problem. Whitehead put his hand in my face and said "Miss, I'm here to do my job and you interrupting me is keeping me from that. If you need to have a conversation about masks it can wait." 2/
(He was not responding to a crime. There were multiple other officers present. He wasn't even speaking with the patient, he was standing in the hallway.) I told him There is no conversation, I just need you to wear a mask. You're putting patients and staff at risk by refusing. 3/
Whitehead ignored me point blank. I escalated to my Charge Nurse. He condescendingly refused her too. Nursing Supervisor got involved and he finally put on mask but stated he would be taking it off in the patient room. 4/
Throughout all this, at least 3 other officers were standing right there. None of them thought to say "Hey man maybe you should just put the mask on." 5/
This officer came into a hotbed of an infectious disease pandemic, deliberatly violated not only hospital policy but state mandated public heath actions and common human decency, and spoke to frontline workers like we were garbage. There was no accountability from his peers. 6/
This ER has taken every precaution to mitigate covid spread. I've spent 12hrs in layers of PPE several times a week for months. I have pressure sores on my face from my N95. I asked you to wear a paper mask for 30 minutes. 7/
I was met by this arrogant prick flexing his false authority in a way that disregarded all of that. His colleagues were complicit. If cops can't tell another to put on a mask, you think they'll tell each other to get a knee off his neck or don't shoot her in her sleep? 8/
The system is broken. The audacity, arrogance, & self-importance assumed by police is disgusting. Sure there are cops who are better than that. But they're cool working for a system that lets it proliferate. Until policing is broken down and rebuilt, nothing will change. 9/
Please share. Encourage @SeattlePD to hold Whitehead accountable for endangering himself and others @SeattleCouncil @CMDanStrauss @RepJayapal @PramilaJayapal @MariaCantwell @MurrayCampaign @komonews @KING5Seattle @Crosscut @TheStranger
