After three Tacoma police officers were found not guilty by a Pierce County jury of all charges related to Manuel Ellis’ death, more than 100 demonstrators came together on Thursday for a moving show of support in front of a mural featuring his likeness.
After a difficult and historic trial that put the state’s new police accountability law to the test, a Pierce County jury on Thursday found three Tacoma police officers not guilty of the charges against Manuel Ellis’s death.
The jury deliberated over manslaughter charges against Officer Timothy Rankine, 35, and second-degree murder charges against Officers Matthew Collins, 40, and Christopher “Shane” Burbank, 38.
Ellis, a 33-year-old black man, died in a south Tacoma intersection on March 3, 2020, after fighting with police and telling them repeatedly that he couldn’t breathe. The acquittal marked the dramatic end of a nearly four-year ordeal.
Ellis’ family hurriedly left the courtroom as the officers gave their attorneys hugs shortly after the verdict was announced. Judge Bryan Chushcoff of Pierce County Superior Court issued a warning, saying, “I would just be careful,” in reference to the tensions surrounding the trial. Right now, a lot of emotions are running high.
“The entire Tacoma Police Department was not on trial,” Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards stated at a press conference, but she did pledge that it would “continue to repair and transform.”
Tea candles flickered and yellow roses stood sentry as demonstrators chanted, passionately spoke, and pleaded with elected officials to take action. A few expressed disgust, others anger, and still others weren’t surprised by the decision.
The trial became historic as the biggest case against law enforcement since the 1930s and was the first to prosecute police misconduct under new state authority. Advocates, however, believe that history is repeating itself.
The founder of Tacoma Cease Fire, Candace Wesley, expressed her excitement about continuing the fight for police reform in the city, despite being among those who anticipated an acquittal.
You’re able to take down a lion, but what will you do with its young? She cited a statement made by black nationalist Marcus Garvey in the early 20th century. She gestured with her finger at the people gathered in front of the mural, which bears the catchphrase “Justice for Manny” in bold letters. “These are cubs over here.”
Later, she and several dozen other protestors started to march while holding signs that said things like “I can’t breathe, sir,” “Justice for Manny,” and “Black Lives Matter.” Eventually, they gathered outside the Tacoma Police Department station, went back to the mural, and called it a night.
Officers Matthew Collins and Christopher “Shane” Burbank were found not guilty on Thursday by the jury of manslaughter and second-degree murder; Timothy Rankine, an associate, was found not guilty of the lesser charge. Casey Arbenz, Collins’ attorney, said that the officers felt “a huge, huge sigh of relief” at the end.
On the social media site X, Attorney General Bob Ferguson, whose office handled the case’s prosecution, posted, “I know the Ellis family is hurting, and my heart goes out to them.”
Similar words were expressed by Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards, who had demanded that the officers be fired in 2020 and added that she has now come to value due process.
Woodards declared, “We will use this moment—this very difficult moment—to guide and inform our change.” “And Manuel Ellis’ name will live on in our memory.”
Ellis’ family swiftly left the courtroom after the verdict was announced, and his sister Monet Carter-Mixon led demonstrators to the mural—a massive artistic depiction on the side of a storefront—through Tacoma’s Hilltop neighborhood.
Are you watching us cry? Carter-Mixon addressed the assembly over a bullhorn. “They are at fault. We are aware of their guilt. We were aware of their guilt.
“This extremely challenging moment will serve as a guide and source of information for our change,” Woodards declared. “And Manuel Ellis’ name is one we will never forget.”
Following the announcement of the verdict, Ellis’ family hurriedly left the courtroom, and his sister Monet Carter-Mixon led demonstrators to the mural—a massive work of art on the side of a storefront—through Tacoma’s Hilltop neighborhood.
Do you think we’re crying? Through a bullhorn, Carter-Mixon addressed the assembly. They are at fault. They are guilty, as we are aware. They were guilty, as we knew.
Protesters held signs that read, “No justice, no peace,” and placed flowers and candles next to framed pictures of Ellis and other people slain by Washington police while Carter-Mixon, her mother, and friends hugged each other heartily.
Organizer with Tacoma Action Collective and friend of the Ellis family, Jamika Scott, said she was sick to her stomach after the verdict, which confirmed her belief that the criminal justice and law enforcement systems are flawed.
In November, Scott was elected to the Tacoma City Council. “The work we already had to do was going to be hard, and this is just going to make it harder,” Scott stated.
“Burbank, Collins, and Rankine did not train themselves, nor did they establish the Tacoma Police Department’s culture or the county’s regard for law enforcement.”
