Seattle police are facing outrage and investigation for its officer’s reaction to the death of a young woman struck by a patrol car.
A rally held on Saturday in honor of Jaahnavi Kandula, a 23-year-old student from India, brought together local Seattle residents and south Asian community members.
Organized by the south Asian charity Utsav, the angry crowd chanted for justice and accountability. Vandana Slatter, a Washington state Democratic house representative, addressed the crowd at the intersection where Kandula was killed: “We’re not a monolith, the Indian community. There’s diaspora in the community, but we are all united today.”
Other rallies in the country, from New York City to California in recent days saw similar responses, and the consulate general of India in San Francisco is demanding action against the officers involved in the case. The Biden administration has also assured the Indian government of a quick investigation.
Kandula lost her life on 23 January after being hit while crossing the street by a vehicle driven by officer Kevin Dave, who was driving 50mph above the speed limit. The case garnered national attention when dash-cam footage from the Seattle police department revealed Kandula was mocked by another Seattle police officer who responded to news of her killing in a recorded conversation with a colleague.
Daniel Auderer, a drug-recognition expert and vice-president of the Seattle police officers’ guild, was speaking on the phone to Mike Solen, president of the Seattle police officer’s guild.
“Just write a check – $11,000,” Auderer is heard saying while laughing, referencing the amount of a possible payout to Kandula’s family. “She had limited value.”
The revelation prompted backlash from south Asian Americans, including high-profile politicians and celebrities.
The Democratic US House representative Ro Khanna tweeted: “Jaahnavi Kandula came here for graduate work from India. She was killed on a crosswalk by a speeding police car, & Officer Auderer said her life had ‘limited value.’
“I thought of my Dad who came here in his 20s. Mr. Auderer, the life of every Indian immigrant has infinite value.”
He added: “Anyone who thinks that a human life has ‘limited value’ should not be serving in law enforcement.”
Anyone who thinks that a human life has “limited value” should not be serving in law enforcement.
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) September 14, 2023
Members of Seattle’s south Asian community gathered together at city hall on Saturday to speak with Mayor Bruce Harrell, the police chief, Adrian Diaz, and councilmember Lisa Herbold, chair of the public safety and human services committee.
In an apology letter to Kandula’s family, Harrell wrote: “While I did not know Jaahnavi personally, I understand that she was a caring, kind, and smart young woman who had a very bright and promising future ahead of her. I share your grief that her life was tragically cut short.”
In a video posted to Instagram, the television host and comedian Lilly Singh said she was angered to be hearing about Kandula’s death months after she was killed. She called the video of the officer mocking Kandula “disgusting” and “inhumane”.
Singh said: “Whenever innocent lives are lost, it is heartbreaking and tragic. But this particular incident is infuriating for me, because I have been becoming intimately familiar with all the challenges girls in India face. To know that Jaahnavi did what only a small percentage of girls in India have the opportunity to do, which is get an education and that too abroad, but have her life taken and dismissed in this way is simply heartbreaking and unjust to the highest degree.
“At what point does the world stop dismissing the value of girls and women, specifically Indian girls and women?”
The actor Priyanka Chopra wrote in an Instagram story: “It’s appalling to learn that such a tragic incident that happened 9 months ago is only coming to light now. A life is a life. One cannot put any value on it.”
Auderer insists his statements were misunderstood.
In a statement, the Seattle police said: “While any incident of public concern is under OPA, SPD or OIG review, no City employee should comment, either in their official or personal capacity, in a way that suggests that any factual, policy, or legal conclusions have been reached about the incident.”
The officer who killed Kandula has been criminally charged and Seattle police are investigating the incident.
