Saturday, October 14, 2006

Physicians Heal Thyselves

Dr. Bruce Barker, a 50-year-old physician for Kaiser Permanente, was the key witness in the trial of Marvin Washington, who was accused of illegally possessing a gun outside the Holly Courts public housing project, where he lived, in San Francisco.

Barker testified that he had been at the housing project on the afternoon that Washington was arrested, and had seen a cellular phone -- not a gun -- in his right hand. But prosecutors said the story was impossible...

Prosecutors said a housing project security officer had reported hearing gunshots at about 5 p.m. and had seen Washington running with a gun toward the office...

A doctor working for Kaiser Permanente helping to cover up a "gun crime"? Not the same Kaiser Permanente that gets awards from Women Against Gun Violence?

3 comments:

E. David Quammen said...

You know, the thought has occurred to me David. That you have a memory like an elephant. And you must be very well organized. Because you can dig up from memory the long ago facts on people/things very handily.

You'd make an excellent investigative reporter or detective....

Anonymous said...

I purposely haven't read the story yet. I wanted to see how close I could guess what happened.

I am basing my guesses solely on the response of law enforcement.

Mr. Washington was arrested and beaten, or shot and arrested by police because he had "something" in his hand? Now there is a lawsuit pending and the prosecutor's office is trying everything they can to get some kind of conviction to negate their liability in a civil suit?

How'd I do?

Now, I will go read the article.

Anonymous said...

I call foul. How could I know that this time they would use the truth?

Actually, I should have read the article first, but the story so seldom changes that some of us are lulled into prejudgment. Shame on me.