Week in Review: Manny Ellis, Microsoft, and AI

Bill Radke discusses the week’s news with Geekwire’s Mike Lewis, South Seattle Emerald’s Lauryn Bray, and KUOW’s Joshua McNichols.

A major trial started in Tacoma this week, the largest prosecution of police officers for an on-duty death in almost a century. It's also the first trial since voters passed a law that makes it easier to hold officers liable for using deadly force. Three Tacoma officers are accused of first-degree manslaughter. Two of those three also charged with second-degree murder. The victim, 33-year-old Manny Ellis, was walking home after buying doughnuts from a 7-Eleven on the night of March 3, 2020. The cops say he attacked their patrol car, but that is disputed, and there's no video evidence to reinforce their claim. The officers tackled Ellis, restrained him, tied him up, and tased him.

You can hear Ellis on a video saying, "Can't breathe, sir. Can't breathe." The medical examiner said Ellis died from a lack of oxygen due to physical restraint. The autopsy also showed methamphetamine in his blood and that he had a heart condition. Officers Matthew Collins and Christopher Burbank are charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter. Officer Timothy Rankine is charged with manslaughter. All three officers are on paid leave while they’re on trial. They have all pleaded not guilty. What else do we know about that night?

Microsoft has been renovating its Redmond campus for years. It's nearing the end of the project. Why should non-Microsoft employees care about this? Why is it a regionally important project? How “sustainable” is Microsoft’s redevelopment?

As part of an 18-month pilot, an artificial intelligence system will monitor feeds from wide-angle cameras at two intersections near Othello and Columbia City light rail stations. The AI can distinguish pedestrians and cyclists from cars, buses, and trains, and understands how they move. It recognizes safety problems that don't get written up in police reports like near-misses and can monitor intersections 24 hours a day. How does it work?

After the Mariners failed to make the playoffs, the team's catcher, Cal Raleigh, had some complaints, including that the team isn’t spending enough money for great players. After that, reporters asked Mariners General Manager Jerry Dipoto if the team should have opened its wallet and hired stars, and he said essentially that that's a risky short-term bet. You risk spending your money, still not winning the World Series and then you're so broke that you stink for years afterward. Dipoto said it's better to marshal your money so that you're maybe not great now but you're good for a long time. Is he wrong?