City council has tonight finally voted to approve police oversight improvements suggested by City Commissioner Randy Leonard two weeks ago. City Commissioner Amanda Fritz asked for a vote to be delayed so that her human relations committee could weigh in last week. Some feel that Fritz’s “public process” concerns were misplaced. Still…
- AARON CAMPBELL’S MOTHER, MARVA CAMPBELL-DAVIS, SAT IN THE AUDIENCE AT COUNCIL TONIGHT
“I want to acknowledge the mother of Aaron Campbell and the young lady who was shot with the beanbag,” said Joyce Harris with the African American Alliance. “It’s for them that we do the work that we do, and it’s for the children in our community who we hope are not victims of police violence.”
City Commissioner Dan Saltzman said he hoped the ordinance would help to “regain” the community’s trust in the police.
“With great power comes great responsibility,” said City Commissioner Randy Leonard. “And with great responsibility comes accountability. The accountability part of the police bureau is broken, at the moment, in my opinion.” “There are those that do commit acts that cause others to lose their lives that are not held accountable.” He encouraged the police bureau to “not put up roadblocks” in the way of the changes, which will be implemented over the next 30 days.
There’s more after the jump.
Some concerns have still been raised tonight about the new police review board—most notably that it will be made up of a majority of police bureau personnel, compared to citizens.
“If you really want trust, there needs to be an equal balance between citizen input and bureau input on that board,” said TJ Browning, from the cops’ citizens’ advisory board. She also said that annual performance review for cops as “a basic step to any accountability system.”
Saltzman said he plans to do annual performance reviews, and that they’re currently allowed in the police bureau contract (see page 52), but that that measure will be pursued through the bureau’s budget process. “We have heard you,” he said. He also told the Mercury two weeks ago that he intends to push for drug testing in the contract negotiations, too. One question will inevitably arise: How much is it going to cost to do annual review for police officers? Answer: A lot. But this appears to be a priority for Saltzman, who was broadly applauded for this move.
Best line of the evening went to Kevin Howard, with the Albina Ministerial Alliance coalition for police reform. “If you continue to shoot us, we can’t afford to pay you,” he said. “And they’re going to be out of a job.”
There have also been concerns about letting police internal affairs investigators investigate complaints against the police—raised by Portland Copwatch. Meanwwhile Marta Guembes said there are problems with the city attorney’s office continuing to advise both the police bureau and the independent police review.
“It’s not always allowing the fox to interview the fox. Somebody needs to stand up for the chickens,” said the Reverend T.Allen Bethel from the Albina Ministerial Alliance.
There were also ongoing concerns about racial disparities in police mistrust.
“Clearly there is a racial divide in our community, and it is based on experience,” said Jo Ann Bowman with Oregon Action. She cited a recent trust poll by Katu that shows 82% of hispanics do not trust the Portland police, 67% of African Americans don’t trust the Portland police, and only 30% of whites do not trust the police.
Attorney Greg Kafoury criticized what he called a “tyranny of silence” imposed on the majority of police officers by the worst officers. Kafoury represented Barbara Weich, the woman whose arm was broken by Officer Gregory Adrian. “She now lives in Idaho because she is so terrified by the police. The officer is doing great,” he said.
“When I hear the chief say that complaints are down, that’s because nobody has any faith in the system,” he said. “Everybody knows the names of the citizens who have been killed by police, but can anybody name one officer who has been fired. What does it mean when the worst of officers know that their job is safe, no matter what? We have to deal with the worst of our officers to make room for the best.”
“About four years ago, our close friend Ray Gwerder was shot in the back by a police officer in our home, and after he was shot, he was then Tasered,” said Molly Ayleshire, who is married to city council candidate Jesse Cornett. “I really look at this ordinance as a first step in believing that we as a community can do better.”
- CORNETT, WITH AYLESHIRE
“Listening to the chief talk this evening was jarring, hearing her try to use the budget as a reason not to go into this. That’s one of the most shallow reasons I’ve ever heard,” said Cornett. “I think there’s a lot that can and should be done. There’s much more that can be done that will stop the need to even get to this point, and in the middle of everything else that I’m doing in my life right now, to be accused of trying to make political capital out of this situation by someone who could never imagine picking up bloody gloves off your porch after the police have taken your best friend and roommate from the world.”
- DAN SALTZMAN CHATS WITH CAMPBELL-DAVIS AND THE REVEREND RENEE WARD DURING A BREAK IN PROCEEDINGS
“My daughter was the 12 year old girl who was shot by one of your officers,” said the girl’s mother. “When you have a grown man punching your daughter in the face, in his police report—that kind of force should not have been used. There was no honesty. There was no respect there.”
“I think children and adults should be able to go to the police and ask for help and not feel afraid,” said a 12-year-old girl, who had been watching the proceedings on channel 30 and asked her father to drive her down so that she could testify. “It’s not just adults who care about this. It’s 12-year-olds like me.”
“This ordinance is a good first step, but it’s also about 10 or 15 years late,” said Ed Garren, a family therapist who is running against City Commissioner Dan Saltzman in the upcoming election. “I’ll tell you the thing that was most disturbing to me tonight was Chief Sizer saying she didn’t understand why all this was going on. It’s truly distressing and depressing to me that the chief doesn’t understand what’s going on in her own community.”
Meanwhile, police union boss Scott Westerman didn’t show. But there was some defense offered by the cops.
“I’ve worked in every corner of this city,” said Commander Dave Benson, who heads up the bureau’s commanding officers’ association. “I think it’s fair to say that we have a very good police department, and that should not be overshadowed by this ordinance or any of the negative press we’ve heard in the recent days.”
In every statement and every quote in the media by members of the Portland Police Dept. shows denial of its questionable actions. Why not just acknowledge that there have been some mistakes and take action towards fixing them so that they don’t happen again. the dept. is demonstrating a sense of apathy and carelessness towards its city and the people it serves. I agree with Attorney Kafoury, the worst part is that our city’s officers know their job is safe when they get a paid vacation for shooting someone.
“…said Ed Garren, a family therapist…I’ll tell you the thing that was most disturbing to me tonight was Chief Sizer saying she didn’t understand why all this was going on. It’s truly distressing and depressing to me that the chief doesn’t understand what’s going on in her own community.”
At last, Rosie proves her incompetence and ineptness at management of a large late-stage bureaucracy in deep decline, and from her own lips came the proof. We can all take comfort that her butt is soon to be gone from the PoPo and we all ought to attend her going away party to get in our last pokes ‘n’ jabs, as we sing “…ding dong, the witch is gone…the mean old wicked witch is gone…ding dong…” and urge her go on long travels (at her expense for a change) rather than hanging around and being a high-paid “consultant” to her replacement (who shouldn’t give a damned what she has to say in first place) and we hope they open wide her windows to air out the office from the stench of sulfur so her replacement won’t be put-off from the get-go and remove the direct line to PPA so as to limit contact with that gang of self-centered thugs!
Hey! Hey! What do ya say? Change is coming to the PoPo and can’t ya hear the squealing and oink-oinking? (it’s going to get louder before it dies down…but it will die down in due time)
It was telling to see all of the PPB officers leave the Council chamber once the citizens’ testimony started.
Also enjoyed Chief Sizer implying that the PPB may not be able to afford to recruit more minority officers if this resolution were passed. How exactly those two issues are related she didn’t say.
I left City Hall tonight feeling like a part of a united community and it felt good. There seemed to be agreement that this was just a baby step and I’m optimistic that the citizens of Portland are going to keep pushing for real improvements in the way the PPB operates.
The citizens present made it very clear that they support the hard working good police officers in the city so they, I mean we shouldn’t be dismissed as loony cop haters.
No windows were broken, nobody was shot, something good was accomplished.
And all it took was half-a-riot. Well I guess that’s a big thanks to the people last monday, seems like if you want to get something done now-a-days sensationalism is the only route. Maybe if logic and reason weren’t so largely ignored it would have been completed years ago, and less a few broken windows? Something to think about city hall.
love that guy’s suit
Great story last night by Matt Davis on what happened at City Council last night. But I am confused – a lot of people were – by the changes to the proposal (as originally drafted and introduced 2 weeks ago) – and in particular the removal of the time frames language which would have required more timely culmination of …the police disciplinary process. They withdrew that part of the proposed IPR revisions, saying “the time frame language should be in the ordinance instead.” And all the confused people shook their heads and thought, “ummm ok.” And they quickly moved on. Is the time frame stuff going to be put into the ordinance? I’m talking about how they stripped out proposed changes to Police Review Board section 320.140 at H.4 (a-c) as proposed two weeks ago. Matt Davis should still have the language on the handout which the Auditor gave everyone.
Great story here. Some good changes happening! But this has to be thought of as a first step for sure. The police union is still coddles bullies, and they are determined to resist real change. As for what the City Council passed last night, I am confused – a lot of people were – by the changes to the proposal (as originally drafted and introduced 2 weeks ago) about timeliness of the police disciplinary process. In particular, what was the effect of their removal of the TIME FRAMES LANGUAGE which would have required more timely culmination of the police disciplinary process? The Auditor withdrew that part of the proposed IPR revisions as part of her long list of changes — saying, “the time frame language should be in the ordinance instead.” And all the confused people shook their heads and thought, “ummm ok.” And they quickly moved on. Is the time frame stuff going to be put into the ordinance??? I’m talking about how they stripped out proposed changes to Police Review Board section 320.140 at H.4 (a-c) as proposed two weeks ago. Matt Davis should still have the language on the handout which the Auditor gave everyone at the start of the hearing.
Seems sort of strange eh? No mention of monday’s events? I’m fairly certain that were this ordinance to fail all the blame would have fallen on the protesters, but credit? Nope.
Matt, your determination to defend the status quo and buddy up with the police has damaged your credibility. What took you and all the sideline politicians years to fail at, took one day of rage from the radical community to succeed. The city councils hand was forced, not by a bunch of hollow talks and coalitions that have manifested failed consistently, but by willingness of some to actually challenge the city.
But of course you’re going to ignore the elephant so blatantly in the room, and behave like all things happen from within a void, nothing has any context whatsoever.
Yet even still you are all going to hail this as a major success when it was merely a token admission of guilt from the city. No real change has been made, the cops still have the guns, the murderers and brutalizers are still getting paid and awared with medals. Who will take the charge to challenge the continued corruption. Not Matt Davis, and not the AMA whose watchword will always be “more of the same and now!”, but rather it will be, as always, the anarchists, the socialists, the communists, etc, who demand genuine change if not abolition of a corrupt system.
You and the rest of the cry-ass “indipendent” rag reporters wonder why you are so often lumped in with the big bads like KATU and FOX? Well this is it, because you speak with no sincerity, trying to convince people that you are for the cause of justice while simultaneously giving credit to the corrupt and ranting at those seeking change. You are as much a re-enforcer of the system as any of the KATU hacks, you just don’t recognize it and that makes you more dangerous.
Wait! Hold up! Is Randy Leonard… Spider Man?!
Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien.
The black bloc taking responsibility for passing the ordinance is delusional. Someone should draw a comic chronicling their epic ridiculousness.
@Disturbed – this didn’t have anything to do with the riot. Read the first paragraph again – these things were scheduled to be announced two weeks ago, but were delayed. The people quoted in the article worked really hard for a long time to get them done, and those stupid criminal rioters did nothing to help them. Don’t take any credit away from the people who actually caused the change.
@Disturbed – Ha, I just saw the new Matt Davis article. Maybe you should read it, or at least the title.
http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/ha…
Rosie Sizer should be fired. And it should be more of a scandal that Saltzman has publicly stated that he’s letting her keep her job for another couple of months for the sole purpose that she qualify for a full pension. Keeping an incompetent administrator on the job just so the city can pay them more money when they finally quit?!? Where’s the outrage?
I went last night, did the jazz hands, it was nice to see people speak so passionately about this issue but it was sad to see all the cops flee before the citizens got their turn. Big ups to the AMA and their partners, this was a real victory and obviously Reymont is right, this is their victory. Everyone acknowledged this is a first step only, and I still believe more peaceful protests will help push the City leadership for more action going forward.
@Reymont – Actually the first paragraph says that it was ‘suggested’ two weeks ago, but it’s been ‘suggested’ for as long as I can remember and hasn’t come to mean anything until now.
It is quite a coincidence that two days after a protest hits every news outlet in the northwest (which is more than can be said of Matt Davis or the AMA) the council votes UNANIMOUSLY for something that couldn’t even get enough support to pass in previous years.
I think that it is probably a little of both, with some self-interest by the city council playing a role, and if nothing else no one can really say that either group hurt the cause. I happen to agree though it is pretty suspicious that after all these years a major outburst like monday followed two days later by the city voting in unanimous agreement is not unconnected.
Is that a Brooks Brothers suit?
First I just want to say heck yeah! And a huge thanks to all of those that spent their own time on resolving this issue over the years and most especially these last few months. It wouldn’t have happened without you.
Also I want to say that I think it is messed up that people are bickering over who is deserving of credit for this. Anyone that says that any group working on this issue isn’t at least partially to credit for this is making an illogical statement from a purely ideological standpoint in order to marginalize another group and that is BS. It takes all types people, from the AMA tirelessly organizing and talking with the city, to the black block letting everyone know that if the city wasn’t willing to swallow the pill bad things were on the way, and everyone else. So lets work together and make sure all options are available, carrot + stick = win!
No, G-Bone. The ‘black bloc’ did NOT scare the city into any concessions. All they did was have one party and punish some completely innocent people by smashing their property. The ‘anarchists’ are completely irrelevant – worse, they are criminals and hindered the process. The changes that came were the result of months and years and effort from people who deserve all the credit.
Reymont: Um… Did you read about the protest or are you just winging it here? Since when is Bank of America “completely innocent people”? You must have your head so far up the capitalist ass-hole that even banks look like innocent average joes.
Also you do know that the bloc, or many of its participants, are many of those same people who have been working on police reform and with police reform organizations, since before anyone had even (at least as far as Portland is concerned) heard of Matt Davis or the AMA, right? Or did you miss the fact that one main anarchist issue is anti-police brutality?
You’re so out of it you make the wing-nuts on KATU look sane.