denis c. theriault Larry O’Dea, Portland’s incoming police chief, has kept one of the quietly significant promises he made during his introductory press conference last month. In a reshuffling meant to add some diversity to the chief’s inner circle, the bureau announced today that O’Dea has created a fourth assistant chief post and will fill […]
Denis C. Theriault
Denis C. Theriault is the Portland Mercury's News Editor. He writes stories about City Hall and the Portland Police Bureau, focusing on issues like homelessness, police oversight, insider politics, and civil liberties. Before arriving in Portland, Denis wrote and edited for the San Jose Mercury News, covering the California Legislature and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as the city of San Jose—a real-live million-person town.
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This Is What It Looks Like When an Cop Working Undercover at a Protest March Has His Cover Blown
As mentioned in GMN a few hours ago, an undercover cop working last night’s police accountability march in Oakland wound up pulling a gun on protesters once his cover was blown. I linked to a chilling photograph showing the officer—still officially unidentified, including which agency he works for—pointing at a group of people, holding his […]
Posted inNewsblast!
Good Morning, News: The Wind Hates Your Electricity. (Also, You Still Live in a Country that Sanctioned Torture)
It means something we’re all finally saying the word “torture.” And now maybe it’s time to ask whether someone might actually be held accountable for the CIA’s willingness to put pureed foods in detainees’ rectums, keep them awake for weeks, or essentially drown them as they sat in chairs. An outgoing senator from Colorado has […]
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New Portland Streetcar Audit Questions Punctuality, Frequency, Ridership
The city auditor’s office popped the Portland Bureau of Transportation with a stinging right-hand jab back in April, releasing a report that questioned PBOT’s management of, and spending on, the Portland Streetcar. This morning, the auditor’s office finally followed that bracing right with a solid left hook. In its long-promised followup to its first streetcar […]
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A Two-Front War
Uber’s Portland Invasion Comes Just Before City’s Scheduled Duel with Airbnb
Uber’s Portland invasion comes just before the city’s scheduled duel with Airbnb.
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Hall Monitor
Yes. Let’s Ditch the 48-Hour Rule.
The dubious grace period for cops facing discipline extends well beyond deadly force cases.
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Council Holds Long Talk on Police Body Cameras—But Won’t Vote to Seek Bids Until January
Illustration by dylan goldberger Mayor Charlie Hales is putting his pursuit of body-mounted cameras for Portland police officers on pause until January—after a lengthy public hearing this afternoon where city commissioners joined advocates in raising questions about how the cameras will be regulated, whether state privacy laws might changed, and how any footage might be […]
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Democracy in Action! Further Amendments Push Street Fund Vote into January
ILLUSTRATION BY FRANCOIS VIGNEAULT Mayor Charlie Hales and Commissioner Steve Novick are damned if they do—and maybe just as damned if they don’t. After taking up an amendment this morning to their $40 million-plus “Portland Street Fund” proposal—along with more promised amendments next week—Hales says a vote on the package, meant to fund paving and […]
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Don’t Shoot Portland Organizers Meeting with the Mayor Tomorrow
denis c. theriault Glenn Waco, holding the megaphone in Thursday’s rally outside the Moda Center, has exhorted the public to attend Don’t Shoot Portland’s meeting with Mayor Charlie Hales. Organizers with Don’t Shoot Portland—the police accountability group behind several recent rallies and marches over officer-involved deaths in Ferguson and New York City—will meet with Mayor […]
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Uber Brings Ride-Sharing to Portland Without Permission; Novick Threatens Hefty Fines
Uber’s hardly been quiet about its lust for Portland—ardor that was reciprocated this week when several business leaders sent a letter to city council demanding a refreshing of the city’s taxi rules so the ride-sharing business could swoop in without risking fines and punishment. The city’s transportation bureau, meanwhile, hasn’t been so hot to trot. […]
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Hales Working to Meet With Protest Organizer Teressa Raiford
denis c. theriault Two marches met up in Northeast Portland and descended upon the Moda Center last night. After seven rallies or street-seizing marches since November 27—and with another major rally on police accountability and racial justice planned for 1 pm tomorrow—Mayor Charlie Hales says it’s trying to meet with one of the key organizers […]
Posted inNewsblast!
Good Morning, News: More Protests! The Dawn of a New Space Age! The Big One’s Waiting to Kill Us All!
People still can’t breathe. For a second night since a grand jury announced it wouldn’t indict the New York City police officer who put Eric Garner in a chokehold that killed him, protesters took to the streets in the nation’s largest city and in several others. In Portland, defying threats of chill and rain, hundreds […]