Statement by Chief Rosanne Sizer on settlement of Chasse civil suit Nearly four years ago, James Chasse died in the custody of Portland Police officers. I and members of my organization felt horrible about his death. The Portland Police Bureau has spent the last three years identifying what went wrong and fixing those issues through […]
Matt Davis
Matt Davis was news editor of the Mercury from 2009 to May 2010.
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Police Commissioner Sorry For Chasse Death
Police Commissioner Dan Saltzman has apologized to the family of James Chasse this afternoon, formally announcing the city’s record $1.6million settlement with Chasse’s family over the death. DEPUTY CITY ATTORNEY JIM RICE (LEFT) WITH POLICE COMMISSIONER DAN SALTZMAN “The officers [involved] will continue to work for the police bureau and have served their discipline,” he […]
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Chasse Case Settles For $1.6Million, No Gag
From Maxine Bernstein at the Oregonian: The city of Portland and the family of James P. Chasse Jr. have reached a settlement in the family’s federal wrongful death lawsuit after a full day of negotiations with U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken mediating. The $1.6 million settlement, reached at 4 p.m. Monday, still must be approved […]
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Chasse Settlement: Case Dismissed
I’ve just spoken with a clerk at Federal Courthouse who says an order of dismissal was entered in the Chasse case yesterday. That means that attorneys for both sides have told the court they have reached a settlement, and that they have 60 days to “consummate” the settlement. The next step will be for city […]
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Good Morning, News!!
CITY SETTLES CHASSE CASE!!! Check back here today for more breaks in this story. SALTZMAN’S SIN!!! Blue Oregon’s Todd Barnhart breaks down all the reasons why Dan Saltzman should have disclosed his personal relationship before voting to allocate $600,000 to his girlfriend’s charity. PRINCE OF PACKAGE!!! Jake Gyllenhall says shampooing his long locks is what […]
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BREAKING: City Settles Chasse Case
The city has settled the James Chasse jr lawsuit today—bringing one of its most controversial ever legal battles over police brutality to a conclusion. The Mercury has confirmed the story with an off-record source, and one named witness to Chasse’s beating who had been subpoenaed to appear at the trial beginning June 4. Attorney Mark […]
Posted inElection 2010
British Election Watch Part Four: Boulton Blows Up, And Brown Resigns
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has announced his willingness to resign today, making way for the selection of a new Labour Party leader by September. The move is seen by almost everyone as Brown’s attempt to woo the Liberal Democrats, after that party’s weekend talks with the Conservative party over a coalition have failed to […]
Posted inElection 2010
Oregon’s A Small State: Fill In The Blanks
Anna Griffin’s column last week used Saltzmangate as an opportunity to highlight what a small state Oregon is in terms of people having relationships within the political community: Ponder this family tree and see if you don’t feel dizzy: Saltzman’s chief of staff, Brendan Finn, recently began dating Karol Collymore, a candidate for Multnomah County […]
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Police Chief Hits Back At Mayor’s Budget Spin: I’ll Have To Cut 25 Cops, Cold Case Unit, “No Plan”
A frustrated Police Chief Rosie Sizer called a press conference at central precinct this morning to hit back at Mayor Sam Adams’ assertions last week that “no officers would be let go” as part of his budget plan to cut 50 positions at the Portland Police Bureau. In fact, she’s going to have to fire […]
Posted inElection 2010
Cornett Wants “Real Ethics” Code For Portland
City Council candidate Jesse Cornett has pledged to bring a new code of ethics to Portland on his website this morning: Real Ethics for the City of Portland Portland’s Code of Ethics should be real and enforceable. In the unfortunate chain of events last week where a City Commissioner likely violated two sections, a huge […]
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British Election Watch Part Three—Boris Johnson and “The Meat In The Sausage”
There’s a hung parliament in Britain, and the Conservatives are in discussions with the Liberal Democrats about forming a coalition government. Liberal leader Nick Clegg has been clear today that he wants parliamentary reform (or “PR,” as it’s commonly becoming known). Polly Toynbee at the Guardian does a good job explaining what that means, as […]