Cops

Keaton Otis’s father talks with Rep Lew Frederick after an emotional testimony About 150 punks, advocates and white collar folks filled First Unitarian Church last night for a public forum on police accountability that turned into a very heavy reflection on the policies and environment that led to the deaths of Aaron Campbell and Keaton […]

New chief in City Hall today New Portland Police Chief Mike Reese showed up at city council this morning to hear the mayor’s presentation of the new budget and I had to shake his hand. “Congratulations on surviving your first week,” I said. A mere six hours after Mayor Adams appointed him chief in a […]

The police released some small details about the investigation of last week’s shooting of 25-year-old African American Keaton Otis near Lloyd Center. First of all, a gun that police found in Otis’s car has been sent to the crime lab for analysis. Officers say they have determined that Otis shot Officer Chris Burley twice, once […]

The back cover of this year’s Portland Police “Safe Summer” booklet, distributed to all public school students, included a fun conversation starter: graphic descriptions of sexual crimes. The page, entitled “Measure 11: An Oregon Law!” is list of crimes that could cause a 15-year-old to be tried as an adult, including… Sexual Abuse 1: You […]

Dr. Leroy Haynes: Not another 3-year investigation… The Albina Ministerial Alliance, a coalition of mostly-African American spiritual leaders who were vocal critics of the Portland Police’s handling of the Aaron Campbell shooting, are now calling for a “transparent, swift and fair investigation” of the officer-involved shooting that left 25-year-old Keaton Otis dead last week. “We […]

We are still awaiting details about Wednesday night’s officer-involved shooting. For now what we know is over here, and it starts like this: According to the police account, officers on the HEAT team began following a car around the Holladay Park area after they saw it violate a traffic law. The HEAT team (for those […]

Chief Reese and Mayor Adams: Put to the test. A press conference this morning at the Justice Center revealed more details about last night’s officer involved shooting and also gave Mayor Sam Adams and new police Chief Mike Reese their first chance to play by the rules of what they say will be a more […]

Christina Lais says she happened to be standing on the porch of her house, smoking a cigarette, as tonight’s officer-involved-shooting unfolded before her eyes. She shot the entire incident on her iPhone, which she says has been confiscated by police who wanted to download the video. Lais’ description of events is gripping: I heard a […]

Police sealed off six blocks near Lloyd Center. Police responded to two fatal shootings this evening, one involving an officer near Lloyd Center and one in Southeast where officers arrived to find a man dead at the scene. Information about the officer-involved shooting near Lloyd Center is thin. One thing is for sure: on his […]