A police brutality case, first reported by the Mercury in 2008, has finally come to a close. A federal jury yesterday ruled unanimously that Portland Police Officer Benjamin Davidson used excessive force when he Tasered Dan Halsted after suspecting that he’d tagged a nearby commercial building. The 2008 incident left Halsted—who was innocently walking home […]
Crime
Posted inCrime
Men Shot Under Morrison Bridge Still in Hospital
A couple of things to clarify in the ongoing story about two homeless men who were shot and wounded by a passing vehicle while sleeping under the Morrison Bridge on February 22: Despite statements issued to reporters and community members in the wake of the shooting, Carter “Joe” Hickman and Albert “Allen” Dean never stayed […]
Posted inNews
Candlelight Vigil Honors Shooting Victims
Last night, a group of 30 to 40 Portlanders met with candles underneath the Morrison Bridge on SE 2nd Ave, the very spot where an anonymous driver shot at two sleeping homeless men last month. Their purpose: to shine a light on the dangers of living on the street and the importance of each person’s […]
Posted inPolitics
The Creepy, the Bad, and the Questionable: Gun Edition
Two firearm-related bills met similar fates yesterday in the Oregon Senate after much debate between invested lawmakers. In the end, gun rights advocates came up on top. The conclusion can only be laid out as follows: The Creepy: With a 24-5 vote, the Senate slashedHouse Bill 4045, a measure that would forbid public agencies to […]
Posted inMusic
Chris Brown Wanted for Robbery
Chris Brown, the Grammys’ favorite felony assaulter and America’s crappiest pop star, has created another pool of poop for himself. From NBC Miami: The woman, Christal Spann, and her friends followed Brown outside [the nightclub], where she saw him get into his black Bentley, according to a Miami Beach Police report. Spann approached Brown and […]
Posted inCrime
Cops ID Two Homeless Men Shot While Sleeping, Offer $1,000 Reward
Portland police have identified the two men who were shot in a drive-by attack while sleeping beneath the Morrison Bridge early Wednesday, and say both are still in the hospital but expected to survive. A $1,000 reward is being offered, through Crime Stoppers, for information about the shooting. New details include that one of the […]
Posted inFashion
Anti-Fur Activist Tries to Hire a Hit Man
Did you hear the one about the animal activist who tried to hire a hitman (over Facebook, no less) to kill anyone wearing fur? (She may have been a bit crazy.) Read all about it here at MOD!
Posted inCrime
Homeless Men Shot Under Morrison Bridge Had Been Turned Away from Packed Old Town Tent Refuge
The two homeless men shot this morning in what police suggest was a random drive-by attack had been staying “on and off” at Right 2 Dream Too, organizers of the Old Town tent refuge told the Mercury this afternoon. But the men had been turned away when they tried to sleep there again last night—after […]
Posted inMusic
Oregon Drummer Deen Castronovo Sentenced for Assault
photo via FOX 12 Drummer Deen Castronovo of Keizer, Oregon—who’s the current drummer for Journey, and has also played with Ozzy Osborne, Steve Vai, Social Distortion, Paul Rodgers, and many others—was sentenced following a charge for assault in January, Fox 12 reports: The drummer for Journey has been sentenced to 80 hours of community service […]
Posted inCrime
Drive-By Shooting Injures Two Homeless Men Sleeping Under Morrison Bridge
Police this morning sent out word of a senseless, violent crime targeting a pair of homeless men: On Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 5:12 a.m. Portland Police officers assigned to Central Precinct responded to a call of a shooting in the 100 block of Southeast Belmont Street. Arriving officers made contact with two men who […]
Posted inPortland
More on The Murder of Grand Central Bouncer Robert Greene
As mentioned in yesterday’s Good Morning News, it was a tragic weekend at Grand Central Bowling, where a murder took place in the wee hours of Sunday morning. The victim has since been identified as Grand Central bouncer Robert Greene, 30, and a witness working at the Subway sandwich joint next door has come forward […]
Posted inCrime
Cops Solve Creepy Beef Heart Mystery
Someone came forward and gave Portland cops a good reason why a bloody cow’s heart wound up on the doorstep of some poor homeowners over on NW Flanders the day after Valentine’s Day. It was, ah, what you call a massively embarrassing misunderstanding. The cops announced last night: A woman contacted Portland Police to report […]