CRIMINALLY RESPONSIBLE?

The grand jury met with Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Chris Mascal on Tuesday, October 3, to begin hearing testimony on whether anyone is criminally liable for James Phillip Chasse Jr.'s death in police custody on September 17 ("Death in Custody," News, Sept 28). Up to 15 witnesses will be called, with hearings likely to conclude at the end of the week.

Dan Handelman, of Portland Copwatch, wrote to Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schrunk on Monday, urging his office to make "an aggressive and thorough" presentation of the facts. "It seems reasonable that a jury could indict the officers for criminally negligent homicide," Handelman wrote. MATT DAVIS

DENIED

Last week, the city's hearings office denied the appeal of SK Northwest—the personal watercraft company that wants to build a repair shop in Southeast Portland along the Willamette River, but doesn't want to build a city-mandated missing piece of the Springwater Corridor Trail on their property. Portland's Bureau of Development Services originally denied the company's trail-less proposal on June 9.

Now, SK Northwest can—and likely will, given their opposition to building the trail—appeal to the Land Use Board of Appeals. AMY JENNIGES

MARAUDING YOUTH

Despite recent community efforts to resolve ongoing problems with large mobs of youth, there were another two incidents this past Saturday, September 30, on NE Garfield and inside the Lloyd Center Mall, according to police.

According to Lloyd Center security, an organized group calling itself "the Squad" has been frequenting the mall for the past few weeks, on one occasion marauding through it, apparently trying to track someone down. Assistant Police Chief Lynnae Berg says, "We'll be working very hard this week to come up with a more robust strategy for dealing with the problem than we did in the summer." MD