RACIAL PROFILING DIVISION

Cop union boss Robert King is frustrated over an apparent reluctance
in the mayor’s racial profiling committee to let him present a new
report that suggests Portland isn’t collecting enough data to be able
to tell whether or not cops are racial profiling.

The report, by Brian Withrow, a criminologist at Wichita State
University, concludes that the police bureau’s system of tracking
traffic stops by ethnicity is flawed and insufficient to prove or
disprove the existence of racial profiling in Portland.

But the committee’s co-chairwoman, Jo Ann Bowman of Oregon Action,
is reluctant to take up the report. King says he’s surprised by this:
“It’s stunning that Jo Ann would say she doesn’t want the information
discussed. I thought people were getting to the point where we were
able to have difficult conversations, so I certainly intend to present
the report. I think it would be hugely unfortunate if the committee
decided to do anything other than let me present it.”

Bowman hits back, saying King is “throwing flames” on the
committee’s work. Bowman says, “We’ve had this conversation two
and a half years ago. I think what he’s doing is trying to throw flames
onto the process that’s just starting to get beneath the surface.” The
next meeting is on April 17. MATT DAVIS

REPEAL DO-OVER

Oregon’s anti-gay activists gave their domestic
partnership repeal effort another shot on March 31, filing a second
initiative to repeal the state’s new law. Their first initiative, filed
on February 29, had repeated and convoluted references to “civil
unions,” which are not mentioned in Oregon’s law. An attempt to amend
their original proposed initiative came a day past the deadline, which
meant the state elections division ignored the request for changes.

So now the anti-gay campaign is back at square one
when it comes to their repeal effort—and they’ve lost a month of
valuable signature collection time. There’s an April 22 deadline for
comments on this proposed initiative, which has to be approved before
they can start collecting signatures—82,769 of which are due on
July 3.

Meanwhile, Concerned Oregonians—one of the groups heading up
the signature-gathering effort—is recruiting volunteers in “hub
cities,” and is trying to raise $50,000 to fund the repeal effort. AMY
J. RUIZ