IPR REPORT DELAYED
The mayor’s office has postponed a council hearing about a
controversial report on the Independent Police Review (IPR). The
hearing, scheduled for Thursday, February 28, has been postponed until
March when it will be turned into a council work session—which
also removes the opportunity for public comment on the report. “We’re
not taking this lying down,” says Portland Copwatch activist Dan
Handelman. “We’ve already registered our complaints with the mayor’s
office, and we’re hoping the hearing will be reinstated. This only
serves to reinforce the idea that the IPR is doing the public’s
business out of the public eye.” MATT DAVIS
O BROTHER
Old Town neighbors called an emergency meeting on Tuesday, February
26, to talk about yet another alternative site for a permanent access
center for the homeless in Old Town. On Wednesday, the Portland
Development Commission (PDC) is expected to recommend putting the
center on “Block U,” opposite Union Station on Broadway. But property
owner John Beardsley was ready to tell neighbors about a “completely
different approach” to “Block O,” which is one block north of “Block
25,” the original and most controversial option for siting the center.
The city council will vote on the PDC’s recommendation on March 5.
Beardsley did not return a call for comment. MD