REPORTING THE NEWS is frustrating when you have to tell the truth. Here at the Mercury, like at most other Portland newspapers, we like to at least start with the facts before distorting them to suit our agenda. But what if we could simply report what we liked?
Mayor Adams: “Yeah, we fucked. What’s your point?” Mayor Sam Adams took office in January after dodging a smear campaign in the run-up to his election. When asked if he had had an affair with an 18-year-old former legislative intern, Adams replied simply, “It’s none of your business—but yeah, he was legal and he was hot.” Portlanders accepted the mayor’s modest indiscretion and moved on. After all, what business was it of theirs?
What Really Happened: Adams spent all year fighting for political survival after lying about his sexual relationship with Beau Breedlove. Much of Adams’ ambitious mayoral agenda—tackling the high school dropout rate, job creation, and sustainability issues—was overshadowed by sniping about the ensuing scandal [“Mayor or Monster?” Feature, May 28].
Fundtopia for Mass Transit and Bikes. Recognizing the need to fight climate change, the Oregon legislature changed its 1970s-era funding structure, finally giving 1.5 percent of its overall transportation budget to bike and pedestrian projects. Sweeping into office in January, Mayor Sam Adams announced with much fanfare, “Because six percent of Portlanders travel primarily by bike, I declare that bike projects will receive six percent of the city’s transportation funding! Huzzah!“
What Really Happened: Same old, same old! The legislature killed the idea of raising bike/ped funding from one to 1.5 percent of the transportation budget and delayed a tax increase that would fund TriMet, which wound up cutting four bus lines and axing the policy of free buses downtown. Though bike funding has increased under Adams, it still accounts for only one percent of the city’s transportation budget [“We’re #1! Not Good Enough!” News, Oct 1].
Portland Business Alliance (PBA): “Sorry about the sit-lie.” Portland Business Alliance boss Sandra McDonough issued a surprising statement in January, calling on the City of Portland to rescind its “evil, fascist sit-lie ordinance. I’ve had an epiphany, and can’t believe we’ve been pushing these unconstitutional measures targeting the homeless for so many years,” McDonough said, while placing herself in stocks in Pioneer Courthouse Square at a charity tomato-chucking event with proceeds going to drug treatment for the city’s down and outs. “Please, toss a tomato at my face,” she continued. “On behalf of all our members, I deserve it.”
What Really Happened: Mayor Adams and City Commissioner Nick Fish finally stood up to the PBA on behalf of downtown homeless and overturned the latest iteration of the PBA’s sit-lie ordinance this fall, but only after a second judge ruled it unconstitutional in August [“We Mean it This Time,” News, Sept 17].
The Completely Transparent List. After a thorough discussion at city council, the Service Coordination Team (SCT) moved forward with an open, transparent methodology, targeting Portland’s worst drug addicts for treatment and housing without linking the services to an arrest record.
What Really Happened: Council eventually released a secret list of downtown’s most frequent arrestees to the media after an American Civil Liberties Union attorney compared the cops running the SCT to Nazis. The city has spent $4.98 million on the shady program over the last two years—$412,000 of which has gone to police overtime. Only 77 people have gone through the program (at a cost of $65,000 each), but the city has done no cost-benefit analysis. Hooray for open government! [“The Secrets Behind the Secret List,” News, Nov 5]
Health Reform Passes. Yay, public option! Everybody has health care now! Yay, America! Yay, courageous Democrats!
What Really Happened: Oregon Senator Ron Wyden—whose top donors include major health-industry lobbying groups—hemmed and hawed on supporting a public health-care option long enough to confuse the shit out of everybody and, ultimately, kill the idea in Senate [“Why Not, Wyden?” News, June 11]. The Oregonian newspaper, meanwhile, licked Wyden’s balls, quoting the president as saying Wyden’s plan is “too radical,” without distinguishing between Obama and Wyden’s plans. Meanwhile a rally for the public option outside Portland City Hall led by Attorney General John Kroger and former health industry bigwig Wendell Potter drew more than 1,000 people—the paper of record completely ignored it [“Spin, Doctor?” News, Sept 3].
Birth of Beautiful Bridge Begins. Bigwigs pushed the Columbia River Crossing project to replace the I-5 bridge to Vancouver with a sustainable new bridge whose tolls and carpool lanes will encourage commuters to take mass transit to work instead of driving alone. The beautifully designed, green bridge has a realistic pricetag, but politicians agreed that a chunk of the cost be covered by tolling, which will start on the current bridge in 2011.
What Really Happened: City council initially caved and backed the biggest bridge possible: a 12-lane, $4.2 billion project. When state legislators nixed funding for the megabridge, the governor slipped $30 million into the state’s budget without a vote. After protests, a smaller, $3.6 billion version of the bridge is now in gridlock [“Gridlock,” News, Dec 10]. Vancouver’s new mayor says tolling is fine, as long as Vancouver’s 60,000 daily commuters to Portland get exemptions.
Merritt Paulson Wipes Shit-Eating Grin off Face. The city laughed in the face of Portland Timbers owner Merritt Paulson, when he asked for taxpayer money to renovate PGE Park for Major League Soccer (MLS). “This is the worst recession in recent memory,” said City Commissioner Randy Leonard. “You think because you buy me a steak dinner in New York that I’m just going to bend over and kiss your rich ass?”
What Really Happened: Pretty much the opposite. Portland puts up $80 million to support MLS, despite economists’ warnings that it won’t make a damned bit of difference to our city’s bottom line [“Net Loss: Economists Flay Big Soccer,” Blogtown, March 9; “Portland Boys,” Hall Monitor, March 26].
Paulson Ponies up Money for Lents Stadium. After covering the cost of renovating PGE Park (see above), renowned philanthropist Merritt Paulson also bankrolled the new Triple-A baseball stadium for the displaced Portland Beavers.
What Really Happened: The city and Paulson tried to convince the Lents neighborhood to foot 80 percent of the Beavers stadium pricetag, gutting $42 million from its urban renewal fund. Rather than creating jobs, a quick-turn study on the stadium’s economic impact said all the investment in the stadium would lead to a net job loss of 182 jobs citywide. Faced with hostile neighborhood opposition, the Lents stadium deal collapsed [“Great Baseball Debate,” News, June 18].
Dan Saltzman: “I eat bad apples for breakfast.” Police Commissioner Dan Saltzman overruled Portland Police Chief Rosie Sizer and fired two officers for their role in the 2006 death in police custody of James Chasse. “Those boys killed that man,” he told reporters, while lifting weights at his new gym, Backbones. Saltzman also vowed to renegotiate the union’s disciplinary contract with the city so that officers couldn’t routinely claim stress leave to avoid discipline.
What Really Happened: Saltzman gave the two cops just two weeks off for the Chasse incident, leaving Officer Christopher Humphreys on the street to shoot a 12-year-old girl in the leg with a beanbag shotgun. Saltzman then suspended Humphreys, but reinstated him after the police union threw an epic tantrum [“A Line in the Sand,” News, Nov 26; “Saltzman Backs Down,” News, Dec 3].
Oregon Businesses Rally to Relieve Recession. Oregon’s powerful timber and oil companies realized that cutting education and social service budgets in the recession is bad for the long-term health, morale, and well-being of their workers. They supported small tax increases on their profits to keep the state from collapse. They love Oregon! We love them!
What Really Happened: Big businesses bankrolled the anti-tax campaign, fighting Measures 66 and 67 that will increase the corporate minimum tax for the first time in 70 years from its current pathetic rate of $10. If they’re successful and voters don’t pass Measures 66 and 67 this January, the state predicts it will have to immediately raise college tuition and free over 1,800 inmates to cut costs [“Knock, Knock, Who’s There? Taxing the Rich!” News, Oct 8].
zero comments, so far?! how is this possible? honestly, this has been one of the more innovative and entertaining stories I’ve seen from the merc’s newsies. nicely done. you know, as a dead philosopher once could have said, we remember things not as they were but as we were. or something.
Here’s another one:
What Should Have Happened: For once the Portland Mercury and other Portland Publications back the Portland Police. An Office was involved in a scuffle with a 160lb, 5 foot somethin’ 12 year old (please note that this is an above average size for that age group) and in order to subdue said miscreant he used a beanbag gun…on her meaty leg.
What Really Happened: Every publication in the greater Portland Metro jumped on the same bandwagon and accused Officer Humphreys of using excessive force. They hyped up the fact that this gal was 12 (even though she did not look like it, and it shouldn’t matter if she is throwing a tantrum, punching officers, etc) and rode that all the way to the bank.
For once it would be great to see some facts about what Police Officers are asked to do. I know quite a few that are working from 10pm-8am out on the streets of Portland, protecting the rest of us schmucks, having to go to court to testify at a trial from 8am-5pm and then are being asked to come back to work their typical shift from 10pm-8am later that day…so in a 24 hour period they have 5 hours to recoup from a long days work…quite frankly we are lucky to have these people out there doing the job that the rest of us don’t want to do and could not actually handle, especially on that little sleep.
Stepping off my soap box…Happy 2010!
>>> Let’sGO!
Well it was 1st reported that the 12 yr old girl who was assaulted by that murderous pig Humphreys was around 130 lbs. Now according to you, she’s grown to a 160 lb. “5 foot somethin” meaty behemoth! Nice.
It’s nice to know that we have citizens who fully endorse grown cops beating children & murdering mentally ill people.
Maybe the cops took her to Voodoo Donuts before they tasered her. They go down faster if you fatten them for the kill, y’know.
“Yeah, that’s it…Voodoo Donuts” as law enforcement expert Tommy Flanagan would say.
Hi Let’sGO!,
I have been reading the stories about Humphreys et al for two years now and have not commented until now. Your comment has finally pushed me over the line.
1. Do officers get overtime? What is the average number of hours worked per week? At 19 hours per day x 5 days per week that should be about 95 hrs/week, give or take. That’s 55 hours at 1.5+ times normal pay per week. You can snipe at my math, but the point is that you get paid well for doing the job that you accepted. I don’t feel sorry for you. Stop whining.
2. I’m sorry your job is so dangerous. How dangerous is it? Well, according to Forbes it’s less dangerous than being a cook…or a carpenter…or a construction laborer…or a janitor…or a nursing aid…or a truck driver…or etc.. This idea that your job is so much more dangerous than others is a falsehood. Go work in a coal mine for a year and then whine to me about danger.
3. I have 5 screws and a plate in my ankle from subduing a mentally ill patient 100 lbs heavier than me, solo, for 10$/hr.. He walked away, I went to the hospital. Did I bitch? No. I took the job knowing the risks and I sucked it up. I’ll have a limp for the rest of my life and got a $5000 settlement from worker’s comp for the trouble. So stop whining.
4. If I do my job well 99% of the time and poorly 1% of the time my boss focuses on the 1% to improve performance. We’re your boss, so deal with it. You signed up to protect us from the bad guys, not yourselves. Understand that I don’t want you to get hurt, but the risk is part of what you get paid for. So stop whining.
5. Cops sometimes behave poorly. In my 20 years working with the mentally ill I have seen some really bad behavior from officers who felt put upon for being called to a mental health emergency. The few articles you are whining about are but examples of an attitude that I have personally seen on numerous occasions. I have also seen officers behave with valor, courage and respect on more numerous occasions. I can tell the difference. So stop whining.
I could go on but you see where I’m coming from. I have worked in a highly dangerous but low paid career (community mental health) for 20 years and I’m really tired of the holier than thou response to public attitude that the PPB offers. I don’t hate cops (Thank you for showing up when that banger pulled a knife on me and my step-daughter in Irving Park!), I’m not a left-wing nut job, I don’t feel the need to have my voice heard daily in various comments sections and I’m not anti-government. I just want you to do the job you’ve chosen like I’ve done the one’s I’ve chosen. Nobody forced me to work with crazies and nobody forced you to be a cop. So STOP WHINING!
Very well put, ctwheby.
ctwhelby is my hero. Can we just cut-and-paste that comment in every time one of these mouth breathers comments? My father was a cop, but he believed that he was a “public servant” not a private authoritarian. Also Humphreys could have taken that 12 year old down with a simple Judo tactic taught to 1st year cadets, but that wouldn’t have shown everyone how big his dick is.
Which, i might dare summerize, isn’t very big at all. Quite tiny, as a matter of face, which would explain ALOT.
I really liked this story, too.
Also, I like that you refer now to the Oregonian as “the Oregonian newspaper.” Just, you know, to help out the folks who didn’t know. A style decision, or just a turn of phrase?
Anyway, nice work.
View from afar,
I agree 100% with the Guy above me,I got fired years ago from Riverbend,Youth facility in Oregon City,after following orders to help subdue a mentally out of control female teenager whom kicked me so violently, I got a shttered rotar cuff and
Surgery at Tax payers expense OHP, I was placed in lock up with her,until help could arrive to furture subdue her,as she was punching out the electrical socket with her fist and head(why would their be such a thing in a lock -up ?)
I was fired because I did not have the Parts training certification,yet as I was new to the job,I did not hurt her in anyway,but by following orderers to help a male ,My Boss ,taller than I and larger ,with parts training whom could not do his job right, and I got fired,and he did not ,sucked, but In the long run, it saved that facility a lawsuit from untrained employees whom may have hurt another youth.
The parts trainer kept putting off training,not me. I slept days to work nights, and still came in for day trainings and required weekly staff meetings, so like the guy above, stop your boo hoo whining…or get a job you like. dare you to live off of a straight 40 hour week,with no medical coverage
View from afar,
I posted a 100% agreement with ctwheby, RE: the whynie Portland Cops,
however , it posted in your general first page,not here.
Regarding ctwheby’s comment.
Thank you. You very concisely wrote what I’ve been feeling for years.
It’s a misconception that the Police have the hardest job, but that they do have a great deal of responsibility for their actions. Or rather, they should.
I’m inclined to think that the “whining cops” make up a smaller percentage of our local force, and that honorable cops are in the majority. Trouble is, in order to weed out the whiners, the more respectable will have to take it upon themselves to educate their fellow public servants. “Public Servants” being the operative words that whining cops seem to forget.
I’ve been pulled over several times for very bogus reasons by several police officers who were on obvious power trips. I’ve been threatened, harassed, profiled, and hit by a drive-by pepper spraying. I had guns drawn on me for riding a skateboard after 8pm, in a Safeway parking lot. No arrests on my record, and one ticket for a traffic infraction.
I have ever reason to be making negative generalizations about the police in our lovely city. And yet, when I’ve needed them, they have been there overwhelmingly and respectfully. And I have met more professional and honorable police officers in Portland than I have the whining “bad eggs”. The trick is, I want the honorable professionals to police their own. Like it or not, they are marginalized when the feces hits the oscillator.
I understand the need for a Police Union, and that they should “stick together” for mutual support. But if good men and women are saying nothing when one or two of their own make bone-headed decisions, they look just as bad, if not more so than the “Christopher Humphreys” that keep making headlines. It’s a tightrope between doing what is right, and getting kicked out of the union.
Whiners, shut up and quit attacking the people you swore an oath to protect. Do your chosen profession with dignity.
Honorable Police, thank you and keep it up, and see if you can’t keep your less than respectable co-workers from doing further harm to the city and people you swore an oath to protect.