The PDX Police Bureau takes between 39 and 47% of the city budget. In New York City, the police bureau gets between 2% and 8% of the city budget. We are being lied to and robbed. The administrators of the bureau cheat, steal, profile, beat and murder citizens because they can and city councils and mayors have let them. The fix is in.
Portland, Oregon has seen a series of George Floyd protests. The city was the first in the United States to see a "riot" over the killing of George Floyd, as declared by the Portland Police Bureau. Portland has seen arson, looting, and vandalism, and two officers have been injured since the demonstrations began on May 28, 2020. Approximately 100 people have been arrested, as of June 2.[1] Local businesses have reported losses totaling millions of dollars as the result of vandalism and looting, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting.[2]
6 days ago - By Molly Harbarger | The Oregonian/OregonLive ... The death of George Floyd has triggered a wave of national outrage ... Portland Police labeled the gathering an “unlawful assembly" and started to move in toward the crowd.
This police aggression precipitated the violence which followed.
We need better trained cops who do not attack demonstrators and trigger riots and looting.
"After a night of rioting in Portland, Oregon, those responsible for the ... looting and burning were a small.
Some members of the council have told police their heavy presence can be a trigger for violence."
The city implemented a curfew from 8pm on May 30 to 6am on May 31.[45][46] On May 31, Wheeler extended the curfew for another night (8pm to 6am).[26][47] He said the demonstration has been "co-opted by rioters and looters", and Jami Resch, chief of the Portland Police Bureau, called the rioters a "group of selfish individuals".[28]
On May 30, TriMet paused bus and MAX Light Rail service to and from downtown and the Rose Quarter after the demonstrations started.[48] The following day, the agency stopped bus, MAX, and Portland Streetcar[49] service starting at 3:30pm, and said in a statement: "Our hearts at TriMet are heavy following the violence that damaged our city overnight, along with the emotions that are so raw here and across the nation. While TriMet appreciates the First Amendment right to protest, we hope that it is done without violence or vandalism."[48] The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) blocked the interchanges into the city along I-5, I-84, I-405, and U.S. Route 26.[29][50]Willamette Week's Matthew Singer said ODOT's move was "without precedent in recent memory".[49]Motorized scooter services (including Lime and Spin) were temporarily suspended in select parts of Northwest and Southwest Portland, the Central Eastside, and the Lloyd District.[49]
On June 1, Gov. Kate Brown activated 50 National Guard and 100 state police troopers. Wheeler extended the same curfew for a third night.[31][32]Billy J. Williams, United States Attorney for the District of Oregon, said at a press conference: "What I saw at the Justice Center ... was sickening. This has to stop and in order for that to happen in the city of Portland, we need help. We need bodies, we need more numbers to do something to stop this ridiculous violence. This just cannot keep up."[51]
The city's curfew was lifted on June 2.[35][52] Elected officeholders (including Wheeler, Williams, Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill, and Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese), law enforcement officials, and black demonstrators and community leaders met for the first time.[53][54] The Hawthorne Bridge's west-bound lanes were closed for security purposes on the evening of June 2.[36] Resch said, "I want to recognize the thousands of demonstrators who came downtown in a peaceful manner and exercised their First Amendment rights. There are many thousands of you who are not involved in the violence and destruction and I thank you. I still hear your message and I know the others who are engaging in criminal acts do not represent you."[39]
The Oregon Convention Center's (OCC) spires were illuminated yellow as a "beacon of hope for our suffering and silenced communities of color". Metro, which operates the venue, said, "Our venues are located in areas with deep legacies of racial injustices and we support peaceful demonstrations to stand together to dismantle systemic racism and hatred." Additionally, the OCC's executive director said the venue "is an economic driver for our state and the spires have become as much of a staple in the skyline at the White Stag on Burnside. We will continue to shine bright in community solidarity, providing a beacon of hope for Oregonians."[55]
UPDATED: This story has been updated with information from a Dec. 3, 2013 letter informing Haynes that Portland Police's Internal Affairs department was closing the case.
Lisa Haynes is not male, Hispanic or anywhere near 5-foot-4, but that didn't stop Portland Police from detaining and handcuffing her two years ago as they searched for a mail-theft suspect described in that manner.
Now, Haynes, a Northeast Portland resident, has filed a lawsuit against the city and Officers Greg Baldwin and Jordan Winkel alleging unlawful seizure and assault and battery stemming from the Feb. 17, 2012, incident. She also is suing the city for failing to adequately train and supervise its officers on seizure and avoiding the use of excessive force.
In her federal complaint filed Friday, Haynes, 49, said the two officers shoved her, yelled profanity at her, verbally threatened her and patted her down – including touching her genital area – before letting her go. She said she was waiting for a bus at Southeast 82nd Avenue and Foster Road when the officers stopped her in their search. She said they questioned her without telling her why and grabbed her when she thought she was free to leave.
The incident prompted Haynes to file a complaint with a police review board in the months after the detention. Although Portland Police's Internal Affairs Division initially called for exonerating the officers of all allegations, Portland's Citizen Review Committeeharshly criticized the quality of the police bureau's investigation last June.
Among other concerns: The Internal Affairs officers failed to interview all potential witnesses, did not consider Haynes' allegation that the police stop was inappropriate and potentially discriminatory, and allowed reports on old encounters police had had with Haynes and her son that were irrelevant to remain in the case file for review, members noted.
During that hearing, the officers' lieutenant had defended their actions, saying that suspect descriptions can often be wrong and that he believed they were cordial with Haynes.
But the criticisms prompted the Internal Affairs division to authorize a second investigation. Again, the investigation called for exonerating the officers, according to a Dec. 3, 2013 letter from the Portland Police Internal Affairs Unit. The citizen review committee, some of whose members had changed, affirmed the findings, but recommended that the allegation that Baldwin was rude be changed from "exonerated," to "unproven," the letter said. Chief Mike Reese accepted the recommendation, the letter said. "Unproven" reflects that the investigation did not turn up enough information to either prove or disprove an allegation, the letter said.
A Portland Police spokesman and two members of the Citizen Review Committee did not immediately comment.
Haynes, who is representing herself at the moment, is seeking unspecified damages to be determined during trial.
-- Helen Jung
The murders of Aaron Campbell, Keaton Otis, and James Chasse, Jr. have never been resolved. None of the officers who broke the law and violated Police Department Procedures have been charged, tried,or prosecuted for these crimes. We, the citizens of Portland, Oregon have paid millions for the crimes committed by PDX police officers, yet none of these officers have been disciplined. They continue to serve in spite of their crimes. The shootings of James Jahar Perez and Kendra James may have been forgotten by some, but we have yet to see accountability or justice. This must change. We deserve an explanation from our council and some discipline and more responsible leadership in our Police Bureau.
Police accountability matters. But in Portland, Oregon, responsible officers who try to protect and serve the community are too-often betrayed by rogue cops who are more interested in protecting and serving themselves than in doing the jobs they were hired to do.
"Community members aren't the only ones who have little faith in the Portland Police Bureau's discipline system.
More than half, or 62 percent, of Portland police officers surveyed in the spring believe the bureau's discipline process is unfair. A majority - or 86 percent -- don't believe the bureau holds officers accountable when they're doing a consistently poor job.
...Nearly half of officers who responded, or 47 percent, said they felt the bureau's use-of-force policy was difficult to understand.
"If officers do not understand the policy there is a greater risk that they might violate the policy without even knowing it,'' the report said. "Officers must be able to understand the policy to consistently adhere to it.''
Top 25 Settlements: Portland Police Incidents settled 1993-2012 totaling roughly $8.1 million***
Note: Some amounts are settlements, other are jury awards or judgments
Name Amount Date settled Incident date Brief notes
Family of James Chasse, Jr.* $1,600,000.00 7/28/10 9/17/06 Use of force (leading to death)
Family of Aaron Campbell*+ $1,200,000.00 2/1/12 1/29/10 Shooting (died)
Protestors August 2002&May 2003 $845,000.00 12/1/04 8/22/02 Use of force (pepper spray)
Family of Damon Lowery $600,000.00 6/25/05 12/5/99 Use of force (leading to death)
Family of Raymond Gwerder $500,000.00 11/14/07 11/4/05 Shooting (died)
Family of Duane Anthony Shaw $100,000.00 10/25/95 9/14/93 Shooting (died)
Johnny Senteno $96,975.23 12/30/94 8/21/93 Use of force/Arm broken by projectile
Janice M Aichele (deceased) $90,000.00 11/7/96 10/6/94 Off-duty shooting (murder/suicide)
Heather Bissell $88,385.83 9/23/05&8/17/05 4/30/03 Use of force/arrest
Dalebert V Acelar and 3 others $87,000.00 6/16/99 10/17/97 Unlawful search/detention
Total $8,110,132.02
"sloppy police work" or murder....
Mark Chasse, brother of James Chasse, Jr.: "The police's power to use deadly force against its citizens is an awesome power and should carry an enormous responsibility. In Portland, however, the police still do not even receive employment reviews, much less any other real oversight. I am saddened but not completely surprised that the Portland Police have continued to fight against any responsibility for what they did to my brother, this arbitration being only the most recent example. Apparently, two weeks' leave was too severe of a punishment for beating my brother to death and ensuring that he did not get proper medical treatment for the gruesome injuries they inflicted on him. "It is unlikely that the Portland Police will ever regain the respect of the citizens of Portland until they stop fighting all efforts at real police accountability. I hope that this longstanding Bureau/union policy will change, as it would be in everybody's interests." For more information contact Dr. LeRoy Haynes at 503-287-0261.
There is no accountability in Portland, Oregon. Those officers who beat to death James Chasse were cited for "bravery" and the murder they committed was ignored. These officers remained on the force in spite of multiple complaints and incidents.
Tim Flanagan, Associate editor of The Portland Alliance