Story by Pete Shaw In 2013 local filmmakers and activists Jodi Darby, Julie Perini, and Erin Yanke produced Safe and Sound?, a short video to educate people about police violence, not as the product of a few rogue officers, but one that is inherent to the current system of policing. The film, which was…
Tag: Police Brutality
What a Disgrace
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by Daryl Turner, President, Portland Police Association Perhaps you have been following the horrible treatment of the Portland Police Bureau while the fair city that we serve has been negotiating a “settlement” with the Department of Justice about the levels of violence we police are accused of using against people with mental problems as well…
Justice For All? Public Demands Police Accountability
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Story by Pete Shaw A TALE OF TWO PORTLANDS TAKE ONE On Tuesday February 18th Federal Judge Michael Simon began hearing testimony regarding the proposed settlement agreement between the Department of Justice (DoJ) and the City of Portland. The agreement concerns the DOJ finding that the Police Bureau (PPB) “engaged in an unconstitutional pattern…
Court to Judge “Fairness” of Department of Justice Settlement Agreement with City of Portland
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Story by Pete Shaw • Photos by Bette Lee A “Fairness Hearing” about the Settlement Agreement resolving the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) lawsuit against the City of Portland is scheduled for February 18th. The agreement arose out the the DOJ’s yearlong investigation that found the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) had “engaged in an unconstitutional pattern…
Fred Bryant Crusaded for Police Accountability; Survivors Recommit to Quest for Justice
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Story by Pete Shaw Fred Bryant was laid to rest on November 9, 2013. Bryant, who had suffered a stroke in early October, passed away on October 29th, in the 53rd year of his life. He is remembered by many Portlanders for seeking justice for his son, Keaton Otis, who was killed by the Portland…
Activist Targets Need to Reform Unchecked Police Power
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By Pete Shaw Jo Ann Hardesty, a local activist and tireless voice in the struggle for police reform, was the featured speaker at a recent Justice Social Happy Hour. The March 12 gathering, hosted by the McKenzie River Gathering Foundation (MRG) at Portland’s Queen of Sheba restaurant, included a discussion on the movement to hold…
Student Union United in Condemnation of Portland Police Chemical Weapon Attack
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Story and photos by Pete Shaw Seventeen students converged on City Hall November 7 for a press conference to discuss the damage they recently endured at the hands of the Portland Police department. Their message to both the cops and City Council was that they will not be intimidated and intend to keep fighting. On…
Chemical Weapon Attack & Heavily Militarized Presence Demonstrates Police Immune from Austerity Cuts
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Story by Pete Shaw “I love these people more than anything.” Those words were uttered by a young man who was smiling beneath red and watery eyes at the end of the November 3 action to end austerity cuts. He was among the fifteen or so people directly pepper sprayed by the Portland Police during…
Protestors March Against Austerity, Get Pepper Sprayed By Police
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Yesterday, a coalition of labor, education, anti-war, and community organizations took to the streets to protest against national, state, and local austerity measures that seek to put the burden of the financial crisis on the working class with budget cuts. During the march, the police indiscriminately pepper sprayed the front of the protest when it…
U.S. Department of Justice Finds Portland Police Guilty of Using Excessive Force Against People With Mental Illness
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Chief Reese Deletes “I disagree with the Department of Justice’s findings” From His Online Statement Story by Pete Shaw At a crowded press conference on the 14th floor of the Portland Justice Center on Thursday, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced its findings of an investigation, launched on June 8, 2011. The…
