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This is statement from Albina Ministerial Alliance Coalition on the Quanice Hayes case decision that no charges should be filed against the white police officer who killed Quanice Hayes Subject: STATEMENT: The Killing of Quanice Hayes by officer Andrew Hearst Albina Ministerial Alliance Coalition for Justice and Police Reform Press Statement For Immediate Release Albina Ministerial Alliance Coalition For Justice and Police Reform Subject: The Grand Jury decision not to indict Portland Police Officer Andrew The District Attorney and Grand Juries have never indicted a White Whether Quanice Hayes was guilty or not of personal robbery it is not How can you put a bullet through the head of a young teenager on his This is why we need stronger, independent oversight of Portland Police These kinds of shootings and use of excessive force show that the Police In a time when we are dealing with one of the most explosive issues in Judge Michael Simon is one of the most well respected Judges The fire is flaming even more in the City of Portland by the lack of Portland wants a progressive, Police community oriented, and a diverse PICKET LINE/NEWS CONFERENCE TO PROTEST OFFICER FRASHOUR'S REINSTATEMENT Justice For Aaron Campbell Thursday, Dec. 31, 11:30 AM, Portland City Hall, SW 4th and Madison Tomorrow, Thursday December 31, the Albina Ministerial Alliance (AMA) Coalition for Justice and Police Reform will hold a picket line and news conference to protest the Oregon Court of Appeals' ruling that the City must reinstate Officer Ron Frashour to the Portland Police Bureau (PPB). Frashour shot the unarmed Aaron Campbell in the back in January, 2010 and was fired later that year. The action will take place at 11:30 AM on the 4th Avenue side of City Hall, between Madison and Jefferson Sts. The Coalition demands that Frashour be assigned to a job or shift at the Bureau that requires the least contact with the public as possible, because of the potential that he may do harm to community members. There has been a history of officers with problems being assigned to desk jobs and other areas of the Bureau to minimize their interactions with the public. The Coalition protested the Arbitrator's decision in April, 2012, and applauded the City's decision to file an appeal, asserting their right to make such personnel decisions. The reinstatement of Frashour continues a long line of arbitration overturning firings of officers who wrongfully use deadly force, or otherwise take actions often targeted at communities of color. --Officer Scott McCollister, who was suspended for six months after shooting and killing African American Kendra James in 2003, was reinstated with back pay; --Officer Douglas Erickson, who shot and wounded African American Gerald Gratton in the back in 1993, was reinstated; --Officers Richard Montee and Paul Wickersham, fired for selling T-Shirts reading "Don't Choke 'Em, Smoke 'Em" after an officer choked African American security guard Lloyd "Tony" Stevenson in 1985, were reinstated; --Officers Craig Ward and Jim Galloway, fired for tossing dead opossums on the porch of a black-owned business in 1981, were reinstated; and --In one case where the victim, Dennis Young, was white, Lt. Jeffrey Kaer was reinstated after being fired for shooting and killing Young in 2006. The apparent racial bias of the arbitration system comes in the midst of a national debate on racial profiling, sparked by the shooting of teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida. Like Keaton Otis, an African American man shot and killed by Portland Police less than four months after Campbell, Martin was deemed suspicious for wearing a hoodie. Other cases that have prompted protests have included those of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO, Eric Garner in New York, Tamir Rice in Ohio, the death in custody of Sandra Bland in Texas, and too many others to count. For more information visit the AMA Coalition website at http://www.albinaministerialcoalition.org . The AMA Coalition for Justice and Police Reform is working toward these five goals: 1. A federal investigation by the Justice Department to include criminal and civil rights violations, as well as a federal audit of patterns and practices of the Portland Police Bureau. 2. Strengthening the Independent Police Review Division and the Citizen Review Committee with the goal of adding power to compel testimony. 3. A full review of the Bureau's excessive force and deadly force policies and training with diverse citizen participation for the purpose of making recommendations to change policies and training. 4. The Oregon State Legislature narrowing the language of the State statute for deadly force used by police officers. 5. Establishing a special prosecutor for police excessive force and deadly force cases. The AMA Coalition for Justice and Police Reform follows these three principles: --Embrace the five goals. --Accept the principles of non-violent direct action as enunciated by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. --Work as a team in concert to achieve the goals.
THE AMAC WELCOMES DOJ ASSESSMENT OF CITY COMPLIANCE
WITH POLICE REFORM AGREEMENT
The Albina Ministerial Alliance Coalition for Justice and Police Reform
("AMAC") welcomes the US Department of Justice's Compliance Assessment
("Assessment") <http://www.justice.gov/usao-or/file/771166/download> of
the City of Portland's progress toward implementing the terms of the
Settlement Agreement. The DOJ and the City entered the Settlement
Agreement to resolve allegations that the Portland Police Bureau used
excessive force particularly against persons with or perceived to have
mental health issues. The DOJ's Assessment of the city's progress on
reforms counters the City's position over the past year that it has
complied with nearly all of the terms of the Settlement Agreement. While
the AMAC commends the City on its progress on many issues, there remains
much work to be done.
The AMAC's primary concerns about the City's compliance, addressed by the
DOJ's Assessment, relate to officer accountability and community
engagement.
Foremost, as the DOJ notes, the City has not yet acted on the "48 hour
rule" . a provision in the Portland Police Association's Collective
Bargaining Agreement that provides for 48-hour advance notice before an
officer is interviewed in an investigation that could lead to disciplinary
action. As the City has been told time and time again, this practice
departs from national policing best practices by not requiring statements
from officers in a timely fashion. The DOJ has found the City has not
fully complied on this issue, and the AMAC urges the City to take timely
and effective action.
The DOJ's Assessment notes the City's shortcomings in several
other areas required by the Settlement Agreement.
First, although officers are required to report other officers'
constitutionally questionable uses of force, the recent case involving
the tasering and beating of teenager Thai Gurule demonstrates that this
did not happen.
The community awaits accountability regarding that case, specifically
whether any officers will be held accountable for their conduct --
a Multnomah County Circuit Court judge found the involved officers had
unlawfully stopped the teen and were not credible in describing the
incident.
Second, the AMAC agrees with the DOJ's critique of the IPR (Independent
Police Review) system, which noted that the PPB's multi-track system
adds to the byzantine structure of administrative investigations. The
AMAC has been long advocating what the DOJ's candid assessment states:
that as part of a global assessment of administrative investigations,
the City must simplify its system.
In so doing, the City should refer to the numerous existing reports
and recommendations for reform of this system, including the 2010
Police Oversight Stakeholder Committee Report.
Third, the AMAC shares concerns highlighted by the DOJ Assessment about the
City's failure to investigate allegations of intimidation against the PPA
President, and the City's removal of the disciplinary history for Capt.
Mark Kroeger. The former was not investigated because of a "special
relationship," and the latter was done despite the fact, as the DOJ put
it, that "nowhere ... is there a means to erase past sustained findings
from an officer's record."
Likewise, the AMAC urges the City to not only strongly heed the DOJ's
recommendation that the City use community members with lived experience
of mental health issues in actual training, but also to add community
members in other aspects of training. Furthermore, the DOJ highlighted
many ways in which the Bureau treats deadly force incidents differently
from other force incidents, including allowing officers not to fully fill
out paperwork otherwise mandated. The AMAC suggests ensuring deadly force
cases be treated the same way, including removing the provision in the PPA
contract that limits independent civilian oversight investigations into
such incidents. In terms of community outreach, the AMAC has suggested the
City publish information about its meetings related to implementation of
the Settlement Agreement in the more diverse media and publications, to
strengthen outreach and community participation.
"The City has made progress, but the community needs to see more on some
key issues of accountability and oversight. We strongly support the DOJ's
Assessment, and hope the City takes the opportunity to improve in these
areas, moving towards substantial compliance with all the reforms set
forth in the Agreement," says Dr. T. Allen Bethel, co-chair of the Albina
Ministerial Alliance Coalition for Justice and Police Reform.
CONTACT:
Dr. T. Allen Bethel, 503.288.7241
AMA Coalition Chair Rev. Dr.LeRoy Haynes, Jr. at 503-287-0261.
4236 NE 8th Ave / Portland, OR 97211 / 503-287-0261
"People have only as much liberty as they have the intelligence to want and the courage to take.” Emma Goldman
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