vernonia’s
voice letters to the editor
june
2009
Local I$ the
Way
By Jill Hult
In the face of today’s staggering
unemployment rates, it is only appro-
priate that communities, like ours, look
for ways to strengthen our own ability
to provide goods and services to our fel-
low residents, because it is the first line
of defense in maintaining our viability as
a place to live.
Community Action Team, Inc., is
one example of this philosophy taking
the lead to make progress out of disaster
and keeping much-needed dollars in the
local area by using local businesses and
contractors on the Corey Hill housing
project.
Casey Mitchell is heading up the de-
velopment of these four new homes and
one rehabilitated house. Mitchell stated
there have been fifteen local businesses
and Contractors working on the project
along with four other Columbia County
businesses and one Washington County
area business. “As a long-time resident
of Vernonia and a real estate developer, I
know how bad the local contractors are
hurting. It has been my pleasure to work
with Vernonia and Columbia County
businesses, and have found them to be
professional, reasonable, and responsive.
I hope to do business with more of these
businesses in the coming months” added
Mitchell.
Community Action Team, Inc., has
also taken on the management of Co-
lumbia County Flood Recovery (CCFR),
which has employed ten local employ-
ees for over a year and a half. CCFR
recently sent letters to local contractors
soliciting them to provide required in-
formation needed to work on any given
mitigation or rebuilding project as well
as business cards and marketing mate-
rials that would allow CAT to provide
them to clients. CCFR encourages all
local contractors to come in and provide
their information if you haven’t already
done so.
Vernonia, as a community, is prov-
ing, in the aftermath of a disaster and in
these adverse economic times, our ability
to adapt and survive. We are moving in
the right direction proudly and locally.
05
An Opinion: If Not Tasers, What?
By Scott Laird
I have been struggling all month with whether to weigh in on the issue
of Use of Force by the Vernonia Police Department during an arrest on
March 20th. And although I had hoped to only write a fact-based account
of the situation, I find myself compelled to make a few comments.
I am very aware that police can, and at times do, abuse their power
and office. I was once witness to a good friend falsely arrested in Port-
land a few years ago, and have seen police misuse their position. I truly
wish we didn’t have to have armed guards in our communities. But, un-
fortunately, we live in a society that requires someone to keep the peace.
And so, as a society, we will occasionally have to deal with situations
like the current one under investigation in Vernonia.
On March 20th, Vernonia Police responded to a complaint of a
party with underage drinking on Bridge Street. When police responded,
they became involved in a physical altercation with an eighteen-year-old
male, and ended up using a Taser to help control the suspect. This inci-
dent has led to claims by the eighteen-year-old’s family of police brutal-
ity and excessive use of force, to an outside investigation initiated by the
City of Vernonia, and some discussion within the community at large.
There are a couple of points I feel need to be addressed. The first
thing I think people need to consider is this, and for me this is the bot-
tom line: When the police show up at your door, and you have broken
the law, and they try to arrest you, and you resist... you should not be
surprised when they use force. The police are not going to look the other
way and say, “OK, never mind,” and go back to their cars. Their job is
to apprehend law-breakers. If you resist, you could end up getting hurt--
end of story.
My second point: There are claims being made that officers should
have been able to subdue an eighteen-year-old without having to resort to
the Taser. To me, that argument doesn’t hold up. I have personally wres-
tled with my forty-pound dog that does not want flea treatment applied to
her, and have witnessed parents trying to put an uncooperative child into
a highchair or car seat without hurting them. If someone doesn’t want to
go along with you and physically resists, they can make it very difficult
to contain them, no matter what their size. In my opinion, this is a silly
argument-- it’s one of the reasons tools like Tasers, and pepper spray had
to be invented and are carried by police. I would also like to challenge
anyone to go down to the middle school, pick out a thirteen-year-old, and
tell them to kick you in the knee or the groin, or punch you in the chest
as hard as they can. That’s the kind of resistance police are often faced
with, and another reason tools are created to assist them in their job.
I don’t know what happened on March 20th; I wasn’t there. The
Police report is being withheld by the District Attorney’s office until the
conclusion of any criminal proceedings. The family of the young man
arrested on March 20th did not return phone calls from Vernonia’s Voice
about the case.
Did Vernonia Police act appropriately on March 20th? Yes, accord-
ing to Howard Webb, an expert on Police Use of Force, who has testified
in over 200 state and federal courts about use of force issues, and report-
ed on this incident to the Vernonia City Council on May 18. In Webb’s
investigation, he states Vernonia police acted according to department
policy.
Some people don’t like the choice of Webb as an investigator of
this case, because he is a colleague of Chief Kay. Interim City Admin-
istrator Jim Johnson was aware of a working relationship between Kay
Readers lend their voices…
To the Editor:
We would like to thank all of you who came to the Fire and EMS
BBQ and for joining us at our 2nd Annual Pancake Feed. We enjoy these
events and havinging the chance to meet with our community. A BIG
THANK YOU to the Vernonia Lyons Club for supplying the BBQ and
volunteers to run it for us! Also to Gretchen Lindauer and the Vernonia
Middle School for letting us use their kitchen once again, also thank you
to Randy Parrow and Sentry Market. Thank you to the community for
your donations which will go towards new rescue equipment. We really
appreciate all your support, it means a lot to us! We look forward to see-
ing you all again at our next event!
With gratitude,
Your Vernonia Volunteer Fire Fighters
To the Editor:
I understand that Memorial Day is a busy time for the cemetery
with lots of grieving families and traffic. What I don’t understand is the
lack of attention to parking detail. I have pictures and witnesses to prove
that during ceremonies vehicles were parked on top of grave sites, one of
which my family member. As I write this full of tears, I am disgusted and
sick to my stomach that anyone could be so ignorant and insensitive as
to park on top of a mother’s son, my best friend, a little boy’s father! The
headstone is double the size of any in the cemetery and in full color. How
could you miss that? When you hopped out of your car on your way to
visit your loved one’s grave did you even care where you were parked or
so relieved to find a spot you didn’t care to move? Well, I care and Cory’s
friends that witnessed this cared! I was crushed to see the tire tracks on
the headstone and burn out marks along side of Cory. Really people?
How would you feel if this was your loved one someone was parked on
top of? I hope next year the parking situation will be better thought out,
but it’s not only the cemetery keepers responsibility...it’s yours! Open
your eyes and pay attention!
Amy Barton
In Memory of Cory Robert Kepple
10/28/79-2/7/04
To the Editor:
The turn out for Vernonia’s Pride’s “Make Vernonia Shine” day
was very disappointing with only 38 people signing up and half of them
were not involved with cleaning.
In the past we have had as many as 200. We had provided lunch for
150. It takes a lot of time on the part of Vernonia Pride to organize this
event.
I know there is a lot of unemployment in town and if you did not
and Webb before Webb began his investigation and didn’t see it as a
problem. Webb says he investigates and testifies against officers he is
acquainted with regularly-- he travels a wide circle and knows or has
trained a large number of officers and instructors currently working in
Oregon. He also concedes that Police officers, like everyone else, make
mistakes, and need to be held accountable.
Tasers are being used by thousands of police departments nation-
wide. Are they completely safe? I don’t know the answer to that. But
they appear to be the option of choice right now by the experts who have
tried to develop safe ways to control criminal suspects in all kinds of
situations without resorting to lethal violence. A better question to ask
might be, “If not Tasers, than what should police use?” More violent
and aggressive physical tactics? Nightsticks, fists, flashlights? Guns?
The studies are mixed on Tasers and you need to review a lot of
information to understand the ramifications of their use. There is a 130-
page study by Amnesty International that states 334 people have died
after having a Taser used on them. But the link between death and use of
the Taser is somewhat sketchy at best. That same study also sites a study
by Wake Forest University in which nearly 1,000 cases were reviewed,
99.7 percent of which were found to have resulted in either no injuries or
mild injuries associated with scrapes, puncture marks and bruises. Only
three subjects sustained injuries serious enough to warrant hospitaliza-
tion. Two subjects died, but autopsy reports found no link between the
Taser and the deaths.
I’m not saying Tasers are safe or not, I have not reviewed all the
information, just perused parts of a few studies. In many studies, data
and information can often be manipulated to make just about any point
you are trying to make. I think it’s good to have as much information
as possible on the table when making accusations during this kind of
discussion.
Do Tasers have the potential to be dangerous? Absolutely. The
state of Oregon has had five deaths since 2001 after the use of a Taser.
According to TASER International’s own website, Tasers are banned in
seven states and the District of Columbia. Do Tasers have the potential
to be abused? Again, absolutely-- just like any other method to control a
struggling suspect.
In a conversation with Vernonia Interim Police Chief Mike Kay,
he noted that from his review of Vernonia Police records, he only came
up with a handful of occasions when Vernonia police were forced to use
a Taser. Are there other indicators that Vernonia Police act especially
harshly when apprehending criminal suspects? Do we have a rash of
complaints about excessive use of force by our local department? It
doesn’t appear that way.
One other point I want to make: Vernonia police officers are espe-
cially isolated here with few options for quick back-up assistance. They
may find themselves outnumbered in situations where they need to make
quick decisions and act fast. The Taser gives them a tool to protect them-
selves and other citizens.
If not Tasers, than what do we suggest our police officers use when
faced with violence or situations in which someone is continuing to
resist arrest? Maybe in a few years, police departments will have a new,
failsafe method to control and force compliance from criminal suspects.
Until that time, there doesn’t appear to be another, safer choice in Ver-
nonia.
make it out on clean up day we could still use your help. We did not get
to all of our senior citizens; they need gutters cleaned and lawn work
done. City parks can also use your help. We are getting a new play-
ground structure at Hawkins Park and can use some extra hands to as-
semble it.
Downtown is looking so much better than it did, some businesses
are looking good, but some of you could still do better.
A very BIG thank you to all of you who did turn out and lend a
hand in some capacity.
DeLoris Webb
Vernonia Pride
To the Editor:
Our state Representative, Brad Witt, has been busy telling us all
the wonderful things he’s doing for us in Salem through newspaper col-
umns and newsletters. Unfortunately, he’s neglected to mention two bills
he’s sponsored that will have a profound negative effect on our property
rights and lifestyles.
One is HB3058, sponsored by Witt and one other representative.
This bill would allow corporations to get wetland fill permits on private
property they don’t own, and get permits for work on private property
even when the landowner opposes the permit. The landowner doesn’t
even have to be notified that the permit has been applied for.
Coupled with a corporation’s legal right to use eminent domain to
force the sale of private property, it means any of us could end up with,
for instance, an LNG (Liquid Natural Gas) pipeline going through what
was formerly our land. Witt is a big supporter of the proposed LNG ter-
minal on the Columbia and the 600 miles of pipeline needed by it and
other proposed LNG terminals.
The state Attorney General has weighed in on this bill, saying it
will have a “profound impact on property rights” -- and seizure -- in Or-
egon. Political groups on both ends of the spectrum oppose this bill. Witt
managed to get it through the first step of the legislative process; you
might want to let him know what you think of his action.
Witt’s second bill is HB2470, “Relating to Dogs”. It’s an attempt to
fix the fact that dog kennels in Oregon are essentially unregulated at the
state level. You might think this is a good idea…but wait till you see the
details.
This bill allows breeders to have 50 sexually intact dogs that are
two years of age or older. They can have an unlimited number of younger
dogs, but they have to keep some records about them. They also can have
an unlimited number of dogs that are not sexually intact. Even these lim-
its don’t apply to boarding kennels – they can have an unlimited number,
as long as the average stay at the facility is less than 30 days. The bill
does require that a facility that has 75 dogs have one person on site for 8
hours each day!
I love dogs – we currently have two rescue Great Danes. But the
thought of 75 dogs living next door, with only one person there for 8
hours a day, terrifies me. This bill is worse than useless. It will specifi-
cally legalize these kennels, making it harder for neighbors to prevent
new ones or fight abuses caused by existing ones. In Columbia Co., as
anyone who’s followed the five year saga of the local kennel ordinance
knows, there is essentially no kennel regulation.
Witt can be reached at 1-503-986-1431; rep.bradwitt@state.or.us
Pat Zimmerman
Scappoose, OR
To The Editor:
Our family would like to express our sincere thanks to the Ver-
nonia EMS crews and the Fire Department, and the Life Flight Crews
who responded when our family member Tommy was injured in a re-
cent accident. The quick response and quick thinking by the emergency
crews probably saved Tommy’s life. Words cannot express our gratitude
to everyone for their help and support through this very difficult time.
Tommy is on his way to recovery, and we just wanted to say thank you:
to the hospital staff, our friends and neighbors, to the Vernonia commu-
nity, and of course the emergency responders.
Tom, Dawn, Tiffany, Stephanie, and Brianna Carr
Vernonia
To the Editor:
Teacher Appreciation Week is a week in the academic calendar
which is dedicated to all of our teachers around the world. It is a time to say
thank you to our teachers for all of their help and show our gratitude for
all the time and effort that they have put into educating our children. With
the help and support of WAUNA Federal Credit Union, U.S. Bank, Ce-
dar Ridge, Vernonia Boosters and many volunteers, the staff and students
of the Vernonia School District enjoyed a week of festivities. The staff at
Washington Elementary would like to thank those involved for their gen-
erosity, and most importantly, your commitment to our community.
Ronda Lennen
Secretary, Washington Grade School
Vernonia
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