R E U T E R S /S T E V E D IP A O L A
Activist Jo A n n Hardesty reflects on the police, the charter commission and the work to be done
BY JAKE THOMAS
common pattern often emerges after a
recommended for a public vote. Still, Hardesty
hopes that the proposals, which were inspired by
people involved in the Occupy Portland movement,
c it iz e n d ie s a t t ile b a n d s o f p o lic e . T h e r e is
w ill s p a r k a b r o a d e r d i s c u s s i o n o n p o l ic e
STAFF WRITER
A
.public rage. The city promises reform, and
then the rage simmers off until the next incident.
Less noticable, however, is the constant work of
people dedicated to bringing reform to the
Portland Police Bureau, notably Jo Ann Hardesty
(formerly Jo Ann Bowman).
Originally from Baltimore, Hardesty has been an
Oregon state legislator, the head of the civil rights
organization Oregon Action and one of Portland’s
most vital and outspoken critics of the Portland
police.
Two years ago, Hardesty was part of a coalition
that helped pass a city ordinance aimed at
strengthening oversight of the police by expanding
the Independent Police Review (IPR) division’s
powers to investigate police and giving it more of a
role in how officers are disciplined. The ordinance
was passed in response to a string of incidents
where Portlanders were killed in standoffs with the
police. But despite the efforts of the city, the
bureau now finds itself the subject of a civil rights
investigation by the U.S. Justice Department.
Recently, Hardesty served as a member of the
city’s charter commission, a group of citizens
selected by City Council and charged with making
changes to what is basically Portland’s constitution.
Although City Council intended the commission to
refer “house-keeping” amendments to voters for
final approval, Hardesty used the occasion to
propose two measures related to how police can
control crowds.
That opportunity was dashed when the
commission adjourned Feb. 27, amid controversy
and acrimony, with no signficiant policy proposals
accountability while voters are also getting ready
to select their next mayor.
Jake Thom as: Regarding the charter
commission, you proposed two amendments that
would bar police from using animals or chemicals to
control crowds. Why should this be in the charter?
Jo Ann Hardesty: It actually shouldn’t be in
the charter. We should have a police chief that
would just implement it, or we should have a police
commissioner who would say make it so because
it’s good public policy. But since we have neither
of those, the charter is the only option to the
public right now. It’s not the whole police
accountability package, but it certainly starts us on
the process, and what I love is the opportunity to
talk about it during the election season. Really,
what does police accountability look like? I’d say
that there are certainly other things that should be
included with police accountability, but these two
things are the most visible today right now and
mostly on peoples’ minds because of Occupy and
because of some of the most recent encounters
with police. If it’s on the ballot, people will be
talking about it, and we can create real community
dialogue about what real police accountability
looks like, and it forces people on the ballot to
have this conversation.
I think the charter commission was set up for
failure, quite frankly, because the mayor and the
City Council didn’t want us doing policy issues.
P H O T O B Y JA K E T H O M A S
Above, Jo A n n Hardesty says the Charter Commission missed an opportunity to
initiate real reform in police accountability. A t top, riot police monitor Occupy
Wall Street protesters in Downtown Portland.
See HARDESTY page 4
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