Street roots
Oct. 12, 2012
1,
_I» — *
on
among other things, two
serious problems. One being
that our police use excessive
force on people perceived to
deficiencies in policy, training,
and supervision. The other
serious problem is failings in
network, from triage sites to
engagement with health
providers. What will you do to
My top priority is making Portland a
place that is safe and just for all. I worked
for 26 years in psychiatric nursing before
being elected to serve all citizens in City
Hall. I have been working since 2010 to
evaluate systemic problems and begin
implementing changes that will reduce
interactions between the police and people
in mental health crisis. I will continue to
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work to ensure that mental health services
Amanda Fritz
are provided by health care professionals,
rather than police. I am the only current or
potential council member with experience in mental health care. I
ask Portlanders to consider this one of the most important
reasons to vote for me, along with my proven dedication to
affordable housing, police accountability and fiscal responsibility.
I was a key leader in making over 110 amendments to the
Independent Police Review process in 2010. The Department of
Justice report is clear that more needs to be done. After one term
in office, I now know what must be done to change the way police
officers are trained and how they act. My re-election is crucial to
effecting real change in both police accountability and community
health care systems. I will continue the work I’ve initiated, to
ensure that the Department of Justice order is implemented fully
and appropriately. If you help me win re-election, we will provide
better mental health care more cost-effectively, and we will
minimize interactions between police and people experiencing
mental illnesses that could lead to use of deadly force. I am
uniquely qualified to continue to lead this crucial work. Please
vote to keep the psychiatric nurse on the Portland City Council.
2. The issue of local law enforcement interfacing directly with
federal agencies such as the CIA and FBI is highly controversial —
from cooperating with the surveillance-oriented fusion centers in
Salem and Portland, to the city police participating in the Joint
Terrorism Task Force. The FBI also have been involved in
questionable investigations, such as the Christmas tree bomber
case and raiding the homes of so-called anarchists. Where do you
stand on our participation in the JTTF, and how far should our
police cooperate with these federal agencies?
Charlie H ales: I am proud of the fact
J efferso n Sm ith: I support having a
that I was the first Portland elected official
to vote against our involvement in the
JTTF, and I am as concerned that
involvement today as I was then. The issue
is one of oversight — when the city joins
the JTTF, we lose oversight of our police
officers, which is a fundamental necessity
in this city. Not only is chain of command
paramount in any police force for the
accountability it creates, but under the
JTTF framework, oversight excludes the
Portland City Attorney and inevitably
Oregon law and our constitution.
We have important work to do in
improving oversight of the Police Bureau.
I’m ready to take that on.
watchful eye. It would be naive to think
that Portland can operate without any
contact with our federal partners. Not only
do they provide funding for certain
activities, but they have resources that
could be critical in the event of an
emergency. Having said that, I think we
need to keep at arms length from entities
like the JTTF. As we work to better train
our own police force, we can look to the
federal government for assistance, both
financially and with best training practices.
The Department of Justice
recommendations for our police force
deserve particular attention and are one
clear example of how we can work
effectively with the federal government.
Our challenge is to remain in a position
where we can accept and utilize the best of
what the federal government has to offer
without engaging in the violations of civil
rights we fear from the JTTF.
I believe we should not rejoin the JTTF,
but we should continue to maintain
working relationships with federal
partners.
There is a very real and very deep divide
between significant numbers of Portland
residents and law enforcement, including the
Police Bureau. The recent Department of
Justice report, as well as the recent
arbitrator’s decision and Employment
Relations Board ruling, all identify omissions,
mistakes, and failures by key players. This
includes the mayor and elected members of
the City Council, the management of the
Police Bureau, individual officers and the
Mary Nolan
police association. As city commissioner, I will
push to make this an urgent priority, leading with both strength and
honesty to fix the failures that City Hall and police managers have
allowed to fester in the training procedures immediately. It is
primarily management’s responsibility to set police policy and to
assure adequate supervision. This has to be an ongoing focus that
anticipates and prevents problems rather than reacting after another
tragedy overwhelms a Portland family and the whole Portland
community. I will support the new mayor in committing
wholeheartedly to public safety, not just law enforcement. In
particular, I will support the new mayor in applying all the resources
available to bring community leaders, public safety experts, union
representatives and public health advocates to each take personal
responsibility for making the changes needed to restore mutual
respect and confidence. As co-chair of the Public Safety Budget
Committee in the State legislature, I worked effectively with the
state police, Department of Corrections, Oregon Youth Authority,
sheriffs and district attorneys to restore important programs to
address mental health conditions among prisoners, to provide
proven drug and alcohol treatment and to expand job training and
re-entry services to improve the chances that people who complete
their prison terms are equipped and committed to living peacefully
back in an Oregon community. I am anxious to apply that successful
experience to help coordinate mental health responses and social
services to achieve better safety results for families in crisis and for
nearby neighbors.
A m anda Fritz: I voted to rejoin the
JTTF because they are operating in
Portland whether we are at the table or
not, and I want the council and the public
to know what they are doing. I voted _
against acceptance of the first annual
report of the Portland Police Bureau’s
involvement in the JTTF, because the level
of transparency and accountability I had
called for was not evidenced in the report.
I will ask the new mayor to request top
secret clearance, and to provide thorough,
annual documentation and reporting on
Portland Police officers’ involvement with
the JTTF. Portlanders deserve to be safe
from terrorism and safe from erosion of
constitutional rights by officers sworn to
serve and protect ALL.
I am endorsed by the Oregon Black
Political Convention, and I hope to receive
the Oregon Muslim Citizens Alliance
endorsement (pending). I established the
Office of Equity and Human Rights to
ensure that all City bureaus and staff learn
how to think and act with justice and
equity as priorities. The Office of Equity
staffs the Human Rights Commission and
its Community and Police Relations
Committee. I will continue to champion
the work of the Office of Equity, the
Human Rights Commission and the
Portland Commission on Disability in my
second term.
Mary Nolan: I believe strongly that all
actions taken in the name of Portland
should be accountable to the elected
representatives of the city. I appreciate
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participation with the JTTF give more
visibility to the details of cases in Portland
than in some other cities, however I
remain deeply concerned about the
exclusion of the police chief and police
commissioner (whether that is the mayor
or a designated commissioner) from key
information on the work the FBI assigns to
or asks of police bureau staff. We should
not allow any city of Portland employee or
manager to participate in any actions that
infringe on the civil rights of any person,
and our cooperation should be strictly
limited by that firm standard.