Street roots
13
Déc. 5, 2014
City, police: Say nothing
about us without us
BY BECKIE CHILD
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
^ ^ i t y Hall is rustling up a new citizen
committee to watch the watchers
watch the cops; the result of U.S. v.
City of Portland.
There’s a settlement agreement between
the city, it’s police bureau, and the U.S.
Department of Justice that outlines what
the city will do to try to stop harming
people with mental illness and people of
color.
So far this year they’ve only killed two
people. That’s about average for Portland.
As an advocate for people with mental
illness, I believe the settlement could have
a long and lasting effect on the police, for
people with mental illness, and the city. If
it can be done right. The first organizing
meeting was Dec. 4.
But without people with lived experience
at the table, it’s unlikely they’ll get it right
That missing voice is a primary reason why
Portland police have harmed so many
people with mental illness.
City Hall knows this. They came and
asked me and other advocates to help
recruit folks to the committee — called the
Community Oversight Advisory Board, or
COAB. The committee also has police
officers, people appointed by politicians,
and representatives of some community
groups.
Along with other mental health
advocates, I had reservations about
participation. I’ve been on more than my
fair share of fix-it-up committees. I have a
pretty good idea about what works and
what doesn’t work.
I asked, will those police officers be in
uniform? That prospect terrifies my friends
and allies. They won’t stay if officers are in
uniform.
Maybe, says the city. We’ll ask the police
what they want to wear.
1
v y
Beckie Child, MSW, has lived with m ental
health experience, is a mental health advocate
and an adviser to the M ental Health
Association o f Portland
I asked, will I be able to talk about the
committee work freely with my friends and
colleagues? I’ll need their input and
support
Maybe says the city. We’ll figure that out
later.
Will there be knowledgeable city staff
who understand mental illness available to
talk with about these meetings. What if I
need a reasonable accommodation?
Later says the city. We’ll hire someone
later.
There seem to be a lot of people on this
committee for purely political reasons.
They have nothing to do with issue relevant
to the settlement What are you doing to
get people like me on the committee?
Well, we’re talking to you, right?
Jam tomorrow and jam yesterday, never
jam today.
I’m not naïve. I know it’s a fixed game.
When the DOJ let the City Hall hire under
experienced out-of-town academics to
speak truth to City Hall, the likelihood of
cultural change within the Portland Police
Bureau withered.
But I still want to help. I want our
common' dream of peace to be real.
I’d like to help these people but my
concerns are legitimate and reasonable and
remain largely unaddressed. My time and
energy and reputation and perhaps my
remaining sanity are at stake. So I can’t
participate or recommend participation on
the COAB committee for other people with
mental Ulness. Without respect and straight
answers upfront the stakes are too high.
Until then, say nothing about us without
us.
Shipwrecked
by Morgan W. Brown
no longer adrift
cresting white
capped waves
above a heavenly
flowing ocean
current of blue
upon a state
landlocked
beyond despair
swimming sorrow
faith long vanquished
comes the morrow
empty further tears
amidst the mist
hope rises still
welcoming spring
late in arriving
mother earth sighs
deeply breathing
dawn’s birth of dew
Order e-books and print copies at iamnotapoet.org or
streetroots.org/iamnotapoet
Justice and other such fairytales
by J. McCurdy
I was there the night
Vengeance and retribution danced...
Hollowed out fury...
Set fire to flame
Then sat back and watched mercy run away
From the scene of that crime
And you know what
Even sitting there
In the ashes
That in the name of justice left
Didn’t make the original violation go away...
So really in the end
Justice just as much
A fable as the rest of the stories
They tell us
Cuz sure as shit
Ain’t no way to make
What I did take away what he did away...
The one does not dispel the other
Picture Day
by Steven Miller
Picture day...what can I do to wow and amaze this day?
A cut on the chin?
A black eye again?
Or let my friend cut my hair?
My mother will say not a picture goes by that I don’t try to sabotage
But I don’t even know what sabotage means
I’m just a 9-year-old boy with dirty knees just trying to be me
So I will go play, let come what may
Rest assured, regardless, I’ll be there on picture day
jr.--