Eugene weekly., July 10, 2008, Page 9, Image 9

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TASER
WITNESSES
WANT CRIMINAL
INVESTIGATION
Three witnesses to the May 30 Tasering
of anti-pesticide activist and UO student Ian
Van Ornum have submitted a formal request
for a criminal investigation into whether the
use of force by Eugene police officers “con-
stitutes the crimes of assault, harassment
and other crimes.”
The criminal complaint alleges that Van
Ornum was physically injured and suffered
a concussion due to the unjustified police
use of force, which has caused him “possi-
bly protracted impairment of health.”
WAR DEAD
Since the U.S. invasion of Iraq
began on March 20, 2003
(last week’s numbers in parentheses):
• 4,114 U.S. troops killed* (4,113)
• 29,978 U.S. troops injured* (29,978)
• 145 U.S. military suicides* (145)
• 314 coalition troops killed** (313)
• 1,123 contractors killed
(accurate updates NA)
• 93,585 to one million Iraqi civilians
killed*** (92,871)
• $534.7 billion cost of war
($532.7 billion)
• $152.1 million cost to
Eugene taxpayers
($151.5 million)
* through July 7, 2008; source: icasualties.org; some figures
only updated monthly ** estimate; source: icasualties.org
*** highest estimate; source: iraqbodycount.org; based on con-
firmed media reports; other groups calculate civilian deaths as
high as 655,000 to one million.
COUNTY CRIME DROPPED
The complaint letter against EPD offi-
cers Jud Warden and Bill Solesbee was
drafted with the assitance of local attorney
Brian Michaels and sent to Oregon
Attorney General Hardy Myers, Lane
County District Attorney Douglas
Harcleroad, Mayor Kitty Piercy, Police
Auditor Cristina Beamud and EPD Internal
Affairs Sgt. Scott McKee. The witnesses
are Samantha Chirillo, Josh Schlossberg
and Amy Pincus Merwin.
The complainants specifically request
the investigation be conducted by someone
outside the EPD and district attorney’s
offices, citing actions and statements by the
police and DA that “reveal their bias towards
the officers and reflect an inability to be fair
and impartial.”
Harcleroad and McKee have come
under fire lately for McKee’s dual role as an
investigator both for the grand jury inquiry
into possibly felony charges against Van
Ornum and other protesters, as well as
working as an Internal Affairs officer inves-
tigating complaints against the police.
The three witnesses allege that their
complaint is based on four main points
drawn from the officers’ own official
reports: The officers dragged Van Ornum
by his hair and used a “hair hold take
down,” which has a “high potential to
inflict serious physical injury to the sub-
ject’s neck and spine.” Officer Warden
used his Taser on Van Ornum while he was
already prone on the ground and according
to the reports, his resistance was “active
but not combative.” There were two other
officers nearby who could have assisted
Warden and Solesbee if they needed help
restraining Van Ornum. Deploying a Taser,
alleges the letter of complaint, “under the
totality of circumstances, constituted an
unjustified use of force.”
Witness Schlossberg has previously said
it was “800 pounds of cop versus 150
pounds of hippie.”
Finally, the complaint says the Taser
was deployed again while Van Ornum was
on the ground with his right, handcuffed
WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM
Lane County has been complaining that it must drastically increase the number
of beds in its jail for more than a decade, lately arguing that it needs a ten fold
increase to 1,500 beds.
But while so many criminals were supposedly running free, the crime rate in
Lane County has been falling, not increasing, according to a Regional Trends report
released last month by the Lane Council of Governments (LCOG). The report shows
person, property and behavior crime rates all fell between 1991 and 2005 (see
chart). From 1997 to 2005, crime rates fell substantially during the time the county
was complaining loudly that a lack of jail and law enforcement funding was making
the county unsafe.
Adding unneeded jail beds could be a costly mistake for taxpayers. Each jail bed
can cost more than $30,000 a year to operate and more than $100,000 to build.
— Alan Pittman
EUGENE SOLDIER’S COURT
MARTIAL LOOMS CLOSER
Eugene
soldier
James
Burmeister (EW 5/22) faces a spe-
cial court martial on July 16 at Ft.
Knox, Ky., for desertion from fight-
ing in Iraq. Burmeister’s assign-
ments included participating in
“bait and kill teams.” The teams
lured Iraqis often unarmed and
sometimes Iraqi children out to be
shot. Burmeister said he was
unable to bring himself to continue
to participate in what he saw as
war crimes and went AWOL.
For leaving the military, Burmeister said he is threatened with prison, dishonor-
able discharge and loss of veterans’ benefits for his post-traumatic stress disorder
and for the effects of a brain injury from a roadside bomb.
Jack Dresser and Gordon Sturrock of Veterans For Peace and Squadron13.com
posted a video statement on YouTube on July 4 in support of Burmeister. They
chose to speak out rather than observe the traditional fireworks, they said. “As
Veterans for Peace we reject these simulations of war, which should not be used to
celebrate or represent our country.”
Burmeister discussed the “bait and kill teams” with the CBC news in Canada
months before their existence was confirmed in a September 2007 Washington
Post story. Dresser and Sturrock say, “As a whistleblower, Burmeister deserves our
gratitude and support in restoring the rule of law to our country.”
Burmeister’s attorney has requested a discharge in lieu of a court martial, and
his supporters hope that media and public attention to the case will persuade the
Army to give Burmeister the discharge.
They are asking people to call the Fort Knox Public Affairs Office (502) 624-7451
and request that Burmeister be released immediately, and write or call Peter DeFazio,
asking him to show that he supports fair treatment for all soldiers: Congressman
Peter DeFazio, 405 East 8th Avenue, #2030, Eugene, Oregon 97401; 465-6732.
— Camilla Mortensen
EUGENE WEEKLY JULY 10, 2008 9