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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 29, 1982)
I Portland Observer, April 29, 1982 Section II Pag« 3 Police explain review board position-------------- j by Harris Lavon McRae " O f course they (the police] don’t want a citizens review board o f any kind with all the brutal stunts they p u ll— somebody needs to watch them and see what is going o n ." “ I think that they should be watched because they are h a lf crooked." " I f they have nothing to hide, I don’ t understand why police o ff i cials find a review committee so ob jectionable.” As a result o f this public concern regarding the Portland Police D e partment, a Citizens Task Force on Internal A ffa irs was appointed to make a study and to make recom mendations on how the police inter nal investigation process might be improved and how the public confi dence could be enhanced. The Task Force’s recommenda tion caused the Police Internal In vestigations Auditing Committee to be created. It will be composed o f three members o f the C o u n c il, assisted by City staff personnel and citizen volunteers charged with the responsibility o f investigating the in ternal investigations system utilized by the Bureau o f Police in resolving allegations o f police officer miscon duct. It will review the overall pro cess and hear certain appeals, filed cither by the complaining citizen or the accused officer. Why do police officials find the auditing com m ittee so o bjection able? W hat are the alternatives to such a committee? " I'm not in favor o f it because it isn’t effective; it's a nice idea but it doesn’t work — it's a sham. I t ’s not Anti-Kian Network organizes The Portland Anti-Kian Network is organizing to fight racism. Indivi duals and organizations o f diverse social, political, religious, profes sional, and racial affiliatio n s have come together because o f their com mon concern about the resurgence of the Ku Klux Kian and other hate groups in the U.S. Their purpose is to see that the Kian and K lan-like mentality are defeated and to help build a strong anti-racist movement in the Portland area. Network functions include docu menting and exchanging in fo rm a tion on Klan-like activities, as well as countering these actitivities with public statements and actions. A victim advocacy committee will help find medical and legal assistance for victims o f racist violence. They will also publicize and organize response to such incidents if the persons in volved so desire. As part o f the b attle against racism in Portland, the Network en dorsed the April 19 school boycott called by the Black U n ited Front and p articipated in the A p ril 17 March Against Racism in Northeast Portland. A letter from the Network was sent to the School Board, mem bers were urged to keep their chil dren out o f school, and money is being collected to help the BUF with expenses. By these actions, the Net work is making the point that racist violence and institutionalized racism are not separate issues. The latter makes racist violence possible by creating a social atmosphere which condones racist acts. Any organization or any in d ivi dual willing to support the purpose and activities of the Network can be a member. Meetings are the first Tuesday o f each m onth at King Neighborhood F acility, 4815 N .E . 7th Avenue, at 7:00 p in . For more information contact Linda Johnson (C h a ir), 249 8501. T o report in ci dents, call Linda Roberts at the M e tro p o lita n H um an Relations Commission, 248 4187. W HAT’S HAPPENING AROUND TOWN t LOOK FOR EVENTS IN THE ENTERTAINMENT SECTION that we are trying to hide anything. I know o f no other city in the U .S . where a review com m ittee o f this type is working. Portland has peo ple w ith the same human frailties and problem s. I d o n ’ t thin k the make-up here will be different than anywhere else. I feel that this Audit ing C om m ittee issue is polarizing the community and I don’t like it ," said Detective David Simpson, from Portland Police Chief Ron Still’s o f fice. One thing that p artic u la rly bothers Detective Simpson is the fact that the A u d itin g com m ittee can independently monitor (he Bu reau's investigative process includ ing the exam in atio n o f In tern a l Investigation Division ( 11D) docu ments, reports and files. Also, they would have access to in fo rm atio n given by informants. " A r e officers going to tell us about rumors and information that they get from informants if they are going to have to testify to those kinds o f things? I d o n ’ t think so. Oakland (California] is a prime ex ample. Police officers just are not testifyin g when put in that situ a tion.” Recent events such as the " O p - possum Incident," where police o f ficers threw dead opposums in front o f a restaurant, have caused many citizens o f P o rtlan d to question whether the "police policing them selves" is a process that is fair, e ffi cient, tho ro u g h , responsive and concerned equally with the rights o f the complaining citizen and the ac cused officer. There have been $159 m illion in suits filed for public misconduct, a $500,000 increase in insurance pre miums, and a $100,000 increase in legal staff. M ayor Ivancie recently said that the city o f Portland has to decide whether " to fight crime or to moni tor crime fighting,’ ’ and many citi- zens feel that a good place to start fighting crime is w ith in the police department. "W e encourage citizens to report police misconduct. W e investigate every single com plaint. There is no need for a review committee because there are a number o f agencies a l ready involved in that. A person can appeal through the Police Bureau to the C h ie f. They can go to the M a y o r’ s o ffic e and to any o f the Commissioners. They could go to the District A tto rn e y ’ s o ffice, and say ‘ I was mistreated by the police.’ Civil rights violations can be report ed to the Federal Bureau o f Investi gation. They can hire an attorney or go to the m edia— all o f these o p tions already exist and the agencies I mentioned are much more equipped to handle complaints than a review com m ittee w ould b e ,” Detective Simpson said. " M o re than anything, there is a need for increased communication MAYOR FRANK IVANCIE CHIEF RON STILL and increased education between (he com m unity and the police depart ment. We need a better understand- ing o f each other. I think that the police departm ent is m akin g headway in that area." PEOPLE WHO DON'T ATTEND BUS SCHOOL MAT HAVE A HARD TIME GETTING ANYWHERE. <3=2 A good education, it is said, will help a person go far in life. How very true. Particularly when that person chooses to go by bus in Portland, after Septem ber 5th. Because as of that date, the way to ride Tri-Met will change considerably. For the better. But it will take a little re-learning by our riders. SELF-SERVICE MEANS QUICKER SERVICE. The most important single improvement coming September 5th is called Self- Service. Basically, it means riders no longer deal with the driver when boarding the bus. Unless paying cash. We’ll explain more in a moment, but first consider ail the advantages: Quicker boarding and exiting of the bus, passholders no longer have to dig their pass out to show the driver, ticket book holders no longer have to tear off a ticket for the farebox and, in many cases, people will be able to board at the rear doors! Now for some details. EVERY BUS WILL HAVE TWO NEW PIECES OF SPEED EQUIPMENT. The secret is two orange electric boxes you’ll see on each bus. The first box is a ticket dispenser for cash fare riders. After you've depos ited the exact change into the farebox and the driver pushes a button, the dispenser prihts out a ticket. The other new box is called a val idator. It’s for use with our new Ten-Ride Tickets that will replace the cumbersome ticket booklet. Passengers board the bus, insert their Ten-Ride Ticket into the val idator and zap, bam, it gets punched and ♦ i» M > M imprinted with date, time, and zone. There will be a validator inside all dtx)rs on the articulated buses so those with Ten-Ride Tickets (or passes) can board any dtxir. How does the driver know if everyone has paid the correct fare? He doesn’t. That’s where our new Fare In spectors come in; at random, on every bus. For those who are trying to get away without paying, it could be rather embar rassing. (And expensive, because sur charge fares are $20.) THE FASTEST BOARDING BUSES IN AMERICA. Self-service has been saving people time and money for decades. In depart ATTEND THE TEN-MINUTE BUS SCHOOL NEAREST YOU. TUESDAY. APRIL 27 MAY 1 1. Fred Meyer Beaverton 2. Lloyd Center TUESDAY. MAY I MAY 8 1. Fred Meyer Ogard 2. Jant/en Beach Mall TUESDAY. MAY 11 MAY 15 I Fred Meyer Gresham 2. Clackamas Town Center TUESDAY. MAY 18 MAY 22 1 Natl. TYana. Week Swan Island *2. Pioneer Square TUESDAY. MAY 25 MAY 29 1. Fred Meyer Stadium 2. Oregon City Shopping Ctr. TUESDAY, JUNE 1 JUNE 5 1 Fred M eyer— Hollywood 2. Tanasbourne Mall TUESDAY, JUNE 8 JUNE 12 1. Fred M eyer- Ttialatin 2. Roae Festival TUESDAY, JUNE 15-JUNE 19 1. Fred M eyer— Clisan 2. Washington Square TUESDAY, JUNE 22 JUNE 26 1. Fred M eyer- Raleigh Hills 2. Lloyd Center TUESDAY. JUNE 29 JULY 3 1. F Meyei 39th & Hawthorne 2. Clackamas Town Center TUESDAY, JULY 6-JULY 10 1. Fred M ever— Oak Grave 2. Jant/en Beach Mall TUESDAY, JULY 13-JULY 17 1 Fred Meyer — Interstate 2. Tanasbourne Mall TUESDAY. JULY 20-JULY 24 1 Fred M eyer— Gresham 2. Washington Square TUESDAY, JULY 27-JULY 31 I Fred Meyer — Glisan 2. Beaverton Mall ment stores, gas stations, laundromats. And throughout Europe, it’s proven itself on transit system s for nearly 15 years. But this will be the first time self- service has ever been used on buses in North America. Another first for Oregon. More importantly, another im provement for you. And, since self-service should help us operate more efficiently and save money, it should also help us keep future fare increases to a minimum. YOU'RE GONNA LIKE WHAT YOU LEARN. There’s a lot more to Self-Service than there is room to explain here. Not to mention the new zones, handy tickets, direct Eastside routes, etc. Which is why w e’ve created Bus School. Three special yellow Tri-Met buses that are parked throughout the Portland area and can give you a complete education on the many improvements coming Septem ber 5t h. Check the schedule and plan on attending. All it will cost you is about ten minutes. A small price to pay for a good education these days. •P nm eei Square « hedule d 11 am 6 .10 pm hres Sat All o( bet k«cat unis 12 noon 7:30 pm hies Sat TRI-MET PHIL’S Cyclery >im r RMS SCHWINN O ’ © MOICk »OSS PAWS A ACCI « 0 0 4 WM’AWfsON All MAMS 281 4 0 3 6 r«i m i i i iit n v H sip arai ON SEPTEMBER 5TH TRI-MET GOES A WHOLE NEW ROUTE. S i m SELF SERVICE HANDY NEW TICKETS ■ MORE FAIR FARES • DIRECT EASTSIDE ROUTES I