February 8. 2012___________________
Portland Observer B la c k H is to r y M o n th
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Week ¡n Review
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pages 6-7
Family Settles Lawsuit
Fatal shooting
leads to $ 1.2
million payout
Two-years after a local man
was shot to death by Portland
Police, the city of Portland has
agreed to pay $1.2 million to
settle a federal civil rights law
suit, which was brought by the
victim’sfamily.
Aaron Campbell, 25, was shot
and killed at his apartment com
plex on Northeast Sandy Boule
vard on Jan. 29,2010. Police had
arrived on the scene to respond
to a 9 1 1 call, which said Campbell
was suicidal after the death of
his brother from a fatal heart
condition, and that he was armed
with a gun.
Although police attempted to
alleviate the situation once they
arrived, Campbell stepped out
side his apartment with his hands
S ports
pages 12-13
Aaron Campbell
behind his head, but did not re
spond to a command to put his
hands in the air. Police fired
se v e ra l bean bag sh o ts at
Campbell before Officer Ronald
Frashour III fired a single fatal
shot in his back.
It turned out that Campbell
was not armed, and his death
sparked controversies over the
Police Bureau’s use of force
policies, especially as it relates
to police interactions with people
suffering from mental illnesses.
Officer Frashour was fired from
the Portland Police Bureau last
year for his use of deadly force
against Campbell.
The fam ily, w hich includes
C a m p b e ll’s m o th e r M arva
Davis and his four children,
will receive the money in the
settlem ent, which is the larg
est the city ’s insurer has ever
had to pay out from a lawsuit
against the P ortland Police
Bureau.
As part of the settlem ent,
Mayor Sam Adams personally
apologized to Aaron Campbell’s
family.
“Today’s settlement does not
erase the Campbell family ’ s pain,
nor does it bring back their fa
ther, son, brother, and cousin,
and for that, I am very sorry,”
Adams said.
The federal Justice Depart
ment is currently investigating
the Portland Police Bureau’s use
of force policies.
H ealth
pages 20-21
Leaders of the Albina Ministerial Alliance join a rally for justice and police reforms.
Police Issues ‘Speak O ut’ Saturday
C lassifieds
page 22
C alendar
page 23 |
Community members are in
vited to share their personal expe
riences with the Portland Police
Bureau at a “Speak Out” event at
Portland Community College’s
Cascade Campus in north Port
land on Saturday, Feb. 11 from
noon to 3 p.m. in the Moriarity
Arts and Humanity building.
Responses from the event,
organized by the Albina Ministe
rial Alliance and the AM A’s
Coalition for Justice and Police
Reform, will be shared with the
U.S. D epartm ent o f Justice,
which is currently investigating
the patterns and practices of the
Portland Police Bureau.