®*f* Jarliani» (Dhseruer
September 3, 2014
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D iversity
Use of Force Settlement
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Judge paves way for police reforms
A federal judge accepted a settle
ment on Friday between the U.S.
Department of Justice and the city
of Portland on reforms intended to
improve the way police deal with
mentally ill people.
U.S. District Court Judge Michael
Simon said he wants annual progress
reports and set the first such hear
ing for September 2015.
Simon’s decision drew a positive
response from the Albina Ministe
rial Alliance for Justice and Police
Reform, who said it should lead to
better treatment of all Portlanders.
The Justice Department began
an investigation three years ago to
determine whether Portland police
engaged in a pattern or practice of
excessive force when dealing with
the mentally ill.
Agency officials concluded such
a pattern exists and began negotiat
ing with city leaders on reforms.
U.S. Attorney for Oregon Amanda
Marshall called the settlement a
groundbreaking resolution for the
citizens o f Portland.
Mayor Charlie Hales said Simon's
order allows Portland to move for
ward.
"We're serious about having a
police force that appreciates the is
sues around mental illness and that
utilizes de-escalation tactics," he
said.
The agreement revises police
rules on the use of stun guns. It also
requires the city to create a crisis-
intervention team, expand its mo-
bile crisis units from a single vehicle
to one vehicle per precinct, and to
complete investigations of officer
misconduct within 180 days. Some
reforms have already been put in
place.
The city agreed to hire a compli
ance officer to ensure the reforms
are followed and to form a Commu
nity Oversight Advisory Board.
"This ruling is a major step to
creating a true community policing
culture within the Portland Police
Bureau in light of the national atten
tion on deadly force and excessive
force by the police department in the
Michael Brown death in Ferguson,
Missouri," the Albina Ministerial
Alliance Coalition for Justice and
Police Reform said in a statement.
The Associated Press contrib
uted to this report.
‘Natural Grocers, ’ a grocery store chain based in Colorado, announced Friday that It has worked out
a deal with the city of Portland and the Portland Development Commission to open a store on the
long vacant site at Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Alberta Street. The construction
will be headed by Colas Construction, a local African-American firm.
Good with MLK and Alberta
C alendar
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C lassifieds
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‘Natural Grocers’ to construct store on vacant site
Mayor Charlie Hales and the co
president of Natural Grocers an
nounced F riday th at p roperty
owned by the Portland Develop
ment Com m ission at Northeast
Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
and Alberta Street will be the site for
a new community-centric grocery
store that focuses on free nutrition
education and healthy food.
Three months ago. Hales and
PDC staff urged the project devel
oper, Majestic Realty Co., to remain
committed to the project and to find
another anchor tenant for the 1.79-
acre property, following the deci-
sion by Trader Joe’s not to locate a
store on the site.
“The challenges this develop
ment has faced have been well docu
mented,” Hales said. “But thanks to
the determination of the public and
private partners involved, we’re
now able to present a development
that will benefit the residents of
northeast Portland, support neigh
b oring b u sin e sse s, in tro d u ce
Portlanders to a high-quality, af
fordable grocer and revitalize a par
cel of land that has sat dormant for
15 years.”
In March, the mayor committed
an additional $20 million in urban
renewal funds to affordable hous
ing in north and northeast Portland
to complement commercial devel
opment efforts on MLK. The Port
land Housing Bureau, led by Com
missioner Dan Saltzman, is conduct
ing a community involvement pro
cess to develop a housing strategy
to help direct that investment.
Natural Grocers is a Colorado-
based chain with stores in 14 states.
The company has seven locations
in Oregon, including four in the
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