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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 28, 2018)
Page 2 March 28, 2018 Gang Enforcement Team Faulted Audit finds lack of accountability reduces trust A new city audit finds that the Portland Police Bureau’s Gang Enforcement Team is hindered by a lack of accountability and trans- parency that reduces community trust. In two reports issued Wednes- day, March 28, City Auditor Mary Hull Caballero says gang enforce- ment officers carried out traffic stops that disproportionately af- fected black residents. The stops were too broad and not limited to criminal gang suspects, communi- ty members said. The gang enforcement team also collected and shared information about people’s gang associations, but these practices suffered from lack of accountability and con- cerned residents, the auditor found. The Portland Police Bureau’s Gang Enforcement Team carries out a traffic stop. A new city audit finds the team is hindered by a lack of accountability that reduces community trust. “We found that the Police Bu- reau cannot demonstrate that these stops were effective. This was be- cause the Bureau did not require officers to collect certain infor- King March, Rally to Commemorate 50 Years Leaders of the black communi- ty and advocates for social justice will mark the 50th anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a march and rally. All people who love democra- cy, freedom, justice, equality and peace and who desire to build King’s “Beloved Community” are urged take a stand by attending the Wednesday, April 4 events, starting at 5 p.m. at the Japa- nese-American Historical Plaza at Northwest Naito Parkway and Davis Street. The group will then march across the Steel Bridge to the MLK statue outside the Oregon Convention Center for a 6:30 p.m. rally. Sponsors are the Albi- na Ministerial Alliance Coalition for Justice and Police Reform and Ecumenical Ministries of Or- egon. Avalon Flowers 520 SW 3rd Ave., Portland, OR 97204 • 503-796-9250 A full service flower experience Cori Stewart-- Owner, Operator • Birthdays • Anniversaries • Funerals • Weddings Open: Mon.-Fri. 7:30am til 5:30pm Saturday 9am til 2pm. Website: avalonflowerspdx.com email: avalonflowers@msn.com We Offer Wire Services Subscribe! 503-288-0033 Fill Out & Send To: Attn: Subscriptions, PO Box 3137, Portland OR 97208 $45.00 for 3 months • $80.00 for 6 mo. • $125.00 for 1 year (please include check with this subscription form) Name: Telephone: Address: or email subscriptions@portlandobserver.com mation and also did not analyze available data,” a summary from the reports said. Without this data, the Gang En- forcement Team cannot analyze March for Our Lives Tens of thousands of people led by high school students packed downtown Portland Saturday to take part in a national protest against gun violence. The re- sounding message from many was to adopt tougher laws against semi-automatic weapons and ammo. The musical group Portu- gal. The Man showed their support by participating in the “March for Our Lives” event and performing at pioneer Courthouse Square. Former Church Leader Charged An arrest warrant was issued this month for the former chief exec- utive officer of Emmanuel Com- munity General Services, a north Portland nonprofit associated with Emanuel Temple Church, for allegedly embezzling roughly $70,000 from the organization. Clayborn Collins, 50, is facing one count of aggravated theft. or explain the overrepresentation of African Americans in its stops, Caballero found. For one practice, designating some people as criminal gang af- The Week in Review the repeal of the Second Amend- ment to allow for significant gun control legislation. The 97-year- old Stevens said in an essay Tuesday on The New York Times website that repeal would weaken the National Rifle Association’s ability to “block constructive gun control legislation.” No Charges in Police Shooting Two Louisiana officers who fatally shot a black man selling CDs out- side a convenience store in 2016 won’t be prosecuted in the death, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry announced Tuesday. The 37-year-old victim was pinned to the pavement by two white offi- cers when the shooting occurred. Attorneys for the victim’s family slammed what they called a biased decision. Protest Impacts Kings Game Hundreds of outraged demonstra- Center of Landmark Case Dies tors rallied Thursday in Sacra- Linda Brown Thompson, who as a young girl was the student at the center of the landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Ed- ucation that declared school seg- regation unconstitutional, has died in Topeka, Kansas. She was 76. Brown was in third grade in 1950 when she was denied admission to an all-white elementary school. 2nd Amendment Repeal Sought Kansas schools at the time were Retired Supreme Court Justice segregated by state law. John Paul Stevens is calling for Established 1970 USPS 959 680 4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Portland, OR 97211 CALL 503-288-0033 • FAX 503-288-0015 Mark Washington, Sr. e ditor : Michael Leighton e xecutive d irector : Rakeem Washington A dvertising M AnAger : Leonard Latin Office Manager/Classifieds: Lucinda Baldwin c reAtive d irector : Paul Neufeldt P ublisher : PO QR code filiates, the Police Bureau could not show that it complied with its own policy. The Bureau acknowledged the community’s mistrust of suspect- ed gang lists last year and stop compiling them in October. But a second practice, making a list of most active gang members and associates, was still in use at the conclusion of the audit. If police continue the most ac- tive list or other practices of col- lecting information on people’s gang relationships, we recom- mend it should adopt a policy and put safeguards in place to protect people’s rights and the accuracy of the information, the audit said. In her formal response, Port- land Police Chief Danielle Outlaw agreed with the recommendations outlined in the reports. She said the Bureau has already made changes to its policies and practices as a re- sult of the audits, but said there’s still room for enhancements. r ePorter /W eb e ditor : mento, Calif. to protest the police shooting of an unarmed black man, 22-year-old Stephon Clark, who was killed in his grandmother’s backyard. The crowd first went into Sacramento’s City Hall, then moved to Interstate 5 and blocked an entrance to the arena hosting a Sacramento Kings game. The basketball game eventually was played, but with few spectators as the doors to the arena were locked. The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Man- uscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and will be returned if accompanied by a self addressed envelope. 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