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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 17, 2019)
April 17, 2019 Page 5 CAREERS Special Edition Shootings Bring Response C ontinueD from f ront too many unanswered questions regarding the facts and circum- stances surrounding each of the shootings and we eagerly await completion and publication of the investigative reports,” said the leaders. Some of the requests made to Clark County Prosecutor Tony Golik includes reports on officer training, where officers work and past complaints against officers. The county’s three police agen- cies: Clark County Sheriff, Battle Ground Police, and Vancouver Police, were also sent letters for detailed information. There have been five officer involved shootings that have oc- curred within a four month span since late November. The three most recent—which occurred within just a three week span-- were fatal. That includes the death of Car- los Hunter, 43, a person of color who was fatally shot by two Van- couver Police detectives during a traffic stop on March 7. Hunter was said to have reached for a gun just before the shooting during what was reported to be a drug dealing investigation, according to an investigation by the Region- al Major Crimes Team; the shoot- ing by Vancouver police of Mi- chael Pierce, 29, a white man who was homeless and known to suffer from schizophrenia, after he was reportedly pointing gun replicas to passersby and to his own head on Feb. 28; and the shooting by Vancouver police Cpl. Roger Ev- ans of Clayton Joseph, 16, a male of Pacific Island decent who was said to be brandishing a knife and refusing to drop it before he was shot on Feb. 19. “Notwithstanding the question of whether a shooting can be le- gally justified, our concern is also whether a culture exists within the police departments within Clark County that influences premature, inappropriate and overly aggres- siveness actions through use of deadly force in situations involv- ing minorities and underprivi- leged citizens,” the activists said. Marzette and Hinojosa also want answers to questions about whether there is sufficient anti-bi- as and de-escalation training of police officers. Specific questions about the three aforementioned shootings include asking how far away the officers were when they took shots, and whether they tried any non-deadly force options— like rubber bullets, tasers, etc.- -before resorting to the use of a gun. Both Hinojosa and Marzette, who is also a member of the Van- couver Police Chief’s Diversity Advisory Team, stressed that they hold no animosity toward local police, but just want more infor- mation for clarity and transparen- cy. “We’re not suggesting that Clark County has any mal-in- tended officers out there acting with evil intent,” said Hinojosa, who once opened his home to one of the victims, Pierce, and his then-pregnant girlfriend during a winter when they were homeless a few years ago. Hinojosa and Marzette agreed that there are improved commu- nity relationships that are ongo- ing, compared to just a few years ago--both from Clark County Sheriff and Vancouver Police De- partment--such as being able to ask face-to-face questions to law enforcement about their concerns. A signal that Vancouver Police Department is taking a step in the right direction in regard to com- munity relations is Police Chief James McElvain’s stated willing- ness late last month to seriously consider mandatory body cameras for officers, something that had previously not been considered, Marzette said. And Hinojosa notes that a joint statement put out back in August 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 by Golik and Clark County Sheriff Chuck Atkins condemning white supremacy and hate crimes was “definitely well received,” though they’ll be working toward making sure that declaration is properly implemented. “I think the bottom line …when we read or hear about something in our community [related to hate crimes], we wanted the assurance that we, along with the law en- forcement community, were taking the position that we were not going to allow that to spread and increase in our area,” Marzette said. Marzette and Hinojosa have also expressed optimism over the recent passage of a statewide law in Washington, Initiative 940, last fall, which makes it easier to bring criminal charges against officers believed to have wrongfully used deadly force, when before a bar- rier in state law made that almost impossible. No longer do prosecutors have to prove “evil intent” of offi- cers in situations where they’ve killed someone when considering whether to file criminal charges, such as manslaughter. Instead, the burden of proof is whether a rea- sonable officer would have acted the same way under the same cir- cumstances. In addition, the law requires any incident involving deadly force to be independently investigated; requires de-escala- tion and mental health training for officers; and requires police to give first aid to a victim of deadly force. “These are all good things as we progress forward,” Hinojosa said. As to whether a recent basket- ball tournament-turned-school disturbance on March 15 at Gaiser Middle School in Vancouver, in which 27 students were suspend- ed and nine were arrested, was reflective of community-police tensions, Marzette said they don’t have enough information on the matter to make that claim. It was reported that racial slurs were used in the incident that started as an apparent altercation between students and ended with 33 police officers being called to the scene, according to Clark County Sher- iff’s Office. Hinojosa added the incident was “very concerning.” Hinojosa said that if the com- munity can come together with police officers to have serious and difficult conversations, it could re- sult in positive change in how the various law enforcement depart- ments interact with the public. “We’re definitely concerned and we’re upset and all that. But we’re having conversations now. And let’s move those forward. I think we’ll be in better shape in a year.” NAACP Vancouver and LU- LAC Southwest Washington’s joint letter can be viewed in its entirety at portlandobserver.com. Providing Insurance and Financial Services Home Office, Bloomington, Illinois 61710 Ernest J. 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