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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 5, 2020)
August 5, 2020 Page 5 New Police Oversight Gains Traction C ontinued froM f ront the ballot. Objections came from the Portland Police Association, representing officers, and City Au- ditor Mary Hull Caballero. “I am beyond thrilled that council voted to move forward to give voters the chance to put this long-overdue system into effect, Hardesty said. “While we’re cele- brating this moment with the com- munity, the work only begins with the results of today’s vote.” Hardesty announced that a po- litical action committee “Yes for Real Community Oversight of Police” comprised of a diverse coalition, would work to pass the measure. Led by communities of color groups, activists, communi- ty leaders and police accountabil- ity advocates, the campaign will represent constituents from across the political spectrum, in addition to business interests. Hardesty said police account- ability is just one piece of the puz- zle when it comes to making com- munities safer and that includes safety from police violence. If the ballot measure passes in Novem- ber, a commission would be estab- lished to work with the communi- ty to create the specific details of the new system, Hardesty said. Additionally, legal changes would also need to take place be- fore the new system could fully be functional. “I want to thank Commission- er Hardesty for her leadership on this issue,” said Commissioner Eudaly. “Her decades of work on racial justice issues and police ac- countability have brought invalu- able experience to City Council, and I’m pleased to support this ballot referral. Portlanders have been demanding change, and this measure empowers our commu- nity to make their voices heard in November.” The council heard almost two hours of public testimony on the proposal, including from Dr. Rev. Leroy Haynes, a long time leader of Portland’s African American community, and a member of the Albina Ministerial Alliance Coali- tion for Justice and Police Reform. “One of the most valuable means of transforming the killing of unarmed citizens of Portland is their lack of accountability,” Haynes said. “There are no conse- quences when unarmed black and brown people or mentally ill peo- ple are killed by deadly force in the City of Portland. This is why the AMA Coalition for Justice and Police Reform has supported the need for an independent police re- view board with subpoena powers to compel testimony.” Alex Davis, a Portland Com- munity College student, testified that the issue of police brutality has been made even clearer by the unwanted occupation by federal officers to downtown Portland. “For too long the power in the relationship between the po- lice and the community has been vested in the police. Now, in or- der to move forward the power must be vested in those to whom it truly belongs: the citizens,” Davis said. Hardesty said the differences between the city’s current Inde- pendent Police Review and the proposed new Oversight System will be profound. She said the new board would lead the nation in the three areas deemed most essential by ex- perts in the field, independence, funding, and authority. It would be able to directly affect Police Bureau policies, discipline and terminate officers, compel testi- mony, and access police records with ease, all powers the current system is sorely lacking. City Auditor Mary Hull Ca- ballero objected to the charter change, saying it was created without her input and lacked suf- ficient review and policy analy- sis. The Police Association said the new oversight panel would violate existing laws and due process. Photo Courtesy t ri M et A month of construction work began Sunday on replacing the light rail tracks across the Steel Bridge between downtown Portland and the Rose Quarter. TriMet Installs New Tracks C ontinued froM f ront TriMet said the project will also add a much-needed boost to the economy, supporting 450 jobs at an important time for our community. It will increase sys- tem reliability and revitalize light rail across a historic 108-year-old Steel bridge, the nucleus of the MAX system with more than 620 trains crossing it every day. Crews will work on the bridge 24 hours a day during the four- week closure. Project work in- cludes installing improved lift joints and locks, new switches and signal equipment, as well as technological improvements. Nearly 9,000 linear feet of rail and expansion rail also will be replaced. “We ask for riders’ understand- ing as this will be a complex proj- ect, one of our most ambitious to date, and can’t be done in the few hours MAX doesn’t run,” TriMet officials said.