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.