Vancouver, WA police showed a bodycam video of them trying to stop a pedestrian who jaywalked and instead of waiting around the be lectured, the man started walking off. The cop decided to escalate and caused the exact danger to traffic and the pedestrian the cop was purportedly preventing.

Portland Police has a Hood to Coast team. Really poor taste considering they just settled a $3.75 million lawsuit for shooting and killing an innocent Black man in the back as he was running away. The PPB doesn't value your right to run, they may just shoot you in the back and get away with it.

In 2024, the "Independent" Police Review received a total of 224 complaints against Portland police. What happens if you complain? The odds aren't good that the cop will be disciplined. A handful get a stern talking-to or suspended for a day or two. 2 got fired but 9 left the PPB before discipline.

The 2024 PPB annual STOPS report came out last week. Overall, the police have INCREASED their disproportionate stops of Black and Hispanic people in Portland. The worst offender is the Focused Intervention Team. 46% of their stops were Black people and 21% Hispanic or Latino.

Back in 2018 Training Captain Bob Day (now chief) helped develop the implicit bias training for the police but didn't want to talk about race because the cops might get too defensive. Here's some analysis from Portland Copwatch.

The STOPS data for PPB is the same as it's always been where Black drivers are about 3x as likely to be stopped by the police as white people. The police try to excuse disproportionate stops by saying Black people drive into Portland from the suburbs but don't white people also drive in?

Damn. It's about time we have some city councilors who have the strength to question the wealthy class narrative for government of subsidies for the rich and austerity measures for the poor. We can make Portland a great community by caring for its people.

"Our power lies in our ability to organize; your power derives from the barrel of your gun, the law, the courts, and hundreds of years of oppression. Our criticisms of officers' actions, Bureau policies and statistical trends are not personal insults, nor is my lack of wanting to shake your hand."

I'm sad that dan handelman passed away. It's a shock. He kept Portland Copwatch running for all these years with the strength of his will. I've been in PCW for about 12 years and have become emotionally burnt-out many times over those years after attending city meetings about the police. 1/3

Got my signs to protest the transphobic gala at the NW Events Center in Hillsboro this Thursday.

Here's the 2023 Stops data for the Portland Police FIT (gang taskforce). They stopped 404 (42.4% of stops) Black people and only 338 (35.5% of stops) white people. Portland is about 6% Black people and 72% white people. (FITCOG Report Presentation 12.7.23)

🧵I attended a FITCOG (Focused Intervention Team Community Oversight Group) meeting last night. The FIT is the newest rendition of Portland Police's disgraced gang taskforce that Mayor Wheeler decided to recreate, but with a community oversight group. 1/13

My bunny friend named Frank.

This is what I do for fun. I make portable greenhouses.

I used to feel bad about ending a conversation with a sales person who shows-up uninvited. If I'm not interested, I'll tell them politely and they can go about their day. No, I don't want to do your survey designed to get your foot in the door.

Multnomah County Commissioners meeting is live right now. There are many people testifying for a ceasefire in Gaza. www.youtube.com/live/Eo1QElX...

I keep thinking about how people expect governing bodies to make homelessness decrease without doing anything to stop runaway income inequality. As I see it, income inequality is the root problem and also the problem that's least likely to change with corporation-minded elected officials.

This is big. Federal Judge allows lawsuit to proceed against the City of Portland and the hospital alleging they illegally targeted and destroyed a Black neighborhood to build the hospital and park. Defendants are continuing their systemic white supremacy. www.opb.org/article/2023...

Right now watching the City staff try to explain why the City did a chop-job to the Police Accountability Commission's recommendations. I think the City staff are losing the debate.

The immorally wealthy owner of another social media platform is very upset and flustered that advertisers can pick and choose where they advertise. I think we can all celebrate a little bit.

It would be great if people showed up to this meeting to oppose the City's watered-down version of police oversight and support the Police Accountability Commission's version. Monday, December 4, at 5:30pm, Portland Building, Room 108. www.portland.gov/wheeler/news...

If some had their way, we'd be living in an Apartheid state. In many ways we still have segregation and legally enforced systemic inequality. I want to change that.

BREAKING: Massachusetts has just adopted a new law today to make phone calls from prison and jails free. In fact, it'd also wipe charges for other forms of communication between incarcerated ppl & their loved ones. Bolts previewed bill here:

If the City of Portland goes through with their changes to the police oversight system and keeps info and charges of misconduct private, I'd like to build a website that gives victims an opportunity to make it all public. Nothing restricts them from sharing the names of the officers or the outcomes.

What would it look like if elected officials respected and actually listened to advisory committees? Portland City Council sure doesn't respect their volunteers.

Multnomah County Sheriff's Deputy going around threatening and beating people up, accusing them of sleeping with his wife while he is - cheating on his wife. They're not sending their best. Or is this their best? www.oregonlive.com/crime/2023/1...

The Police Accountability Commission wrote: "Board members must be capable of making fair and impartial decisions based on the evidence presented to them in an environment where controversy is common..." 1/

If an oversight board finds a police officer guilty of misconduct, it opens the city to legal liabilities. This is why the City of Portland is trying its best to undermine police accountability. Do we want to prevent misconduct and harm or do we want to harm but save the City money in short-term?

The City of Portland did a hatchet job to the Police Accountability Commission's work. The PAC spent 20 long months, often meeting 2-3 time/week to create a thorough document laying out the work of the new community-led police accountability system. The City's attorneys hacked it to pieces.

Portland teachers are on strike. I support teachers.

Mayor Wheeler and City Commissioner wish to make last minute changes to the police oversight charter, about 2 years after the charter passed by 81% of the voters. They wish to water it down and remove important transparency safeguards. One addition...

This is amazing! Landlords gotta pay when they do crimes like breaking in and stealing pets. Good job UnderDogLaw! nypost.com/2023/11/04/n...

On student loans, if you pay more than the minimum, you want that to go toward the principal but the loan company makes it difficult to do that because they make more money if the extra only pays their interest and fees. Look for and check the box that looks something like this:

If today, we reduced the Portland Police budget by 90%, and reinvested that money into housing for poor people, social services, and free healthcare, I bet we would have less crime and a healthier community in 5 years than we do now.

There were many more people at the ceasefire rally yesterday in Portland than I had expected. Things feel hopeless but I'm glad people are standing together against our blood thirsty political leaders.

ALL OUT FOR GAZA Saturday, October 28, 2023 @ 3pm Sen. Jeff Merkley's office 121 SW Salmon Street Portland, OR 97204 See you there?

Maybe we need to have a temporary ban on men owning guns and do evaluations on all men before proceeding further. This mass murder plan seems to have lots of toxic masculinity, misogyny, and domestic abuse throughout. www.opb.org/article/2023...

Found some mushrooms today.

I love watching people, who were caught by surprise, react to the pro-Palestine rally today. Some wanted to lock to doors and hide, others looked shocked that people would care enough to march for anything. I think I saw fear of dissent and fear to engage in conversation about what is happening.

I found a former Portland cop who retired 2 years ago. He's now a troll on social media letting loose all his pent-up sexism, racism, and homophobia. Will he be rehired? Does this affect the appeals of people convicted based on the testimony of this extremely biased and hateful man?