Accomplishments that Oregon protests for racial justice have achieved in the past three weeks:

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Authored by: 
Published date: 
Friday, June 19, 2020 - 3:51am

In Portland:

  • 6/8 Police Chief Jamie Resch resigns

  • 6/11 Don’t Shoot PDX is successful in a lawsuit to temporarily ban tear gas

  • 6/16 Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill announces early retirement; Mike Schmidt (elected in May) will replace him for the remainder of his term

  • 6/17 City Council cuts $15 million from the police budget

    • Ending the Officers in schools program

    • Pulling Portland police from Trimet fare enforcement

    • Ending the Gun Violence Reduction Team (formerly the Gang Enforcement Team)

  • Protesters took down statues of slaveowners Thomas Jefferson and George Washington

 

In Gresham:

  • 6/12 Police Chief Robin Sells announces early retirement

  • 6/15 City Manager Erik Kvarsten resigns

  • 6/17 Mayor Shane Bemis resigns

  • These resignations of three white city officials followed a public statement by Deputy City Manager Corey Falls, a black man, which talks about racism at the Gresham Police Department and in City Hall

 

In Clackamas:

  • 6/18 Lawsuit filed by the mother of a 12-year-old black child – In 2019, three Clackamas County Sheriff's deputies pinned him down to the ground — one by pressing a knee on his neck

 

In West Linn:

  • 6/16 Officer Tony Reeves fired – He was responsible for “good ol’ boys” scheme in which police arrested innocent black man in favor for their fishing buddy.

  • Chief Terry Kruger on leave in connection with the Reeves incident and his conflict-of-interest

 

In Woodburn:

  • Police Chief suspends the Police in Schools (SRO) program following the exposure of an officer who posted disturbing images on his social media account showing a drawing of a car hitting children at a protest, and listing his former job as a ‘trained killer’ with the Marine Corps

 

In the State of Oregon:

  • Governor Kate Brown calls a special session of the state legislature to begin June 24th to focus on police accountability legislation. Proposals include:

    • Making it more difficult for arbitrators to overturn discipline of law enforcement officers

    • Creating a statewide database of police officials who have been disciplined

    • Putting the Oregon attorney general in charge of use-of-force investigations

    • Requiring officers to intervene and report when colleagues use unreasonable force, under so-called “duty to intervene” policies

    • Demilitarizing the police by prohibiting or limiting use of certain equipment, for example

    • Banning officers from using chokeholds.

 

And this is just the beginning. A list of the current demands of local protest organizers can be found here. Care Not Cops has been working for years on these issues, and has this list of demands.

A comprehensive list of local protests and rallies can be found here.

Comments

Sekoynia Azikiwe's picture

It is GOOD to see the grassroots is working hard toward police reform and accountability. Now....WHEN will DEMANDS be made to have PUNISHMENTS for law enforcement when murders are done purely off of race...as part of police accountability. Punishments such as LIFE in prison just as a Black person were to get if he/she/they were to also commit such crimes against a police officer for starters. Thanks to ALL for a good start, though! ~Sekoynia