How to help fix Portland Police directives, and a closer look at police profiling

Posted on September 20, 2017 by andrewtaylorwilkins

The last day for the public to comment on several Portland Police Bureau directives under review is tomorrow, Thursday, September 21.

Dan Handelman, with Portland Copwatch, thinks the most important fix concerns the definition of profiling in Directive 344.05, Bias-Based Policing/Profiling Prohibited (a link to the draft).

Handelman wrote: “#1 issue should be fixing the ‘Bias Based Policing’ Directive so it either pulls out the word ‘solely’ or says ‘solely or primarily’ when describing why an officer taking police action should not rely on a person’s race, religion, gender, etc.”

From Directive 344.05 (the strike-through phrases are previous changes):

Profiling: A form of bias-based policing, wherein a law enforcement officer targets an individual for suspicion of violating a provision of law based solely on the individual’s real or perceived age, race, ethnicity, color, national origin, language sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, political affiliation, religion, homelessness or ~~disability real or perceived factor of the individual’s protected classification~~, unless the officer is acting on a suspect description or information related to an identified or suspected violation of a provision of law.

PPB broadened the definition of biased-based policing in the draft based (by also removing soley) on a suggestion from Copwatch, and Handelman suggested that the definition of profiling match.

Follow this link for a complete list of the directives under review, make comments, and to get email notifications when other directives are posted for review.

The link to submit comments on Directive 344.05 is broken. Both Handelman and I asked PPB to fix it, but neither of us got a response. He recommended using this link to comment.

Directives are the more than 100 official documents that are “the foundation of PPB operations”, according to its website. The directives are formally written, and seem far removed from the intensity and high stakes of policing, but changes in wording can make the difference in how PPB officers interact with the public.

PPB directive oversight

Handelman said the project has commented on over 100 of the directives since it started in 2013. PPB directives are up for review every two years, major ones singled out in the 2014 Department of Justice agreement can be subject to review every six months to a year.

PPB is more open to clerical errors than broad policy changes, he said, but he noted a few important changes that came from the accountability groups that track the directives:

in the draft Deadly Force Directive they had written guidelines for the Public Information Officer where in one place they were told not to release the criminal history (if any) of the person shot by police, but in another it said affirmatively to do so. They fixed that after we wrote in (1010.10).

the Citizen Review Committee (CRC) asked that they put de-escalation first in their Use of Force policy, and the Bureau did so (1010.00).

the ACLU, National Lawyers Guild and Oregon Lawyers for Good Government put forward a number of proposed changes to the Crowd Control Directive including language from court rulings about police actions having to be “objectively reasonable” that got incorporated. (PCW also had some suggestions that were adopted as well.) (635.10)

Police profiling

The bill outlawing police profiling was signed by Gov. Kate Brown on July 8th, 2015, and went into effect January 1st, 2016.

A report from the Work Group on the Prevention of Profiling by Law Enforcement was presented to the State Legislature on December 1, 2015.

Profiling based on “the individual’s age, race, ethnicity, color, national origin, language, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, political affiliation, religion, homelessness or disability” was outlawed, and the bill mandated a reporting / complaint system and tracking of police stops for each of the state’s law enforcement agencies.

More data is better than no data, I suppose, but it’s impossible to prove or disprove a police officer’s motivation based on complaints or a broad racial percentages of stops.

Handelman addressed the topic in his original 3,100 word comment to PPB: “The reality is, sometimes officers see a person and pull them over and then sometimes decide to explain the stop by relying on a traffic or equipment violation– but sometimes no reason at all is given.”

I asked him specifically if he knew how each stop was tracked.

“I don’t think the exact reason for every stop is part of the screen that officers have to fill out. They have to say ‘City Code, Equipment, License, Major Violation, Minor Violation or other.'”

“They track the race of each driver or pedestrian. They’ve been throwing out a lot of pedestrian data claiming the stops were ‘mere conversation’ and we’ve been trying to get them to keep those data. (After all, if a cop disproportionately goes up to African American Portlanders to ‘chat’ that is a form of profiling.)”

PPB compiles Stops Data Collection Quarterly Reports, but tracking the race of those stopped doesn’t give any information on the legitimacy of the stops.

Bias isn’t always conscious, so a better idea, I think, would be to require police to cite a specific reason why they made a stop rather than choose from a list of options.

Copwatch

The Portland Copwatch webpage has a good history of the group’s events, reports on PPB shootings, and information on the City of Portland’s agreement with the Department of Justice. Also included is list of all the fatal shootings by PPB since 1992.

I think Copwatch does a good job tracking the progress of police accountability. Not all of what they share is as technical as comments on directives, but it’s all important and worth following. Some can make a strong case that the entire system of policing is broken, but if you’re an advocate for reform, Copwatch is worth supporting.

Handelman said concerned citizens can contact them through their webpage to get on their email list. He said they need to screen people to make sure some things don’t go out to the media.

This weekend

Posted on September 15, 2017 by andrewtaylorwilkins

What seems to be a new coalition is calling for equity from the City of Portland in transportation spending for communities of color and low income people. The Climate Justice Collaborative specifically criticizes a proposed linear park in inner Portland called the Green Loop.

In a letter to City Council members the group writes: “the Green Loop fails to meet even the simplest understanding of equity, one of the five guiding principles of your Comprehensive Plan. All the while, numerous areas outside of the City core lack even the most basic pedestrian and bike safety infrastructure.”

Demanding equity in the City of Portland’s transportation spending is an important issue, and what is especially heartening and first caught my attention is the mighty coalition of groups backing the initiative: APANO, Coalition of Communities of Color, Native American Youth & Family Center, OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon, PAALF, Portland African American Leadership Forum, and Verde. Ally organizations include Oregon Walks, Green Lents, and the Safe Routes to School National Partnership.

I first learned of the issue from a Bike Portland article. It’s great they brought the issue to light, but the article is somewhat dismissive of what he calls activists’ “grumbling”. Bike Portland Publisher / Editor Jonathan Maus wrote that got push back from his transportation sources, and that they didn’t even want him to publish the letter. He did reach out to all the City Council members who expressed support for the CJC’s demands.

Citing history and current attitudes, achieving that equity in the built environment is going to be an uphill battle for sure. One of the things the CJC wants is outreach to communities like those in East Portland, so let’s start now: is there a certain intersection that you think needs improvement?

FRIDAY

Screenshot 2016-08-18 at 11.17.02 PM

Detroit, Wonder Woman, Network (1976), and four other second run movies are playing this weekend at Academy Theater. You don’t have to wait until Sunday when the rains roll in Sunday see a movie.

Academy Theater, 7818 SE Stark * adults $4, seniors and children $3

SATURDAY

The Malden Court Community Orchard, a project of Green Lents, is hosting their monthly work party (Facebook page). Wear work clothes, and they will provide coffee, snacks, gloves, and instruction. This month:

“Jonathan Brandt is going to lead a workshop at the beginning of the work party about Pest and Disease Management and Orchard Maintenance. Tool shed construction is continuing, blackberries need to be removed, strawberry beds need maintaining, and more! Come join us and see what you can contribute to our beautiful neighborhood green space.”

7677 SE 87th Ave * 9 am – noon

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Screenshot 2017-09-14 at 10.40.30 PM

Aquifer Adventure (more information and how to volunteer here) is an outreach effort from Portland Water Bureau to encourage businesses and individuals to prevent chemical spills that could pollute aquifer water in the wellhead protection area that runs between the Columbia River and I-84 from 82nd Ave east to Wood Village. The Columbia South Shore Well Field is the secondary drinking water source for over 900,000 Oregonians.

“Big and little pirates alike are welcome to join us for a family festival all about groundwater! Play fun games and go on a scavenger hunt in search of hidden treasure – not gold, but groundwater, a precious resource that flows beneath your feet! Come dressed in yer finest pirate togs, or else the Cap’n might make ye walk the plank! Free kids T-shirts to the first 300 kids!”

There’ll be free canoe rides, face painting, hands-on science activities, ice cream aquifers, and food for sale from Mixteca Catering.

Portland Water Bureau Launch, 16650 NE Airport Way * noon – 4 pm

SUNDAY

In cooperation with Wildflower Baking, Blank Slate, a new bar on Glisan, is hosting a brunch pop up that benefits the Vestal School PTA.

Blank Slate, 7201 NE Glisan St * 10 am – 2 pm

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The Festival of Nations, sponsored by the Division Midway Alliance is being held Sunday. Over 50 vendors, a model train exhibit, and cultural entertainment will be present. For photos of performers visit divisionmidway.org.

Duke’s Bar & Grill, 14601 SE Division St * 11 am – 5 pm

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Both the Montavilla and Lent Farmers Market are open Sundays!

Lents Farmers Market, SE 92nd Ave & Reedway St, between Foster and Harold * 9 am – 2 pm

Montavilla Farmers Market, 7700 block of SE Stark St * 10 am – 2 pm

September MNA board meeting

Posted on September 14, 2017 by andrewtaylorwilkins

Most of the Montavilla Neighborhood Association meeting on Monday, September 11 revolved around preparations for the election of new members on October 9th, including who would be eligible.

Based on a suggestion from the elections board, the MNA board decided to have a general meeting before the election so neighbors who wanted to vote could be eligible.

There was also a signup sheet sent around to organize a homeless sweeps forum. MNA vice chair Michael Sonnleitner, who said he won’t be running for another term, said that the homeless sweeps resolution stands, but could be amended.

Board members and City of Portland officials both agreed that that the MNA anti-sweeps resolution are only a policy suggestion. Mayor Ted Wheeler said homeless camps are addressed based on citizen complaints.

There will be an entirely new board in October, and they’re hoping to have eleven members total. Five board members will be elected for a two-year term, and six for one-year term, so there won’t be an entirely new board every year. The two year positions will be filled first.

5:00 – One neighbor was concerned about being filmed at the meeting, but the neighbor filming said neighborhood association meetings are subject to state open meetings laws permitting video and audio recordings.

The MNA has money, Sonnleitner said with a chuckle: $2,705.20 in its checking account; and $6,603.56 in the savings account.

The MNA will need to submit receipts to Southeast Uplift by September 30th to be reimbursed for expenses. $500 was authorized for MNA promotion materials like t-shirts and buttons three or four months ago, but no action was taken. The board added another $500 for both election outreach and promotional materials, to be spent before the SEUL deadline.

1:04:35 – A pair of Portland Police Bureau officer attended the meeting. The first question from the crowd was about homeless sweeps, and they said they didn’t know much about them.

The officers said in the past few months they’ve “taken strides” to deal with RVs that are health hazards and / or selling drugs. Across Portland, they said car thefts and car prowls are still a significant problem. The Oregon State Legislature decriminalized possession of most drugs, “so a lot is out of our hands” one of the officers said.

1:16:00 – A neighbor complained about hate speech at the rally at Montavilla Park this spring, and said they were harassed by police. The neighbor, Briar Rose, a transgendered woman, made a social media post saying they were harassed. They said there’s a trend of harassment towards transgendered neighbors.

1:27:15 – One neighbor said that even though it pissed a lot of people off, the MNA homeless resolution got people involved. She said that at this point, neighbors need to calm down and work together.

One neighbor offered to include JOIN, a day shelter at 1435 NE 81st Ave in Montavilla.

Anther neighbor said that since Portland has such high employment rates, it’s harder for homeless folk to get traditional jobs. A solution could be community-based employment job opportunities, a program that could be developed in the neighborhood.

1:48:10 – Based on uncertainty around eligibility, one neighbors read the rules on who can be a MNA member. A discussion followed.

Son said that in order to be a MNA member you must attend a meeting and sign in personally. He said he was told online registration isn’t allowed, though Angela Todd with Montavilla Initiative said an Office of Neighborhood Involvement representative said she could. The MI has started an initiative to register neighbors for the election online.

I’ll reach out to ONI and inquire about the conflicting reports about registering neighbors to vote. The board also said ONI will also be submitting information on how to register neighbors who don’t have a permanent address.

This weekend

Posted on September 8, 2017 by andrewtaylorwilkins

Fall means elections for both the Lents and Montavilla Neighborhood Associations.

There’s a MNA general meeting this week on Monday, Sept 11. The meeting’s agenda is here. At the meeting you can register, giving you the opportunity to vote in the October elections.

If you missed the last meeting, the audio is here.

Montavilla United Methodist Church, 232 SE 80th Ave * 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

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In Lents, there’s a Pre-Election Candidate Meet & Greet on Sept 12. I’ll be going and will write a piece about the candidates if you’re unable to attend.

KingPins Portland, 3550 SE 92nd Ave * 6:30 pm