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On this day, March 28, 1942, Japanese-American lawyer Minoru Yasui (1916-1986) violated a military curfew in Portland, Oregon, and demanded to be arrested after he was refused enlistment to fight for the US. He was one of the few Japanese Americans who fought laws that directly targeted Japanese Americans or Japanese immigrants following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. In 2015 he was among 17 people awarded the presidential Medal of Freedom.

Also on this day March 28, 1939, the front page of the Eugene Register-Guard blared the headline: "Mighty Oregon Scramble Ohio State to Take Hoop Title of All America," right under a declaration that the Spanish War had ended, of course.




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Hood River County GOP's Second Annual Lincoln Dinner
Saturday, April 6, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Hood River County GOP's Second Annual Lincoln Dinner 5pm-9pm
Hood River, OR



Dorchester Conference 2024
Friday, April 26, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Dorchester Conference 2024 April 26th-28th
Welches, Oregon



Memorial Day
Monday, May 27, 2024 at 11:00 am
Memorial Day
A federal holiday in the United States for honoring and mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving.



Juneteenth
Wednesday, June 19, 2024 at 12:00 am
Juneteenth
Celebrated on the anniversary of June 19, 1865, when in the wake of the American Civil War, Major General Gordon Granger ordered the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas.



Independence Day
Thursday, July 4, 2024 at 11:59 pm
Independence Day
USA



Linn Laughs LIVE with Adam Corolla
Saturday, September 7, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Linn Laughs LIVE with Adam Corolla 5pm-9pm
Albany, OR


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Halt to Congestion Pricing Proposed
Unless the toll is used to pay for construction of additional lanes

A proposal to put the brakes on congestion pricing tolling, at least on Interstate 205 has been introduced for the 2021 session of the Oregon Legislature in the form of HB 2629. The proposal, sponsored by State Representative Christine Drazan (R-Oregon City) is simple. It says that "the Oregon Transportation Commission is prohibited from establishing any toll on Interstate 205 unless the toll is used to pay for construction of additional lanes."

The idea of congestion pricing is to create a variable toll, so that when there is more demand for freeway lane space -- during times of more congestion -- the price goes up and people who are able to find alternatives can delay or reschedule trips or take other routes, thereby taking pressure off the heavily used freeways, like I-205.

Critics point out that the freeways are already so heavily congested that there aren't any realistic times in which it's not congested to schedule a trip. It's also hurts lower-income persons more, because they are unable to work from home and tend to work "shifts" where they don't have as much flexibility on the schedule.

Many homeowners who live in the vicinity of I-205 oppose congestion pricing for another reason. The higher prices will cause some to find alternative routes that can lead them through neighborhoods, and residents don't want the extra traffic.

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The bill also removes language in Oregon law from the 2017 Transportation Package, which authorized the tolls on I-205. The language being taken out is "On Interstate 205, beginning at the Washington state line and ending where it intersects with Interstate 5 in this state" which describes one of the places where congestion pricing is planned.

The bill mirrors a proposed statewide initiative petition that failed to make the November 2020, IP 10, which proposed nearly the same thing, that no tolls could be imposed, unless the funds generated went to new lane capacity.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-01-20 11:08:47Last Update: 2021-01-20 12:07:51



Linthicum Defends Property Rights
“Puts the cultural blindness and disrespect for individual rights on full display”

Today, State Senator Dennis Linthicum (R-Klamath Falls) issued a statement on proposed HB 2238, which allows the Governor to confiscate property without compensating owners during an emergency. He said,

“For the better part of a year now, Oregonians have had to endure the tyranny of unconstitutional lockdowns instituted by Governor Kate Brown. Now, this week, the Democrat-controlled legislative assembly is convening to crush Oregonians even further on an endless quest for power.

“HB 2238 is a shameful proposal to expand the Governor’s emergency power by including, 'the seizure, use or possession of any real or personal property,' while specifying the owner, 'is not entitled to compensation.'

“This bill puts the cultural blindness and disrespect for individual rights of the supermajority on full display. Consider the fact that thousands and thousands of Oregonians, especially those in the middle and lower-income areas have been severely damaged by the governor’s fruitless lockdowns. People have lost their livelihoods, their family’s savings, and new opportunities for personal growth and development. I cannot fathom how the supermajority thinks that allowing the government to take private homes, commercial locations, retail enterprises, pocket watches, and firearms will somehow save the lives of Oregonians. It will not.

“The state’s health and safety organizations have already been weaponized for their own statist ennoblement. This clearly unconstitutional law will add insult to injury by doing nothing but sabotage Oregonian’s private property rights and undermine faith in our democratic processes.”

There are several bills dealing with property rights to be considered during the 2021 legislative session.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-01-20 10:27:34Last Update: 2021-01-20 10:36:39



Salem Braces for Inaugural Mayhem
Spoiler alert: no one is going to show up

The Salem Police Department have put out a statement ahead of expected demonstrations surrounding the inauguration of President Biden. Additionally, the Oregon Capitol Building's first floor windows have been boarded up.

The Salem Police Department and Oregon State Police are aware of potential demonstrations and civil unrest at the Oregon State Capitol on January 19-20. Information on these events is limited and rapidly evolving. Based on current information, the protest start times vary between 9:00am and noon.

"We are well aware of the potential protests being discussed between now and Inauguration Day," remarked Police Chief Trevor Womack during a presentation at the January 11 meeting of the Salem City Council about the department's strategic approach to protests and marches in Salem. "We are closely communicating and coordinating with our partners to make sure we are prepared."

As a reminder, for events that occur at the state capitol, the Oregon State Police (OSP) has jurisdiction and enforcement responsibility. Additionally, OSP issued a statement on Wednesday, January 13 which announced the utilization of the Oregon National Guard to assist with the expected events at the state capitol. The Salem Police Department will work in a support role to OSP and assist as requested and needed.

About the possibility of additional protest-related impacts to the community, Chief Womack added, "We stand ready and equipped to guard our community and will work to minimize any adverse impacts to our neighborhoods and streets."

To the extent possible, residents are encouraged to avoid the vicinity of the state capitol on the dates mentioned given enforcement activities and disruptions to traffic flow may occur.

Interested persons can monitor the Salem Police Department or OSP's media platforms for any traffic or police advisories.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-01-19 20:49:10



The Next Step: Inmate Voting
Just vote in the community where you committed your crime

Current Oregon law allows a defendant to reinstate voting rights once released from incarceration. Governor Kate Brown released 700 inmates early “to slow the spread of COVID-19,” just in time for the election. She is also moving forward to close three prisons to save an estimated $44 million. They are minimum security facilities housing 749 inmates out of 13,000. It’s undetermined how many will be released.

As we have witnessed this past summer, Oregon’s prosecution guidelines have become so lax that only the gravest of criminals serve time. Of those incarcerated, there are nine times the number of crimes against a person verses those involving property. Nearly half will be released with less than a two-year sentence, before the next general election with voting rights restored.

So why are Senator Sara Gelser (D-Corvallis), Senator Michael Dembrow (D-Portland), Representative Andrea Salinas (D-Lake Oswego), and Representative Janelle Bynum (D-Clackamas), chief sponsors, introducing HB 2366 to allow persons convicted of felony, serving life sentences, the right to vote? Two states, Maine and Vermont, allow all prisoners to vote. Some prisoners, depending on their conviction, are allowed to vote in Mississippi, Alabama, and Alaska, and there are other concessions in other states, such as voting by parolees. States with experience have noted that very few inmates exercise their right to vote, and inmates say it can be dangerous to discuss politics. Distrust of politicians and no interest are the reasons reported by volunteers that inmates don’t vote. Putting money into a program when the general fund is $1.1 billion short that hasn’t been successful in any other state is questionable.

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A once incarcerated person may not hold a public office or an office of a political party or hold a position of private trust or act as a juror, and HB 2366 removes the right to vote. It allows an incarcerated person, even the 950 with life sentences that will never be a productive citizen, to register to vote and vote in elections while incarcerated. If this bill had any credibility, it would require an incarcerated person to take a civics class worth 3 college credits to earn their right to vote and open up a format for discussion on their future on the outside. The reason most are incarcerated is they seem to lack civic knowledge and responsibility.

Oregon does not check voter registrations for viable addresses. Registration guidelines allows registration with any address, even though the voter registration card calls for the registrant’s current address. HB 2366 specifies that a person’s residence is where a person resided prior to incarceration.

“A person who has left the place of the person’s residence as part of the person’s confinement in a jail, prison or correctional facility, including a local correctional facility as defined in ORS 169.005 or a youth correction facility as defined in ORS 420.005, who has not established another residence for voter registration purposes, and who does not have a place in which habitation is fixed, may not be considered to have changed or lost residence. The person may register at the address of the place the person’s residence was located before the person left.”

Oregon’s inactive voter purge was expanded from 5 to 10 years by Secretary of State Richardson, and there is no systematic purge of other voter recorders for people moving in and out of the state. According to Janice Dysinger of Oregonians For Fair Elections. "Any law that allows a voter to register at an address where they do not live will weaken the authenticity of the electorate for a district. It creates 'phantom voters'. This practice creates an opportunity for cancelling out the voice of the true residents of the district. Elected Officials are to represent the district's voice. If the district is made up of fake voters it is corrupted. Every voter in a district needs to be an authentic voter living in that district.”

We all want fair elections and just as important we need educated voters to hone a future befitting Oregonians.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2021-01-19 19:46:59Last Update: 2021-01-19 20:49:10



Salem City Council Virtue Signals
White supremacy denounced

Salem City Council resolved at their meeting on Monday, January 11, to ensure that members of the community are free from acts that are rooted in racism, discrimination, intolerance, bigotry, and hostility.

The resolution, brought forward by Mayor Chuck Bennett and substantially amended by Councilor Tom Andersen, was approved unanimously by the City Council. The resolution commits Salem to welcome every person regardless of their race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, disability, source of income, marital status, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Mayor Bennett said he expected the City's Human Rights Commission to play a major role in moving forward under this resolution.

"They have in their charter, the ability to recommend to council actions, policies and legislation that allows us to move forward in changing some of the policies we may have that are really contrary to the spirit where I think all of us are, which is a deep concern about white supremacy, a deep concern about systemic racism," Bennett said.

The resolution further condemns and rejects "the belief system of white supremacy and racism, and [remains] committed to the elimination of all forms of racism everywhere it exists, including institutional racism."

Councilor Jackie Leung proposed a resolution declaring racism as a health crisis.

"We, as a council, need to take a stand addressing racism at its core," Leung said.

Her proposal will be discussed at the Council work session on January 19 on the City's strategic plan and is expected to be under consideration at the January 25 Council meeting.

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The language and intent of the resolution reflect earlier statements made by City Council President Chris Hoy and Salem Mayor Chuck Bennett. Salem Police Chief Trevor Womack and City Manager Steve Powers have also published statements on the City's website and social media pages condemning white supremacy and racial innuendos made on City streets during recent protests.

The resolution will give the City a basis upon which to build an effort starting with recommendations for actions, policies, and legislation from the Human Rights Commission.


--Bruce Armstrong

Post Date: 2021-01-19 17:42:33Last Update: 2021-01-19 20:47:47



One Family’s Bout with COVID
Their experience: COVID is real

Editor's note: This article first appeared as a facebook post. Micky Garus hosts a weekly radio show Patriot Uprising, each Saturday at 3:00pm on KSLM Radio 1220 AM in Salem.

I’m back from the living dead! The truth is Lucia and I both came down with Covid almost three weeks ago, and it literally kicked our butts.

We are both doing 1000% better and trying to get back with our regular routine, but it’s going to take some time to get back to feeling 100%. For any doubters, Covid is real and for us it was the worst flu we’ve ever had. Fatigue, loss of smell and taste, severe body aches, fever, chills, nausea, headache, vertigo, kidney pain, and respiratory issues for three weeks, and without any relief is what we experienced. We loaded ourselves with OTC meds (ibuprofen, Tylenol, cough syrup) and the recommended daily vitamin rituals of zinc, vitamin C, D3, Black Elderberry, Melatonin, Quercetin, a good multi vitamin, and at one point it was so bad I was calling local farm stores looking for Ivermectin (I didn’t take any). I ended up in the respiratory clinic and then I went to an out patient treatment center where they gave me an IV infusion of antibodies and some non FDA approved trial drug (I haven’t grown a tail yet). Honestly, at that point I was so sick I didn’t realize what was going on, so I didn’t care what they gave me.

Long story short, three weeks later and we are out of quarantine on the road to recovery. All my symptoms are gone accept the respiratory issues. It just feels like I get winded very easily and I can’t get enough oxygen, my chest feels tight. Lucia was tougher than I was but we had almost identical symptoms. I had some great friends that kept us supplied with food and toilet paper while we were locked away, I also had a great nurse friend check in on us daily, and gave us some great advice, I cannot thank them enough. Our kids are great, and thank God they didn’t experience what we went through.

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This flu is a bad one, it’s interesting to see how it affects people differently, but I can definitely understand how and why it is so dangerous for people with respiratory issues, compromised immune systems, and just elderly people in general. Anyone in that group needs to take extra precautions to stay healthy, and follow the advice of their physician.

Now that I’ve had it, people ask if I’ve changed my opinion on masks, lockdowns, and the vaccine. Here’s my answer: I believe as I said above, if you fall into a compromised category you should take extra precautions. I don’t believe the cure should be worse than the illness, and locking us down, killing the economy, ruining businesses and livelihoods, keeping kids from education etc, in my opinion is by far worse. I think most people will eventually get Covid, and I don’t think there’s much anyone can do to prevent that. If you know me you might also know I’m kind of a germaphobe, long before this pandemic I had stock in hand sanitizer and antibacterial soap. I was already doing what the experts said to stay healthy, long before they ever said it, and I still got it. I think the right masks in the proper environment (i.e. hospital setting), used properly might help; but, 99% of what the general public is doing, and the kind of masks they are using, is probably causing more health issues and giving people a false sense of security, in my opinion. As for the vaccine, I don’t believe any vaccine should be mandatory. I think everyone should be allowed to make their own decisions about that, and if you are someone that’s at a greater risk, the vaccine might be something you weigh a little heavier, but please do your own research, and consider all the risks, of both the virus and the vaccine.

Lucia and I are now part of the statistics that they will use to manipulate the people, I don’t want to downplay the severity of Covid-19, I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. However, the most important statistic to remember from this is we are now part of the 99.6% of people who got Covid-19 and survived, anticipating a full recovery. Neither of us have been vaccinated. Now you are all up to speed!

Stay healthy and safe my friends, God Bless!


--Micky Garus

Post Date: 2021-01-18 17:08:25Last Update: 2021-01-18 18:50:42



Plastic Fork Ban Coming
Maybe you can put my to go order in a blender and give me a straw.

State Representative Maxine Dexter (D-Portland), appointed to District 33 in June of 2020 ran on her support for “greater protections for workers.” In her first opportunity to impress her constituents, she introduced HB 2365, which will have a negative impact on her district. Restaurant and food vendor workers make up the third largest non-government industry in her district experiencing a 27% loss in 2020.

HB 2365 prohibits food vendors from using single-use plastic food service ware when selling prepared food, unless specifically requested and then the food service ware can’t be plastic and must be recyclable. It further requires specified restaurants and bed and breakfast facilities to be able to sanitize reusable food service ware.

The pandemic and the Governor’s lockdown has had a devastating impact on restaurants and food vendors. The economy can only rebound with restaurants and food vendors in full operation. Is this the time to ask food vendors to take another hit and slow their recovery that will surely impact the state coffers?

The bill is telling food vendors they can’t provide any service ware that is plastic and service ware must be made entirely from fiber-based materials and readily compostable or readily recyclable; and doesn't contain any PFOA or PFOS chemicals. The “food service ware” list is long, it includes bowls, plates, cups, lids, straws, forks, spoons, knives, chopsticks, clamshells or other containers or any other items used for serving, containing or consuming prepared food, including takeout food and leftovers from partially consumed meals prepared by food vendors; and food service ware accessories includes napkins, cup sleeves, food or beverage trays, condiment packets and saucers, stirrers, splash sticks, toothpicks or any other nonfood item regularly provided alongside prepared food.

Some food vendors have gone mobile to meet the needs of consumers that were locked out of facilities. The bill requires mobile units to be able to sanitize reusable food service ware on premises or at another location.

One can't help but be reminded of the breathlessness with which environmentalists told us that we must have a plastic grocery bag ban in 2019, only to be told that it's no longer the best practice to use our reusable cloth bags and we can go ahead and use plastic bags again, the planet be damned. This bill might have some areas that are viable for research, but government needs to make their case and show the effect on the economy before they slap on such a restricting regulation and send enforcement after the food industry when they are surviving on a string.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2021-01-18 07:37:50Last Update: 2021-01-17 17:36:42



Rep. Williams Seeks to Loosen Sex Offender Laws
Soon, you could be living near a sex offender and not know it.

As a part of what looks to be a softer, gentler approach to crime and criminals during this Legislative session, State Representative Anna Williams (D-Hood River) has introduced legislation that would allow persons who are convicted of a crime and required to register as sex offenders to petition the court to have that requirement waived. Oregon law does allow a person to ask the court to remove that requirement, but does not allow the court to do so if the crime is very serious. The current law which is proposed to be repealed reads:

A person who has been convicted or found guilty except for insanity of one of the following offenses is not eligible for relief from the obligation to report as a sex offender pursuant to a petition filed under ORS 163A.125 (1):
a. Rape in the first degree;
b. Sodomy in the first degree;
c. Unlawful sexual penetration in the first degree;
d. Kidnapping in the first degree as described in ORS 163.235 (1)(e) or when the victim is under 18 years of age; or
e. Burglary in the first degree when committed with the intent to commit any of the offenses listed in ORS 163A.005 (5)(a) to (w).

Current Oregon law does not allow persons convicted of these very serious crimes to ask the court to remove their requirement that they continue to report as sex offenders. ORS 163A.100 describes three classes of sex offenders. It reads:

The State Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision shall, in consultation with community corrections agencies, adopt by rule a sex offender risk assessment methodology for use in classifying sex offenders. Application of the risk assessment methodology to a sex offender must result in placing the sex offender in one of the following levels:

1. A level one sex offender who presents the lowest risk of reoffending and requires a limited range of notification.
2. A level two sex offender who presents a moderate risk of reoffending and requires a moderate range of notification.
3. A level three sex offender who presents the highest risk of reoffending and requires the widest range of notification.

Representative Williams, a former social worker, was involved in Oregon's closest House race this cycle. She defeated former incumbent, Republican Jeff Helfrich by a margin of just 84 votes out of 39,420 votes cast. A Libertarian in the race, Stephen Alder took 1,060 votes, and some analysts say that it cost Helfrich the race.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-01-18 07:20:22Last Update: 2021-02-10 08:11:01



Portland’s Wilson High to be Renamed
Wilson accused of segregation and discriminatory hiring practices

In another case of historical revisionism, a group has proposed renaming Portland's Wilson High School. The group will present it's proposal to the Portland Public Schools Board of Directors. They've sent this letter to the local community.

Dear Wilson Community,

We, the Wilson High School Renaming Committee, are writing to share some exciting news. Over the last few months, our Committee engaged in numerous community outreach efforts, we gathered nearly 2,000 community comments, and we spent many hours in careful consideration of the most appropriate new name for our school. Earlier this week, we sent a formal request to Superintendent Guerrero that our school be renamed “Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School.”

Ida B. Wells-Barnett (1862-1931), a singular American journalist, activist, educator, and researcher, was born into enslavement during the Civil War in the state of Mississippi. As an investigative journalist, she used the power of truth to shed light on the unjust and violent conditions under which African-Americans lived throughout the South. She was a firm believer that an education was important, and that spreading and sharing knowledge was the key to a more tolerant and just society. Long recognized for her leadership in anti-lynching activism, Wells-Barnett marched on Washington in the name of women’s suffrage on the day of Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration, and she later wrote and spoke to President Wilson in protest of segregation and of his discriminatory hiring practices. Wells-Barnett helped found the National Association of Colored Women, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the first Black women's suffrage association, the Alpha Suffrage Club. Remembered as one of the most lauded civil rights advocates of the 19th and 20th centuries, Wells-Barnett is an American hero. Ida B. Wells-Barnett will foster a lasting message of determination, valor, and tolerance among all students and staff.

Today we received Superintendent Guerrero’s approval to present our recommendation to the PPS School Board on January 26th. We are looking forward to sharing information on how our renaming process aligned with district guidelines, how we solicited and processed community input, and why we ultimately decided that Ida B. Wells-Barnett is the most appropriate person to name our school after.

We want to thank all of you who participated in and helped guide this historic process. Please that see some of the community comments we received in appreciation of our new eponym, Ida B. Wells-Barnett.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned Wilson High School Renaming Committee:
Ayesha Coning, Vice Principal
Filip Hristić, Principal
Hui Hui Hutchinson, Junior
Liliana McClain, Junior
Noreena McCleave, Alumni
Jonel Mondero, Junior
Aslan Newson, Junior
Martin Osborne, Community Representative
Nura Salah, Junior
Senya Scott, Junior
Mia Sedory, Senior
Katisyn Sweeney, Junior
Deborah Walsh, Parent Representative
Ellen Whatmore, Teacher Representative
Zachariah Winterspring, Teacher Representative


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-01-17 13:04:17Last Update: 2021-01-17 13:33:22



Meme of the Week
Were just not seeing much nutritional value






--Northwest Observer Meme Team

Post Date: 2021-01-17 11:27:32Last Update: 2021-01-17 13:04:17



Reparations in Play in the Legislature
No joke. $123,000 to Black Oregonians who can demonstrate heritage in slavery

The concept of reparations for slavery has been around for a few years, and though the idea rarely surfaces in a raw form -- a proposal for cash payments to descendants of slaves -- it more often surfaces as "equity" proposals, or more recently in assistance programs targeted by race. Now, however, a bill proposing reparations has been proposed for the 2021 legislative session. The proposal, SB 619 has explicitly laid out a plan for reparations. The plan calls for a $123,000 annuity to be paid out for the life of the applicant.

The legislation is being introduced by State Senator Lew Frederick (D-Portland) and has indicated that it is at the request of former State Representative Tiffiny Mitchell. Mitchell recently served one term representing House District 32, which is Clatsop and Tillamook counties. She has since moved to Washington state. It's not clear if Senator Frederick, who is black, would be eligible to apply for reparations.

The eligibility criteria are listed in the bill:

(a) Is descended from an American slave
(b) Has identified as African-American on legal documents for at least 10 years before the date of the application
(c) Is at least 18 years of age, an emancipated minor or a ward, as defined in ORS 419A.004, whose parents are deceased or for whom parental rights have been terminated and have not been reinstated, and
(d) Has resided in Oregon for at least two years before the date of the application.

Reparation payments as outlined in the bill would be protected from being taken by legal processes, too. The bill says, "Reparations paid under this section and the right of a person to an annuity under this section are exempt from garnishment and all state, county and municipal taxation, except as provided under ORS chapter 118, are not subject to execution, garnishment, attachment or any other process or to the operation of any bankruptcy or insolvency law and are unassignable."

It's not clear if the bill would pass constitutional muster. Besides running counter to the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution, the Oregon Constitution provides that "No law shall be passed granting to any citizen or class of citizens privileges, or immunities, which, upon the same terms, shall not equally belong to all citizens." Cases making claims against the Oregon Cares Fund for its racial criteria are pending now in federal court.

There is no fiscal report for the bill to determine what the cost of this would be, but we did a quick back-of-the-cocktail-napkin calculation. The Census Bureau estimates that there are about 78,000 blacks in Oregon. If half qualified for and applied for reparations at $123,000 per person, the cost would be about $9.5 billion dollars, though that would be paid out over the lives of the recipients.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-01-17 10:03:45Last Update: 2021-01-18 14:01:19



Portland Protesters Hinder Crisis Intervention Situation
Even the man’s mother begged the crowd to stop

A protest that formed around a crisis call involving a man holding a knife downtown prompted a call for help citywide.

On Friday, January 15, 2021 at about 1:00p.m., Portland Central Precinct officers responded to a welfare check call outside an apartment building in the 300 block of Southwest 4th Avenue. The call indicated that a man had jumped from a second story window of the building, pulled out a knife, and began waving it around at people and cars going by.

The 30-year-old man showed arriving officers his knife, held it to his neck, and said he would kill himself if they came any closer. An Enhanced Crisis Intervention Team (ECIT) officer began a dialogue with the man in crisis, while other officers attempted to clear the area hoping to reduce the stress of the situation. The officers learned that the man was schizophrenic and extremely paranoid. He not only threatened to kill himself, he said he would hurt others as well. Rather than rush in, exacerbating a dangerous situation, officers slowed down, kept their distance, and exercised patience and de-escalation.

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The negotiation lasted for about 90 minutes before two separate crowds of protesters began showing up to the north and south. Some in the crowd began chanting, and one even started using a bullhorn. The extra noise and distraction made it impossible for the specially trained officers to speak to the man. Officers implored the crowd to stop interfering, but their energy only increased. Even when the suicidal man's mother arrived and begged the crowd to stop, most in the crowd continued. Some in the crowd began threatening the officers. A supervisor requested resources citywide, and all available officers responded from North and East Precincts. This caused a major resource drain citywide and all but the highest priority calls had to wait. The officers had to don helmets and face shields to protect themselves as they stood in front of the hostile crowd.

The officers consulted with the Crisis Negotiation Team, whose members were able to find a mental health professional familiar with the man. They learned that the man could be a threat to himself and violent toward others. After over 3 hours of negotiation, the incident commander set into motion a plan to take the man into custody. A K9 unit was used to divert his attention by barking so officers could safely approach him. A Conducted Electrical Weapon (CEW, or Taser) was used to prevent him from using the knife, and he was taken into custody and transported by ambulance to a hospital. Besides the punctures from the CEW probes, he was uninjured. Officers placed him on a Police Officer Hold so that he could be evaluated by medical professionals.

The only force used against the protesters was some pushing to keep them back and out of the street.


--Bruce Armstrong

Post Date: 2021-01-16 17:58:40Last Update: 2021-01-17 15:37:50



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