July 01, 2003
Organizers Call Tonight's Forum Step Toward Healing And Reform As Bureau Examines Rules For Traffic Stops
In today's Portland Tribune, Rev. Roy Tate and Rev. Leroy Haynes of the Albina Ministerial Alliance explain the importance of tonight's public forum on the Kendra James shooting:
A democratic state is different from a police state. The citizens, through their elected representatives, control the police department. There are laws and policies that regulate police behavior and the police department's role in the criminal justice system. Citizens have a right to critique police in both the legal and political realm. The police do not have absolute power to act in an arbitrary way.
A democratic state is also founded on the principles that citizens have a right to know, participate in and petition their government. The secret grand jury system that heard the Kendra James case legally limits citizens' right to know all the essential facts of a case and narrowly focuses its inquiry on whether the officer's conduct was criminal.
Secondly, the death of a citizen at the hands of a police officer should always demand an open, exhaustive public inquiry. Whether the case has nearly 2,000 citizens demanding justice for James, or no advocates at all, it demands public inquiry.
Tate and Haynes also counter some of the smug claptrap that arose in the shooting's aftermath, saying that "our constitutional legal system does not negate the value of James' life because of her drug addiction or past criminal record."
Meanwhile, today's Oregonian examines the rules used for traffic stops:
In the wake of the shooting, the Portland Police Bureau has launched a full-scale examination of its training and procedures for traffic stops -- one of the most common interactions between police and residents.
Police training manuals obtained by The Oregonian under state public records laws clearly state that officers are to avoid entering a vehicle during a traffic stop and are not to leave a wounded suspect unattended. McCollister did not follow either instruction in James' case.
...
According to the bureau's lesson plan on removing suspects from vehicles, titled "In and Out of Vehicles," officers are instructed to avoid getting in a car. Even reaching inside is considered hazardous.
"Any key removal, unlocking of the vehicle or other hand movement should be done by the suspect at the officer's directive," the lesson states. "Entry into a vehicle by the officer is limited to reaching in, avoiding physical overcommitment."
Training regarding traffic stops is expected is be among the issues discussion at tonight's forum at the Mt. Olivet Baptist Church's Family Living Center, 8725 N Chautauqua Blvd, beginning at 5:00 PM. If I'm understanding some information correctly, there may be some sort of "seating lottery" under the expectation that there may be more people present than seats available.