portland police

OPP Halts City Plan for No-Bid Buying of Urban Combat Gear from Policeman's Company

Submitted by info on Thu, 05/31/2012 - 17:51

On the morning of May 29, 2012, OPP issued this press release entitled, "Portland City Council Declaring `Emergency' to Buy No-Bid Equipment from Company owned by Policeman." OPP was the only opponent of this item on the agenda. Within hours, the item was removed from the agenda and has not been rescheduled. The Oregonian reported on May 30:

Portland Mayor Sam Adams Wednesday morning [May 30] removed from the City Council's consent agenda an ordinance that would have allowed the Portland Police Bureau and other city bureaus to purchase gear from a company owned by a Portland patrol officer. In the face of opposition from the Oregon Progressive Party, Adams removed the ordinance from the agenda and sent it back to his office.

The press coverage was extensive, including The Oregonian, KXL, KATU, and the Business Journal (with a second article).

City Council to Declare "State of Emergency" to Allow No-Bid Contracts for Combat Gear from Company owned by Police Officer

Submitted by info on Tue, 05/29/2012 - 10:00

May 29, 2012   IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACTS:

Alaina Melville
alaina.melville@gmail.com
503-201-9398		 Philip Kauffman
pmkauffman@gmail.com
503-250-0327

On Wednesday, May 30th, the Portland City Council will vote on an ordinance that will waive restrictions and allow the Police Bureau and other city agencies to enter into no-bid contracts with Extreme Products, LLC, a company owned by Portland Police officer John A. Myers.

Allowing such purchases "directly and without competition" is so important that the ordinance "declares that an emergency exists" so that the City can immediately buy "urban combat gear" from Extreme Products, despite the fact that purchasing goods and services "from any City employee, or any business with which a City employee is associated," is banned by Section 5.33.070 of the City Code.

Extreme Products specializes in urban combat gear for government agencies, selling weapons and tools designed to hurt people.  This company also boasts that they are a local recruiter for the the National Rifle Association, a group that advocates for pro-gun politics, regardless of the deaths of innocents and the cost to communities.

Item 588 is a part of the consent agenda, meaning there will be no discussion on the decision made behind closed doors.  Further, the agenda items itself states that there was no "public involvement included in the development of this Council item."  None.  And "The [Police] bureau does not anticipate  that any future public involvement  will be necessary."

This ordinance is followed on the agenda by the highly controversial proposal to install spy cameras.

"It is disturbing that City Council would announce this waiver on the same day that they vote to install spy cameras.  Declaring an emergency to allow an officer to profit off the militarization of his own police force, while simultaneously attempting to advance a local surveillance state, is not only unconstitutional but very dangerous for our community" said Alaina Melville, organizer for the Oregon Progressive Party.

The Oregon Progressive Party along with individuals and groups from the community will be meeting outside Portland City Hall 8:30 am Wednesday to protest the installation of spy cameras and the passage of Item 588.

Stop Police Spy Cam Installation in Portland

Submitted by info on Mon, 05/28/2012 - 01:56

Join Oregon Progressive Party to STOP Police Spy Camera Installation in Portland

City Council sent out the announcement 2:58pm, the Friday before Memorial Day Weekend, stating that the installation of spy cameras in Portland will be on the agenda for the City Council Meeting Wednesday May 30th at 9:30 am.  Nice timing, right!
 
They hope people won't be there for the vote to put cameras up in Portland.  They are wrong. 
 
There still is no policy in place that describes the limits on how these cameras can be used.

Portland Police (PPB) could access camera feeds through their phones with little oversight if any. 

We cannot allow this violation of our public and private spaces!!

Images collected would be deleted after 24 hours, ensuring video the PPB wants to keep will be saved but video that citizens would want to access (and any videos showing officers acting unlawfully) could be easily deleted.
 
STOP the SPY CAMS!!!
Wednesday, May 30th

8:30 am - Rally and Protest - Meet Outside City Hall (west side)
9:30 am - City Council Meeting Begins at the Portland Building

Portland City Hall:  1221 SW 4th Avenue, Portland, Oregon
The Portland Building:  1120 SW 5th Avenue (next to City Hall)
City Council Meeting is in 2nd Floor Auditorium
 
We do not need to spend city funds in spy cameras for Portland!! 

We need council members committed to providing social services not advocating for Portland joining the surveillance state.
 
The spy cameras give more power to the police but do not address any core issues relating to crime or substance abuse. 

Profiling tactics have proven dangerous to our community, and the use of these cameras will encourage profiling and threatens the civil liberties of all.

TV Coverage of Our Protest Against Police Spy Cams

Submitted by info on Thu, 05/10/2012 - 12:02

KOIN TV Coverage of Our Protest Against Police Spy Cams

Click on the title above to get the video. It does not appear to work well in Firefox.

March 10 Rally: Portland Says No to JTTF!

Submitted by Philip on Thu, 02/17/2011 - 17:40

March 10 RALLY OUTSIDE CITY HALL DAY OF JTTF VOTE!

Say No to Portland Joining the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF).
Say Yes to Civil Rights!

PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY!!!
If your group wants to co-sponsor this event please contact civilrights@progparty.org

DATE:  Thursday March 10
RALLY:  12:30 pm    
SPEAKERS:  1:00 pm
CITY COUNCIL VOTE:  2:00 pm (public testimony will be taken)
LOCATION:  Outside City Hall Council Chambers 1221 SW 4th Ave, Portland, OR 97204

On March 10 the Portland City Council will be voting on whether the City of Portland should re-enter the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF).

We strongly oppose Portland joining the JTTF, because we value our civil rights.  We don't want roving wiretaps, secret access and domestic spying on non-violent activists & community groups.

Further, Portland police officers cannot comply with Oregon law (ORS 181.575) and at the same time operate as deputized FBI JTTF agents. The most recent FBI 2008 Guidelines--as well as documented abuses uncovered by the ACLU across the country--show that FBI monitoring of individuals and organizations engaged in lawful First Amendment activity has only increased since 2005, when the City of Portland left the JTTF.

The City of Portland has a shameful history of spying on civic organizations, activists, and concerned citizens.  As written by Ben Jacklet in the Portland Tribune (Sept 12, 2002; updated Oct 30, 2009), the Portland Police engaged in political spying for 3 decades (that we know about): 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.

The Secret Watchers:  How the police bureau spied for decades on the people of Portland

[The Portland] police kept watch over a broad range of harmless political and civic organizations. Intelligence officers built files on the People’s Food Store co-op, the Northwest Oregon Voter Registration Project and the Women’s Rights Coalition -- even the Bicycle Repair Collective, a city program offering a $24 course on how to fix flat tires and adjust brakes.

The files obtained by the Tribune focus on organizations, not individual Portlanders. But in the files appear the names of at least 3,000 people from 576 organizations. The names are presented in formal intelligence reports, appear on lists of participants in meetings and groups, are highlighted on posters that advertise events and are underlined in newspaper clippings.

Along with militants and activists are hundreds of regular citizens who were included simply for practicing everyday democracy -- writing letters, signing petitions, joining organizations and attending lectures or school board meetings.

Let's not revert to the Portland Police as political spies.  We said NO in 2005 and we say NO now!

CO-SPONSORS:  Oregon Progressive Party, Oregon Jericho, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Veterans for Peace, NW Student Coalition, Portland Central American Solidarity Committee, the Portland Coalition Opposing Political Repression, Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights, International Socialist Organization and you...

For more information visit:
Oregon ACLU:  aclu-or.org/content/fbis-joint-terrorism-task-force-0
Committee to Stop FBI Repression: StopFBI.net
Oregon Progressive Party:  ProgParty.org/repression

contact:  civilrights@progparty.org or pdxcopr@gmail.com

CONTACT CITY COUNCIL and TELL THEM WHY WE DON'T WANT the JTTF in PORTLAND

They are elected officials.  If they vote for the JTTF, then we won't vote for them!
 
Sam Adams
Mayor, Commissioner of Finance and Administration
(503) 823-4120
Samadams@portlandoregon.gov
 
Amanda Fritz
Commissioner of Public Utilities, Position Number 1
(503) 823-3008
amanda@portlandoregon.gov  
 
Nick Fish
Commissioner of Public Works, Position Number 2
(503) 823-3589
Nick@portlandoregon.gov
 
Dan Saltzman
Commissioner of Public Affairs, Position Number 3
(503) 823-4151  
dan@portlandoregon.gov   
 
Randy Leonard
Commissioner of Public Safety, Position Number 4
(503) 823-4682
randy@portlandoregon.gov
 
LaVonne Griffin-Valade
City Auditor
(503) 823-4078
lavonne.griffin-valade@portlandoregon.gov

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