[pjw] URGENT ACTION: Say no to shielding officers' names

[Peace and Justice Works]

Hi
We don't often ask the Peace and Justice Works general membership for 
specific help on Copwatch related actions, but there's a bill that will be 
voted on in the House tomorrow, HB 4087, which is designed to keep 
officers' names involved in deadly force incidents shielded from the public. 
Though it purports to be about keeping the officer and his/her family safe, 
make no mistake, this is a bill about closing the window of transparency on 
officer involved shootings in Portland and Oregon. Below is the message I sent 
to Rep. Frederick (and Sen. Shields) this morning; if you don't know your 
legislator you can find that info here:
http://www.legislatorpro.com/oregon/default.html

When they say this is a "rush bill" they're not kidding. If it 
passes the House tomorrow, defeat in the Senate, or a veto by the 
Governor, our only options.

For those of you not familiar with the case (and not from Portland) you 
may wish to explain that Ron Frashour was the officer who shot the 
unarmed, suicidal, 25 year old African American Aaron Campbell in the back 
in January 2010. Frashour was fired after graet public outcry, and was 
recently put back on the force due to an arbitrator's ruling. The 
community continues to demand that he not be able to patrol the streets 
any more. If this bill had been in place in 2010, none of that would have 
been possible.

Feel free to crib the language from this letter.
dan handelman
--Peace and Justice Works/Portland Copwatch
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 16 Feb 2016 11:27:09
From: Portland Copwatch <copwatch at portlandcopwatch.org>
To: Rep. Lew Frederick <rep.lewfrederick at state.or.us>
Subject: No shielding officers' names

Rep Frederick

Please vote no on HB 4087 and encourage others to do so as well. It is very 
inappropriate to rush through a bill like this based on one incident with no 
time for public discussion.

Such a bill will be a giant blow to accountability. While the proposed bill 
forces the police  to go to a judge to shield the officer's name, the judge has 
five business days to decide on the matter-- meaning that if there is no 
credible threat the police can delay the release of the name just by filing a 
petition.

There is little doubt that officers will say there's a credible "threat" so 
long as there is a movement for police accountability in this country. We will 
never know the name of the next Ron Frashour if this bill passes. That's not an 
acceptable "compromise." It eliminates transparency and accountability.

Officers are well armed, well trained, and are only playing off of public 
sympathy to try to get this bill passed. When they take (or attempt to take) a 
human life in the name of the state, they should not be afforded special 
protection, rather, they should come under more scrutiny than ordinary 
civilians.

Please vote no on HB 4087.
dan handelman

--Portland Copwatch
   (a project of Peace and Justice Works)
   PO Box 42456
   Portland, OR  97242
   (503) 236-3065 (office)
   (503) 321-5120 (incident report line)
   copwatch at portlandcopwatch.org
   http://www.portlandcopwatch.org