[pjw] NEWS: 2 of 9 Governor Candidates/Political Parties Respond to Ending Joint Terrorism Task Force Participation by Oregon State Police

[Peace and Justice Works]

Hello PJW supporters
Below is a news release which includes a link to the two responses
received from candidates/parties about whether to pull the Oregon State
Poilce out of the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Feel free to share widely.
dan handelman
peace and justice works/portland copwatch

(sorry for duplication with the Portland CW list)

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Portland Copwatch
  a project of Peace and Justice Works
      PO Box 42456
      Portland, OR   97242
      (503) 236-3065

NEWS: 2 of 9 Governor Candidates/Political Parties Respond to Ending
Joint Terrorism Task Force Participation by Oregon State Police

September 19, 2022

In mid-July, four human rights organizations sent a letter to the
candidates for Governor asking them to consider removing the Oregon
State Police from the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, a move which the
City of Portland undertook in 2019.

Those who did not respond received reminders. The only responses as of
September 19 were from Ron Noble, the Libertarian candidate, and the
Oregon Progressive Party, both of whom agreed with the principles of
removing state police from the Task Force.

The Pacific Green Party candidate ended their campaign, explaining their
lack of response. No response was received either from

--Democratic Party/ Tina Kotek
--Republican Party/ Christine Drazan
--Unaffiliated candidate Betsy Johnson
--Constitution Party
--Independent Party
--Working Families Party.

The substance of the original letter is below. A table of the question
and the answers can be seen at

https://portlandcopwatch.org/jttf_questionnaire0922.pdf

For more information contact Portland JACL at
https://www.pdxjacl.org/contact/ or Portland
Copwatch at 503-236-3065 / copwatch at portlandcopwatch.org.

__________________________________________________________________

We are community organizations and volunteers who are concerned about
our city and state's participation in the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task
Force. This agency was established in 1980 in New York City to use the
federal government to fight terrorism. Their role was greatly expanded
after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 in 2001. The JTTF was created in
Portland in 1997.

In 2019, the Portland City Council voted for the second time to pull its
officers from ongoing participation in the FBI's Joint Terrorist Task
Force. Over 35 community organizations and individuals supported our
efforts to prevent Portland police officers from participating in the
task force. We are concerned about the FBI's low threshold to conduct
investigations on people, which conflict with ORS 181A.250. This statue
prohibits law enforcement from collecting or maintaining information on
people' s social, political, or religious affiliation with no reasonable
suspicion of criminal conduct. The FBI has a history of targeting and
harassing people of color, immigrants, Muslims and social change
activists.

What measures do you intend to take to either remove the Oregon State
Police from the JTTF or at least to ensure those given clearance to work
with the FBI are following all appropriate rules and state laws?

__________________________________________________________________

           cc: Tina Kotek, Democratic Party
               Christine Drazan, Republican Party
               Betsy Johnson, unaffiliated candidate
               R. Leon Noble, Libertarian Party
               Nathalie Paravicini, Pacific Green Party
               Independent Party,
               Working Families Party
               Constitution Party
               Progressive Party