[pjw] INFO: Joint Terrorism Task Force Report at City Council Wed. 1/25

[Peace and Justice Works]

Hello PCW and PJW supporters
I just realized that I kicked into high gear mobilizing our allies in
the Joint Terrorism Task Force campaign on Friday when the 2022 JTTF
report was posted online, but forgot to inform you all about it.*

In case you don't have the background, Portland Copwatch found the Joint
Terrorism Task Force agreement between the FBI and Portland Police
tucked away on the consent agenda back in November 2000. For over 22
years we've been organizing with others in the community to ensure the
police don't violate the people's rights or Oregon's unique anti-spying
law (which prevents collection or maintenance of information on people
unless there's reasonable suspicion of criminal activity- ORS 181A.250).

Portland got out of the JTTF in 2005, back in in 2011, and out again in
2019, at which point these annual reports were required.

This year's report states that there are 10 cases the FBI sent to the
PPB, but only details three of them, saying #4-10 are open
investigations. One had to do with a person manufacturing gun parts, one
making threats to community members through the media, and the only one
which could perhaps be seen as terrorism was a threat against a federal
elected official. However it seems the FBI sent this to the PPB because
they realized the person has mental health issues and so the case went
right to the "Behavioral Health Unit." Two of the three are identified
as white people and the third was unknown.

The Bureau sent three cases to the FBI, one about a "threat of targeted
violence," one involving a shooting in which a person was killed and
others injured, and one shooting at a protest at which nobody was hit.
There is no indication of why the Portland Police thought these might be
"terrorism" cases. There were five people involved in the three cases,
identified as four white men and one white female.

It's really not clear how any of these cases (except maybe the threat
against electeds) count as "terrorism."

The report can be found here:
https://www.portland.gov/sites/default/files/council-documents/2023/2023-ppb-report-to-city-council-011723.pdf

We have people from four other groups lined up to speak; it's not
exactly clear when this will come up on the agenda as there is a "Time
Certain" at 9:45 AM and several other "Regular Agenda" items follow
that.

People who want to write in with concerns about the report and/or the
ongoing relationship between the PPB and the FBI can write to:

cctestimony at portlandoregon.gov

I certainly will be raising issues in our testimony about either
severing the formal relationship or improving the reporting process.

Anyway, thought you all should know!
dan handelman
peace and justice works/portland copwatch

PS sorry for duplication with the PCW list


*- well, PJW folks may have seen a mention in the Friday Rally report
back.