On August 24, during a training patrol downtown, instructing officer Cory Roberts, while out of uniform, shot a man who was holding a knife near the bus mall (Oregonian, 8/25). The suspect, Anthony Falsetto, was allegedly threatening a woman with the knife. After being shot twice in the chest, he was listed in critical condition. Police say he will be charged with attempted murder. Trainee Christopher Lafrenz apparently did not shoot at Falsetto. In their usual efforts to support the status quo, the Oregonian wrote, "Police generally are justified in using deadly force if their life or someone else's life is threatened." They also noted that Falsetto has been "in and out of jail" and was released after conviction of possession of a controlled substance, none of which contributes to the explanation of why the police shot him.
On September 23, police responding to a domestic violence call shot a man in St. John's who they say refused to drop a machete. Police officers Charles Anderson and Meredith Hooper shot Duane White, Jr. four times in the side and arms. The Oregonian (10/24) quotes police spin doctor Cheryl Kanzler as saying that the cops kept pursuing the man after his wife was safely outside the house because officers are required by law to make an arrest when responding to a domestic violence call. Neighbors who witnessed the incident and relatives of White are dubious that the shooting was justified.
Both shooting incidents are being investigated, and all four officers involved are on administrative leave.
In another high-profile incidentthis one involving excessive, but not deadly forcea mentally challenged Ukranian man was assaulted by officers who mistook him for a wheelbarrow thief. Apparently, someone in the Southeast neighborhood had reported a wheelbarrow as stolen and the man, Pavel Guzenko, had the misfortune to be gathering wood for his family at the same time...using a wheelbarrow. Guzenko could not speak English, and could not respond to the officers' orders when they attempted to stop him. Several witnesses saw the subsequent beating, which resulted in facial bruises and blood in Guzenko's urine, indicating internal injuries. The October 16 Oregonian reports that both Internal Affairs and Guzenko's family are investigating whether excessive force was used.
In a rare statement which implies the police were probably out of line, Kanzler told the Oregonian "Two female officers responded, stopped a man they saw with a wheelbarrow, and that's when things went bad."
These incidents, taken in the context of the large amount of police misconduct in 1998, the previous shootings this year, the intensifying of harassment of street youth downtown, and the breaking of a non-violent protester's arm (see related story) indicate that the police are still out of control.
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