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Report on National Police Accountability Week

On Feb. 27, to begin National Police Accountability Week, POPSG held a Speakout and Concert at the Clinton Street Theater featuring Häsenpfeffer, Simmons/Rose, and Soul Rhythm Soldiers. The crowd was thin, but the spirit was right as a half-dozen groups working on aspects of police accountability (POPSG, National Lawyers Guild, American Anti-Prohibition League, Radical Women, Alliance to Protect & Defend Civil Liberties, Amnesty Internaional) and about as many police misconduct victims made issue of coming together as a community to demand accountability.

Particular note was made of police mistreatment of the mentally ill. Also, the family of a police shooting victim spoke out. The closing hip-hop music by Soul Rhythm Soldiers (100% non-violent, 100% non-racist, and 100% hard) worked the crowd up until a fuse blew, so they finished singing to the beat of the audience clapping in the dark.

Many thanks to all who made the event possible. Other events were held in Berkeley, CA, Chicago, IL, and around the country.

Meanwhile, Mayor Katz and her aides were reluctant to introduce legislation that week for tracking all deaths caused by police or occuring in police custody. They want to wait until a national database is created. Since the National Interreligious Task Force on Criminal Justice was introducing such legislation simultaneously, we found ourselves in a catch-22. We will continue to work on this issue; please call us if you are interested.

National Conference Videotapes Available:

Edited from 3 days of workshops/presentations, the National Conference on Police Accountability is now available as 3 one hour tapes from Flying Focus. Subjects include community organizing & a discusison of civilian oversight. Requested donation: $10/hour, $25/ all 3 hrs. For a complete symopsis or to order: Flying Focus Video Collective 3439 NE Sandy Blvd PMB #248 Portland, OR 97232 [Note: address updated for web version]

Second Quarter, 1994
Also in PPR #2

Portland Copwatch
PO Box 42456
Portland, OR 97242
(503) 236-3065/ Incident Report Line (503) 321-5120
e-mail: copwatch@portlandcopwatch.org

Portland Copwatch is a grassroots, volunteer organization promoting police accountability through citizen action.

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