Thread by @JoAnnPDX

Statement Thread 3

- I wrote an open letter to Police Chief Lovell and Mayor Wheeler asking for a list of policy changes related to use of force that can be read here: facebook.com/CommissionerHa…

- I outlined a vision for re-imaging community safety that can be read here: portland.gov/hardesty/news/…

- I have grown frustrated at the limitations of my ability to reform the police from the outside. I have asked Mayor Wheeler repeatedly to assign PPB to my office so I can use my 30 years of expertise on police reform to make the change Portlanders are demanding.

This is all just a start.

We do have serious crimes that occur in Portland that need to be addressed & PPB needs to make responding to those 911 calls the priority. We don’t need resources wasted on largely peaceful protests or officer’s shooting videos of the calls they are negligently not responding to.

It’s important to remember that everyone, even those committing crimes, have equal protection under the law & a right to due process. Nowhere in that process is it legal to repeatedly punch a protestor in the face, as was recently revealed through a video by OPB Reporter @MrOlmos

As my friend Eric Ward of the Western States Center told the Willamette week recently:

“Right now, it appears we have a rogue police force. This is not about individual police officers. This is about an institution, and that institution appears to be rogue....

"...You cannot tell me that the Portland Police Bureau is not sophisticated and responsible enough to track down those individuals who are creating and committing acts of physical violence on the streets of Portland..."

"...I simply don't believe it. And the fact that I don't believe it says just how much trust has been broken in a moment where we need that trust most.”

On that note, I want to thank the Portland media that has done an incredible job covering these last 100 days.

Whether from established outlets or freelancing, reporters have had to endure police violence themselves as they go out night after night to make sure Portlanders are understanding what is really happening. Thank you for your service to the city of Portland.

I also want to thank the 911 dispatchers at BOEC and Portland Fire & Rescue for their stressful, difficult work trying to keep Portland safe during these trying times. It warmed my heart to see members of Portland Fire & Rescue conduct their own event in support of BLM.

So what’s next?

- Currently my office is hard at work developing a 30-60-90 day plan in the event that we are assigned the Portland Police Bureau.

- My office is currently working with Commissioner Eudaly on a munitions ban.

- Next week, I will be announcing a series of events to move the conversation forward. These events will focus on uplifting BIPOC youth leaders, re-imagining community safety, and police alternatives that prevent crime and provide safety for all.

- In late October, we have an opportunity to further reinvest the bloated PPB budget into programs that lead to crime prevention and community safety for all.

- In January, contract negotiations with the Portland Police Association will resume. All city hosted sessions will be open to the public and I will be deeply engaged in this process. I hope you will be as well.

In the end we have much more work to do. I’m open to far more ideas than what I have put on the table. As we move forward, let’s keep the focus on Portland and our residents. That’s who we were elected to serve, not Fox News pundits or the disgraceful occupant of the White House.

What Portland needs is truth and reconciliation. We need new leadership and a new direction. We need to prove that in the city of Portland, Black Lives Matter.

We need justice. Then we will have peace.

#BlackLivesMatter