In the news
In today's O, ace reporter Maxine Bernstein fills in some of the details on the 2005 police brutality incident involving Christopher Humphreys, the Portland police officer who killed James Chasse on Sep. 17 of this year. Bernstein correctly points out that the victim's lawyer in the earlier case, Travis Eiva, posted about it on this blog a week ago.
The Trib also has a piece today, which includes this interesting statistic, along with photos of Humphreys and Officer Kyle Nice, who was there when Chasse was beaten and kicked:
Humphreys also has been the subject of seven Internal Affairs Division complaints — one for each of his years on the force — with two of those cases still open. One of those relates to Chasse. Such complaints and details of the ensuing investigations generally are not considered public records. Nice, a 14-year veteran, has had two such complaints, including the Chasse case.I'm sure the mayor and the police chief are tearing their hair out. But if they continue to play this one like the many other cases of this type that we never hear about, it's only going to get worse.
| Posted at 12:29 AM | Permalink |
|
Comments (5)
There will be a candlelight vigil in memory of Chasse tonight at the First Congregational Church downtown on the south Park Blocks (1126 SW Park). It starts at 7. The family has requested that it be well attended, but kept respectful.
Posted by Jack Bog | October 27, 2006 12:44 AM
With all due respect, sounds like a risky place to be tonight. Either the police will stay away, in which case small splinter mobs may well be encouraged to emerge, or the police will make themselves visible, in which case gasoline fumes and sparks will be everywhere. I don't run that fast anymore.
If the family would like to open up a legal offense fund at one of the local banks, I'd be delighted to help underwrite a relentless series of high profile lawsuits against the police, the city, the county, the ambulance company, and especially the state executive and legislature for their permissive roles in the whole thing.
Posted by WoodburnBob | October 27, 2006 8:38 AM
The state level is particularly troubling because one would think people who managed to bend the system on lower levels (DA, courts, "experts") to their side to insure effective immunity for rogue cops would have hard time there.
The State Medical Office which never saw deadly police beating they didn't like shows that this is not longer true, we lost even there.
And don't forget John Minnis, a former PPD vice-cop and a mindless pusher of FBI inspired terror legislations who is sitting now at the helm of the Oregon "Department of Public Safety Standards and Training" a cop training outfit he created for himself before leaving his Senate post.
Posted by wg | October 27, 2006 6:57 PM
and I think the author of the "splinter mob" bit above is trying to scare people from coming. A PPD troll?
Posted by wg | October 27, 2006 7:27 PM
Jesus Christ's initials: "JC"
James Chasse's initials: "JC"
Jesus Christ: gentle man; believed he conversed with the Almighty; sported long hair & beard; violently killed by authorities, via slow suffocation, after capricious pretense of a trial.
James Chasse: gentle man; believed he sometimes heard voices; often sported long hair and beard; violently killed by authorities, by slow suffocation secondary to fractured ribs, lacerated lung and then, being 'hogtied,' after no trial.
Contemporary Society: failed to provide resources to humanely and properly care for and nurture the mentally ill.
Conclusion: James Chasse died for our sins.
Posted by Kevin Hunt | October 31, 2006 8:23 AM