News Roundup April 14-21, 2024

Grants Pass vs Johnson, more street takeover busts, Vision Zero report shows zero progress, Gonzalez homeless policy power grab, independent monitor selected, gun violence down again

At a glance:

• The United States Supreme Court will hear this week a case against Grants Pass that will decide whether efforts to penalize some behaviors associated with homelessness are constitutional. KOIN, Oregonian

• Portland Police continued efforts to combat street takeover events, making several arrests and taking possession of 33 cars. KPTV

• City Council heard a report on reverse progress towards Vision Zero; the city planned to reach zero deaths by 2025. 200 Portlanders have been killed on the road since 2021. KPTV, OPB, Mercury

• Commissioner Gonzalez, who is running for mayor, proposed giving the mayor unilateral authority over homelessness policy, removing authority from his potential future City Council colleagues. KGW, OPB

• The City selected a team led by LAPD's Inspector General to serve as the Independent Monitor overseeing the Settlement Agreement with the United States. WW, Mercury

• Gun violence is down slightly year-over-year. KPTV

Upcoming events

• April 22, 2024 (Monday) 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM: Local Public Safety Coordinating (LPSCC) Council Executive Committee Website

Opportunities and calls for volunteer service

• PCCEP, CRC, and PRB are recruiting for new members. See the city's volunteer job board for details

• Several revised PPB directives are up for review in each of the stages. See PPB's website for details

Policing and crime

Shootings, stabbings, and gun crime:

• 2024-04-19: KATU - 1 wounded in Pearl District shooting

• 2024-04-18: KPTV - Two injured in NE Portland shooting

• 2024-04-17: KPTV - Man injured in road rage shooting in Portland

• 2024-04-17: KPTV - Man facing murder and bias crime charges for SE Portland motel shooting

• 2024-04-16: KPTV - Man arrested for NE Portland shooting, 5 guns seized

• 2024-04-16: KATU - Portland Police Bureau data shows decline in shooting incidents

• 2024-04-15: KPTV - Man assaulted, killed in NE Portland

• 2024-04-15: KPTV - Two shot, one killed in SE Portland shooting

• 2024-04-15: KPTV - Man killed in North Portland shooting identified

Crime and the impact of crime:

• 2024-04-19: KOIN - Man accused of domestic violence, arson after Molotov cocktail incident

• 2024-04-18: KPTV - Grandmother on her way to grandkid’s graduation sexually assaulted at TriMet station, prosecutors say

• 2024-04-16: KPTV - Owner: Dog stolen off MAX train found safe

Police and policing:

• 2024-04-19: KPTV - Day 2 of trial for Vancouver cop who threatened to tase suspect’s genitals

• 2024-04-18: KGW - Oregon joins multi-state carjacking task force initiative

• 2024-04-17: KPTV - City of Portland ordered to pay $30K to man wrongfully beaten during protest

• 2024-04-17: Oregonian - How an alleged burglary in Portland set off a police search that killed a suspect

Police-produced media:

• 2024-04-20: YouTube - We Believe in Portland Clean-Up Event

• 2024-04-19: YouTube - Talking Beat - a Conversation with Chief Bob Day

• 2024-04-16: YouTube - 10-Year Tribute: Remembering K9 Mick's Heroic Sacrifice and Community Support

• 2024-04-16: YouTube - Ceremony Held to Honor K-9 Mick: 10 Year Anniversary of Line of Duty Death

• 2024-04-14: YouTube - Telecommunicators Appreciation Week 2024!

Police news releases:

• 2024-04-19: PPB - Suspect Arrested After Using Molotov Cocktail to Ignite Occupied Trailer

• 2024-04-18: PPB - Multi-Agency Stolen Vehicle Operation Yields Positive Results

• 2024-04-17: PPB - UPDATE #2: Suspect Facing Murder and Bias Charge After Arrest for January Shooting

• 2024-04-16: PPB - Man Arrested, Guns Seized in Connection to April 5 Shooting

• 2024-04-15: PPB - Homicide Investigation Underway in Southeast Portland

• 2024-04-15: PPB - Street Takeover Mission Results in Arrests, Vehicle Tows

• 2024-04-15: PPB - Death Investigation Underway in Kerns Neighborhood

• 2024-04-15: PPB - Police Bureau Seeks Public Input on Directives

• 2024-04-15: PPB - UPDATE: Victim in East Columbia Neighborhood Shooting Identified

• 2024-04-15: PPB - UPDATE #2: Man Arrested for April 1st Murder in Hazelwood Neighborhood

Politics and policy

Portland government transition:

• 2024-04-14: Willamette Week - Ethics Commission Says City Council Members Can Vote to Increase Small Donor Elections Program Budget

Criminal justice system:

• 2024-04-21: OPB - Oregon’s first licensed paralegals hope to widen access to legal help

• 2024-04-18: Oregonian - Case dropped against man who allegedly smashed 34-pound rock on woman’s head outside Portland mental health center

• 2024-04-15: Willamette Week - DA Mike Schmidt Says Defendants’ Failure to Appear in Court Doesn’t Invalidate Bail Reform

City:

• 2024-04-17: Mercury - New Plan Seeks to Help Lower Southeast Portland “Rise”

• 2024-04-17: OPB - Portland Commissioner Gonzalez wants tougher stance on homeless camping

• 2024-04-16: KPTV - Safety concerns voiced over Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub

• 2024-04-16: Willamette Week - Labor Unions Outraged at City Council for Mulling Plan to Reduce Health Insurance Benefits

County:

• 2024-04-20: Oregonian - Multnomah County DA race: Fact-checking candidate claims about crime, caseloads and convictions

• 2024-04-18: KPTV - Multnomah County to keep 80 asylum seekers housed at motel for 2nd month

• 2024-04-18: OPB - The issues at play in Multnomah County ambulance response time negotiations

• 2024-04-17: Willamette Week - Nurses in County Jails Demand Leadership Change

• 2024-04-16: Willamette Week - The County’s Freshly Appointed Homelessness Czar Resigns After Allegations He Bullied Women in the Office

• 2024-04-15: OPB - Defense lawyers say Multnomah County DA candidate violated ethics by accusing client of being a serial killer

State:

• 2024-04-18: KPTV - Governor Kotek announces new Chief of Staff, new leadership

• 2024-04-17: OPB - Oregon’s unemployed say they’re ‘stuck in limbo’ as state officials struggle following website transition

• 2024-04-17: OPB - Gov. Tina Kotek won’t veto millions for Oregon cities as she initially threatened

Federal:

• 2024-04-21: Willamette Week - Could Oregon Voters Write In Jeff Merkley for President, as a Rebuke to Biden Over Gaza?

• 2024-04-18: OPB - Some Democrats in Oregon will vote ‘Uncommitted’ in presidential primary, protesting Gaza conflict

• 2024-04-14: KPTV - Kotek’s winter storm emergency relief request approved by Biden

Transportation:

• 2024-04-19: KPTV - Work Zone Awareness Week: ‘Behind the orange vests is a human being’

• 2024-04-19: Mercury - With Scant Evidence, City Commissioners Point to Fentanyl as Potential Contributor to Rise in Deadly Crashes

• 2024-04-18: OPB - Nearly 200 people killed in Portland traffic crashes since 2021, reports says

• 2024-04-18: Mercury - Despite Record-High Traffic Crash Deaths, PBOT Leaders Say Vision Zero Is Working

• 2024-04-17: Bike Portland - PBOT to face reality of record traffic death toll at City Council today

• 2024-04-16: Bike Portland - Lents neighborhood road safety activists make some noise

Education:

• 2024-04-19: KGW - Some PPS parents outraged by complaints against teachers union

• 2024-04-18: KPTV - Two separate lawsuits accuse Portland middle school of fostering a ‘racially hostile’ environment

• 2024-04-17: KPTV - Governor Kotek announces plans to invest $5 million in new CHIPS Child Care Fund

• 2024-04-17: KPTV - Kotek passes law allocating $30 million to funding summer learning

• 2024-04-17: Willamette Week - Advocates for New Financial Literacy and Life Skills Classes Worry Department of Education Wants to Torpedo Them

Economy and business:

• 2024-04-19: KPTV - Nike to layoff 740 Portland area workers

• 2024-04-18: OPB - Intel bets new device debuting in Hillsboro will cement company’s place as industry leader

Addiction:

• 2024-04-19: KGW - Is the 90-day fentanyl state of emergency working in Portland?

• 2024-04-18: KPTV - Latest Measure 110 report finds 346% increase in people seeking treatment since 2022

• 2024-04-16: KGW - Multnomah County briefed as fentanyl emergency nears its end

Housing and homelessness:

• 2024-04-21: KGW - Study: Motels, village shelters provide best outcome for homeless

• 2024-04-18: Economist - Is ticketing homeless people a cruel and unusual punishment?

• 2024-04-18: OPB - Many baby boomers own homes that are too big. Can they be enticed to sell them?

• 2024-04-17: OPB - City audit identifies barriers in Portland’s homeless response agency

• 2024-04-16: KPTV - Central City Concerns mobilizing healthcare for unhoused communities

• 2024-04-14: OPB - Portland-area church property offers new affordable housing for LGBTQ+ seniors

• 2024-04-14: Willamette Week - Suffering Budget Deficit, Northwest Housing Alternatives Asks Employees to Choose Between Salary Cuts and Layoffs