News Roundup April 28 - May 5, 2024

PSU protests dominated the headlines, fentanyl emergency ends, bottle deposit returns downtown, DA race heats up

At a glance:

• Protestors occupied PSU's library, causing extensive property damage. A separate group marched downtown, smashing windows as they went. On the night of May 1, 15 cars at PPB's training facility were set on fire. PPB removed the protestors from the PSU library on Thursday and is asking the public for help in tracking down some who fled. PPB released the identities of those arrested. Some members of the protest movement bragged about property destruction online. The PSU library will not reopen until the fall. A professor praised PPB's response to the protests.

  • Other stories: Mercury, Oregonian, KGW, OPB

• Gresham police joined PF&R and TriMet in acting as makeshift ambulance after Multnomah County once again failed to provide EMS care in an emergency. The County chair remains obstinate in the face of calls to change the county's ambulance staffing model made by Gresham City Council. KPTV, KOIN

Reports released this week:

• IPR Director's Report for May

Upcoming events

• May 7, 2024 (Tuesday) 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM: CRC Workgroup: Accountability Transition Workgroup Meeting Wednesday, May 7, 2024 (website)

• May 8, 2024 (Wednesday) 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM: Police Training Advisory Council (TAC) Meeting (website)

• May 8, 2024 (Wednesday) 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM: Portland Committee on Community-Engaged Policing (PCCEP) Community Engagement Subcommittee Meeting 5/8/24 (website)

• May 9, 2024 (Thursday) 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM: FITCOG MEETING MAY 9, 2024 (website)

Opportunities and calls for volunteer service

Policing and crime

Highly covered incidents:

• 2024-05-04: KATU - Street racer gets 3 years prison for negligent homicide of bystander, Ashlee McGill

• 2024-05-03: OPB - Police detain driver who accelerated toward protesters at Portland State University in Oregon

Gun violence:

• 2024-05-05: KPTV - Man shot, killed in NE Portland near 7-Eleven

• 2024-05-04: KPTV - Man found dead in street after NE Portland shooting

• 2024-05-04: KOIN - Safety concerns continue at East County's largest affordable housing hub

• 2024-05-04: KATU - Early morning shooting leaves one dead on Northeast Beech Street, Portland

Crime and the impact of crime:

• 2024-05-04: KATU - Intoxicated driver strikes pedestrian in Northeast Portland, faces charges

• 2024-05-01: KGW - Portland Orangetheory coach accused of taking charity money

• 2024-05-01: KGW - Pro-Palestinian protesters march in downtown Portland

• 2024-04-29: KATU - Portland woman indicted on 46 identity theft charges, police seek more victims

• 2024-04-29: KGW - Modified van belonging to woman in wheelchair stolen in Portland

Police and policing:

• 2024-05-03: KOIN - Portland authorizes contract with team that will monitor PPB

• 2024-05-03: Oregonian - Jury awards $1M to family of suicidal man fatally shot by Portland police in 2021

• 2024-05-03: Oregonian - Grand jury declines to indict police officers in 2023 deadly shooting outside Mall 205 in SE Portland

• 2024-05-02: OPB - Portland police vehicles destroyed in suspected arson

• 2024-05-01: Oregonian - City of Portland to pay $25,000 to settle wrongful arrest suit

• 2024-04-30: Oregonian - Fentanyl dealer sought by police in overdose death caught on televised Portland Trail Blazers game

Police-produced media:

• 2024-05-03: YouTube - Portland Police clear Portland State University Library - May 2, 2024

• 2024-05-03: YouTube - News Conference After Clearing of PSU Library - May 2, 2024

Police news releases:

• 2024-05-04: PPB - Pedestrian Suffers Life Threatening Injuries After Madison South Neighborhood Crash, Driver Arrested

• 2024-05-04: PPB - One Man Dies after Shooting in the Wilkes Neighborhood

• 2024-05-03: PPB - UPDATE #3: PPB Identifies Those Arrested at PSU

• 2024-05-03: PPB - UPDATE: Woman Arrested in Connection to Case of Missing Child

• 2024-05-02: PPB - PPB Needs Public's Help Locating People Who Fled From PSU Library

• 2024-05-02: PPB - Portland Police Training Vehicles Burned, Arson Investigation Underway

• 2024-05-01: PPB - Suspects Cause Property Damage Downtown, Deploy Fireworks

Other stories:

• 2024-05-02: KOIN - Group greets apparent protesters released from Portland police precinct – KOIN.com

Politics and policy

City:

• 2024-04-30: Bike Portland - New city bureau will take development review function away from PBOT

County:

• 2024-05-01: Willamette Week - County Budget Advisory Committee to Chair Vega Pederson: Nothing’s Improved, Despite Your Promises Last Year

• 2024-04-30: KGW - DA Mike Schmidt prepared to prosecute PSU library protesters

• 2024-04-29: KGW - Vega Pederson delivers 'State of Multnomah County' address

County elections:

• 2024-05-05: KOIN - Vadim Mozyrsky on return, setting sights for Multnomah County Commission

• 2024-05-05: Oregonian - Multnomah County DA Mike Schmidt and challenger Nathan Vasquez locked in tight election battle as drug use, crime distress voters

• 2024-05-03: Oregonian - Nathan Vasquez leads in matchup against Multnomah County DA Mike Schmidt, poll finds

• 2024-05-02: Oregonian - Multnomah County DA candidates trade barbs, blame in televised debate

State:

• 2024-05-05: KATU - YVYV: Democrat Shaina Maxey Pomerantz, candidate for Oregon Attorney General

• 2024-05-04: Willamette Week - Oregon State Hospital Will Stop Giving Condoms to Patients

• 2024-04-28: KATU - YVYV: Democrat Dan Rayfield, candidate for Oregon Attorney General

Transportation:

• 2024-05-02: Bike Portland - PBOT Director on plain talk, ‘back to basics’ and more

• 2024-04-29: Mercury - Portland Freight Train Derailment Spotlights Transportation and Environmental Risks

Education:

• 2024-05-02: OPB - Portland State community at odds after police step in

Economy and business:

• 2024-05-02: Willamette Week - Portland Metro Area Had Largest Loss of Employment Among U.S. Cities Over Past Year

Addiction and mental health:

• 2024-05-03: OPB - Portland’s 90-day fentanyl emergency is over. What now?

• 2024-05-02: Willamette Week - Kotek Declines to Extend Bottle Bill Exemption for Safeway, Plaid Pantry

• 2024-04-24: KGW - How Oregon leaders are fixing a flawed mental health system

Housing:

• 2024-05-04: KOIN - Safety concerns continue at East County's largest affordable housing hub

• 2024-05-03: Oregonian - Portlanders continue to view homelessness as a ‘very serious’ problem, poll finds

• 2024-05-01: Street Roots - PDX Auditor: Urban Alchemy violated city lobbying code in 2022