News Roundup June 9-16, 2024

Portland government transition continues to progress, PPB's rapid response team is reinstated and begins training, new series documents Portland's criminal underworld

At a glance:

• New election resource: Rose City Reform, which started as a substack, has expanded with a new website, including the best candidate tracker I've seen yet.

• Mayor Wheeler is set to take control of all city bureaus on July 1, in a trial run for the new form of government. Willamette Week, OPB

• PPB held a press conference to share details on the newly reinstated Rapid Response Team (RRT), which begins training this week. The RRT resigned in protest in 2021 when the DA pressed charges against an RRT officer who hit a photographer in the head with a baton.

Under-the-radar:

• CHAOSTOWN produced a video investigation into graffiti and the people fighting it. Another video documented street racing from the inside.

Upcoming events

• June 20, 2024 (Thursday) 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM: FITCOG MEETING JUNE 20, 2024 (website)

Policing and crime

Highly covered incidents:

• 2024-06-12: Bike Portland - Shooter was out for revenge on speed cameras that shot him first

Crime trends:

• 2024-06-11: KOIN - FBI data show sharp drop in violent crime but steepness is questioned | KOIN.com

Crime and the impact of crime:

• 2024-06-15: Willamette Week - Local Web Series Takes You Into the Night With Graffiti Artists as They Tag the Town

• 2024-06-15: KPTV - Plaid Pantry customer detains thief in SE Portland

• 2024-06-13: KGW - Street Root's new facility in Portland's Old Town broken into

• 2024-06-10: KGW - Police chase stolen semi tractor from Portland into Vancouver

Gun violence:

• 2024-06-14: KATU - Portland Metro Chamber discusses gun violence prevention efforts at monthly breakfast

• 2024-06-10: KGW - Woman mourns husband who was murdered while driving Uber

Crowd control, protests, and public order policing:

• 2024-06-13: KPTV - Portland Police’s Rapid Response Team returns

• 2024-06-13: KGW - Portland police's new team to respond to protests begin training

Police and policing:

• 2024-06-15: KATU - Portland Police arrest nine in anti-trafficking operation along Southeast 82nd Avenue

• 2024-06-15: KPTV - 9 arrested, gun seized in human trafficking mission on 82nd Ave.

• 2024-06-15: KOIN - 9 men arrested, missing woman rescued in prostitution sting

• 2024-06-14: Oregonian - Portland continues to pump millions into private security contracts

• 2024-06-11: Oregonian - Portland police release name of officer who shot rifle-wielding suspect in NE Portland

Police-produced media:

• 2024-06-15: YouTube - Suspect Recklessly Eludes Police, Burglarizes Home, Arrested on Felony Charges

• 2024-06-13: YouTube - Rapid Response Team Media Event - June 13, 2024

• 2024-06-12: YouTube - Join the Best - Now Hiring Police Officers

PPB news releases:

• 2024-06-15: PPB - Portland Police Bureau Seeks Public Input on Directives

• 2024-06-15: PPB - Victim in February 23 DUII Crash Identified

• 2024-06-15: PPB - Human Trafficking Mission Results in Arrests of 9 Men

• 2024-06-14: PPB - SE 82nd Ave Reopening After Fatal Motorcycle Crash

• 2024-06-14: PPB - Eastbound I-84 Reopens After Fatal Crash Investigation

• 2024-06-13: PPB - Traffic #ALERT: Double Fatal Motorcycle Crash Investigation Underway on Morrison Bridge

• 2024-06-11: PPB - $20,000 Reward for Information Remains in Place on 7th Anniversary of Homicide

• 2024-06-11: PPB - Damage Caused by Shooting Suspect Expected to Exceed $500,000

• 2024-06-11: PPB - Officer Involved in Shots Fired Incident Identified

• 2024-06-10: PPB - Suspect Recklessly Eludes Police, Burglarizes Home, Arrested on Felony Charges

Other stories:

• 2024-06-14: KPTV - Portland Police Chief Bob Day details time as a Pac-12 football official

• 2024-06-12: Bike Portland - Portland bike theft expert takes down international crime ring

Politics and policy

Portland government transition:

• 2024-06-13: Willamette Week - Mayor Wheeler to Pull All Bureaus Under His Control Come July 1

• 2024-06-06: Skanner - Ranked-Choice Voting Expert Grace Ramsey on What Portland Voters Can Expect in November

Criminal justice system:

• 2024-06-15: Willamette Week - State Police Find Gaps in County Investigation of Jail Deaths

• 2024-06-13: KGW - Oregon defendants without defense attorney must be released from jail, US appeals court says

• 2024-06-09: OPB - Judge Hears Arguments Over Whether Oregon Jail Violates Sanctuary Law

City:

• 2026-06-10: Willamette Week - Portland Debuts Curbside Battery Recycling Service for Some Residents

• 2024-06-13: KPTV - Cooling Portland: Residents may be eligible for free air conditioning this summer

• 2024-06-12: Willamette Week - City Council Will Conduct Cost Analyses for Future Ballot Initiatives

• 2024-06-12: Willamette Week - Former Mayor and Governor Neil Goldschmidt Dies at 83

• 2024-06-11: OPB - Portland begins building water plant to filter poop and wildfires, but not ‘forever chemicals’

• 2024-06-11: Willamette Week - Grand Floral Parade Maintains Wide Berth From Downtown Portland

County:

• 2024-06-16: KOIN - Meghan Moyer talks the race for District 1 Commissioner

• 2024-06-14: Oregonian - Here’s what every Multnomah County employee got paid in 2023

• 2024-06-13: OPB - Multnomah County approves new contract with Portland to oversee homeless response agency

• 2024-06-12: KOIN - MultCo suit against oil companies over 2021 heat dome heads to state court

State:

• 2024-06-16: Willamette Week - Oregon’s Top Health Official Meddled in Press Release at Behest of Alcohol Industry Lobbyists

• 2024-06-14: Oregonian - Oregon lawmakers want to fix roads and beef up transit. Where will they find the money?

• 2024-06-14: KGW - Lawmakers grill Oregon Employment Department over claims backlog

• 2024-06-13: KGW - Auditors detail a year of digging through how Oregon agencies keep track of funds, or fail to

• 2024-05-09: KGW - Oregon hospitals’ psychiatric care responsibility lawsuit advance

Federal:

• 2024-06-15: KOIN - Rep. Bonamici housing bill would take 'Project Turnkey' national

Transportation:

• Traffic violence:

  • 2024-06-15: KATU - Portland Police name 75-year-old victim in fatal Northeast Marine Drive crash

  • 2024-06-14: KOIN - Latest pedestrian death on Portland freeway highlights safety concerns

  • 2024-06-13: Bike Portland - Road raging drivers have endangered Bike Summer riders at least twice this week

  • 2024-06-13: KGW - 2 dead after motorcycle crash on Morrison Bridge; police investigating

  • 2024-06-13: KGW - 2 dead after motorcycle crash on Portland's Morrison Bridge

• ODOT:

  • 2024-06-13: Bike Portland - ODOT latest PSA explains new bike passing law

  • 2024-06-13: katu - ODOT announces massive graffiti removal project on I-84 in July

  • 2024-06-12: Bike Portland - Republican lawmakers say cyclists should be tolled, question bike lanes on new Interstate Bridge

• Safety improvements:

  • 2024-06-12: Bike Portland - Red light for everyone is now default at one Portland intersection

  • 2024-06-12: Bike Portland - Southwest residents push for sidewalks on Shattuck Rd at meeting with city staffer

Nonprofits:

• 2024-06-11: Mercury - How a Food Bank Illuminated Cultural, Political Divides Over Gaza

Education:

• 2024-06-13: Oregonian - New test results suggest Portland Public Schools students aren’t learning enough math, but holding steady in reading

• 2024-06-12: Willamette Week - Some City Council Candidates Bristle at the Line of Questioning in Endorsement Interviews by the Teachers’ Union

• 2024-06-10: Willamette Week - Teachers’ Union Asks Portland City Council Candidates About Gaza in Endorsement Questionnaire

Economy and business:

• Labor:

  • 2024-06-14: KPTV - Union asks travel nurses not to cross picket line ahead Providence strike

  • 2024-06-13: Mercury - As Portland's White Collar Employees Return to Offices, Janitors Push For Fair Wages, Benefits

  • 2024-06-10: Oregonian - Estate of construction worker fatally injured at Portland’s Benson High School files $25M lawsuit

• Business:

  • 2024-06-14: KATU - Monday night: KATU breaks down PGE rate increase proposal and energy usage data

  • 2024-06-11: OPB - Oregon’s psilocybin industry, a year old, seeks customers

  • 2024-06-10: Mercury - This Portland Gay Bar Is Opening a Family

Housing and homelessness:

• Homelessness response:

  • 2024-06-14: KGW - ‘It’s a matter of life and death’: Records show the dozens of groups responsible for giving tents, tarps to homeless people

  • 2024-06-13: KATU - Portland restaurant's revival made possible by 911 call to remove large homeless camp

  • 2024-06-13: KGW - ‘Deeply concerning’: The city of Portland removed 4,000 homeless camps in the past year as Multnomah County gave out more than 6,000 tents

• 2024-06-14: Oregonian - What an architectural expert says about converting empty office towers to housing

• 2024-06-14: KGW - 'Last tools in the tool box': Interstate Bridge Replacement administrator addresses potential eminent domain impact

• 2024-06-13: Willamette Week - Multnomah County Board Approves New Plan for Homeless Agency

Other news

Growth and resilience:

• 2024-06-15: KATU - Portland celebrates Juneteenth early with parade and festival on MLK Jr. Boulevard

• 2024-06-14: KPTV - Community celebrates the history of Black drag in Portland

• 2024-06-12: KPTV - Old Town legacy honored at new LGBTQ+ bar