News Roundup May 19-26, 2024

Elections, elections, election; and also: PPA ballot measure moves forward with re-title, PSU protestors continue violence, more transportation system crime.

At a glance:

• A man with a long criminal history escalated to attempted murder when he pushed a man in front of a moving MAX train. He moved on to commit several crimes before being taken into custody; he claimed mental illness as the cause for his behavior. KGW

• Protestors at PSU continue to engage in acts of violence. KGW

• PPA's ballot measure to undo the 2020 voter-approved police reform package can move forward to signature collection, has been given a reworded title by judge: "Reduces authority, changes membership, budget for community police oversight board". KGW

Elections:

• Portlanders approved all tax increases and renewals presented on the May ballot. KGW

• The DA race attracted coverage in national publications, including Politico and The Hill

• See Rose City Reform for the latest Portland City Council election coverage and in-depth reporting.

Reports released this week:

• PPB Stops Data Collection 2024 Q1 Report

• PPB Force Analysis Summary 2024 Q1 Report

Upcoming events

• May 28, 2024 (Tuesday) 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM: Police Equity Advisory Council (PEAC) Meeting (website)

• May 29, 2024 (Wednesday) 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM: Portland Committee on Community-Engaged Policing (PCCEP) Full Committee Meeting (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

Highly covered incidents:

• PSU encampment and protests:

  • 2024-05-25: KGW - Protesters kicked Portland State University campus police chief during struggle, court docs say; officer remains hospitalized

  • 2024-05-24: KATU - Portland State University police chief hospitalized amid campus protest arrests

  • 2024-05-24: OPB - Portland State president and student government come together in effort to end campus violence

  • 2024-05-24: Fox 12 Oregon - Palestinian PSU students reflect on protest, look to draw attention back to Gaza

Crime and the impact of crime:

• 2024-05-26: KOIN 6 - Known shoplifter among 14 arrested in Portland retail theft mission

• 2024-05-25: KGW - Portland police searching for suspected carjacker

• 2024-05-24: KGW - 3 pickpocketers caught on camera stealing wallet from 93-year-old man in Portland Costco parking lot

• 2024-05-22: KGW - Man pushed in front of MAX train in Portland speaks out

• 2024-05-22: KOIN - Pit bull attack, bias crime followed by man pleading not guilty in court

• 2024-05-21: Oregonian - Portland bar sued for $9M, accused of overserving man who then allegedly killed fellow patron

• 2024-05-20: KOIN - Man arrested for carrying shotgun in a guitar case in Portland park, police say

• 2024-05-20: Bike Portland - Driver blasts onto Springwater Corridor as bike riders narrowly escape speeding car

Gun violence:

• 2024-05-26: KOIN 6 - Man accused of shooting 1, stabbing 2 in Southeast Portland

• 2024-05-26: KATU - Teen shot at Gresham classic car show, expected to survive

• 2024-05-24: Fox 12 Oregon - Woman found dead in SE Portland apartment after shooting

• 2024-05-21: KOIN - VIDEO: Surveillance captures moment before man dies in Southeast Portland shooting

• 2024-05-21: Oregonian - 1 dead after early-morning shooting in SE Portland, police say

Police and policing:

• 2024-05-24: KGW - Judge tweaks Portland police union's oversight ballot measure title

• 2024-05-24: KATU - Portland's NAACP president questions bias crimes measures

• 2024-05-24: Mercury - Proposed Ballot Measure to Repeal Police Oversight Board Can Now Start Gathering Signatures, Judge Says

• 2024-05-23: KGW - Measure to dilute Portland police oversight board heads to November ballot, barring legal troubles

• 2024-05-22: KPTV - Serial armed robber suspect arrested during PPB stolen vehicle operation

• 2024-05-20: KATU - Officers in deadly shooting at Hazelwood home identified

Police-produced media:

• 2024-05-24: YouTube - Arresting fentanyl dealers next to the Central Library

• 2024-05-24: YouTube - PPB ASU: Why Not a Helicopter?

• 2024-05-22: YouTube - PPB Honors Members Who Died in Line of Duty

PPB News Releases:

• 2024-05-25: PPB - Prolific Shoplifter Among 14 Arrested During North Precinct Retail Theft Mission

• 2024-05-25: PPB - Suspect Facing Attempted Murder Charges After Shooting, Stabbings

• 2024-05-24: PPB - Chief Day Condemns Violent Behavior During PSU Chief's Medical Emergency

• 2024-05-24: PPB - PPB Needs Publics Help Locating Theft Suspects, Additional Victims Sought

• 2024-05-24: PPB - UPDATE: Missing Endangered Teen Located

• 2024-05-23: PPB - Homicide Investigation Underway after Shooting in the Hazelwood Neighborhood

• 2024-05-22: PPB - UPDATE: Suspected Serial Armed Robber Arrested During SVO Mission

• 2024-05-21: PPB - PPB Honors Members Who Died in Line of Duty

• 2024-05-21: PPB - Man Faces Assault, Bias Crime Charges Following Arrest, Additional Victims Sought

• 2024-05-21: PPB - Man Deceased After Shooting In Hazelwood Neighborhood

• 2024-05-20: PPB - UPDATE: Officers Involved in Hazelwood Neighborhood Shots Fired Incident Identified

• 2024-05-20: PPB - PPB Participates in Click it or Ticket Campaign

Politics and policy

Criminal justice system:

• 2024-05-24: Willamette Week - Short-Staffed Women’s Prison Fires Its Only Gynecologist

• 2024-05-24: KATU - OR Chief Justice expands defendants held in jail until first appearance under new order

City:

• 2024-05-22: Willamette Week - Gonzalez Criticizes Small Donor Elections Program, Saying It “Makes a Bit of a Joke” of Mayoral Election

• 2024-05-21: KGW - Where voter turnout stands for Oregon's May 21 primary election

County:

• Vasquez wins DA race:

  • 2024-05-26: KATU - YVYV: Nathan Vasquez elected as the next Multnomah County District Attorney

  • 2024-05-25: Oregonian - What’s next as new Multnomah County DA Nathan Vasquez prepares to take over

  • 2024-05-22: KGW - Mike Schmidt concedes Multnomah County district attorney race to Nathan Vasquez

  • 2024-05-22: KATU - Vasquez looks to end open-air drug dealing once at helm of Multnomah County DA's Office

  • 2024-05-22: KATU - An Interview with DA Elect Nathan Vasquez: Committed to prosecuting more crimes

  • 2024-05-22: KGW - Nathan Vasquez prepares to take on the role of Multnomah County district attorney

• Commissioner races go to runoff:

  • 2024-05-25: Willamette Week - In 2004, Sam Adams Won the Battle of October

  • 2024-05-25: Willamette Week - Two Multnomah County Commissioner Seats Will Go to Runoff in November

• County dysfunction:

  • 2024-05-22: Willamette Week - The County Learned a Year Ago That Its Contract Management System Was Broken. It Took a Year to Hire the Two People Meant to Fix It.

• County jail corruption:

  • 2024-05-23: Willamette Week - Jail Deputy Accused of Forging Logbooks Prior to Inmate Suicide

Metro:

• 2024-05-21: KATU - Oregon Zoo measure looks to pass, enabling animal health and well-being

State:

• 2024-05-22: Mercury - Democrats Maxine Dexter and Janelle Bynum Pull Off Wins in Key Oregon Congressional Races

Federal:

• 2024-05-22: KGW - How many of the write-in votes in Oregon's presidential primaries were for 'uncommitted'?

Transportation:

• Gas tax renewal passed:

  • 2024-05-22: Bike Portland - Voters fuel landslide win for local gas tax that will pump $70.5 million into PBOT coffers

• Biking:

  • 2024-05-23: BikePortland.org - Opinion: St. Johns Bridge could have — and should have — bike lanes

  • 2024-05-22: Bike Portland - Vancouver’s first ‘bike garden’ will bloom in June

  • 2024-05-21: Bike Portland - NE Broadway poised for transformation as city eyes major updates

Nonprofits:

• 2024-05-23: KGW - Body left to decompose in apartment for 2 months; family sues Central City Concern

Education:

• 2024-05-22: KGW - Portland gas tax, school levy and zoo bond election measures headed for passage

• 2024-05-21: OPB - Oregon’s 2 largest school districts are nearing the end of a fraught budget season

Economy and business:

• 2024-05-25: OPB - Census data shows thousands of people leaving Portland — but they may not be going far

• 2024-05-23: KGW - Food cart pod on Portland State University's campus will stay open

• 2024-05-23: KGW - Old Town acupuncture school plans to shut down, blames area

Housing and homelessness:

• 2024-05-22: Street Roots - Two years after default ruling on wrongful death lawsuit, Rapid Response Bio Clean wants a do-over

• 2024-05-21: KGW - Is Portland's affordable housing law working? Yes and no, watchdog report finds

• 2024-05-21: KGW - Homeless people could be impacted by the outcome of Oregon’s primary election

Other news

Growth and resilience:

• 2024-05-26: Oregonian - Portland high school’s Healthy Masculinity Club is ‘a place for guys to not be ‘guys’’