Portland Police kill again Jan 2nd

[Ele'ill]

I went into a convenience store I frequently go to around eight this morning and a houseless individual resting there was reading a newspaper and became upset. He said something about the police. I went over and picked up a paper next to him and we briefly talked. He was stating how the police lied and the debriefing information is never true to what actually happened. This time it made the front page although I do not know which paper it was. Out of respect I didn't ask if he knew the man who was killed- perhaps I should have but it didn't seem appropriate given the area we both live in is a distance away from where this happened. (Edit- It's actually not that far away- I will likely see him tomorrow and I feel horrible about not engaging further or offering any more comfort than I did) In light of the previous killings by police and the sidewalk ordinance I think it's time Portland communities stopped the kid's games and put an end to this nonsense. Is the leftist community this Impotent? Am I?

If there are any Portlanders who would like to brainstorm with me I would appreciate it.


Another houseless individual murdered - 60 years old- taser was 'ineffective' according to police.

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2011/01/405038.shtml

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2011/01/405042.shtml

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/01/update_one_man_dead_after_offi.html

[ComradeGrant]

I live just outside of Portland and didn't hear anything. How horrendous :crying:

[Ele'ill]

Some demonstrations following-

Youtube videos and such

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2011/01/405111.shtml

[FreeFocus]

Disgusting and indefensible. This is just criminal. What's sad is that some on the "Left" call homeless people "lumpen" and disregard their struggles. The fact is that homeless people are some of the most oppressed people by capitalism. People with a job, even if they're wage slaves, typically have a place to lay their head at night. Homeless people don't have that and, when they try to sleep somewhere outside, pigs come after them for "loitering" or some other bullshit.

Ugh.

[Paulappaul]

I am a SE Portlander.


In light of the previous killings by police and the sidewalk ordinance I think it's time Portland communities stopped the kid's games and put an end to this nonsense. Is the leftist community this Impotent? Am I?

I would agree. I don't think the leftist community is impotent. I think generally there is no organization and no publication outside Libertarian Socialist circles which are currently confined to affinity groups, close friends and local collectives. Rose City Cop watch is sort of the exception, but they do little publication. Most Lefties I know want to get involved but never hear about or see any meetings/groups.

As for the people outside the Leftist community, most are frankly brainwashed and/or stupid (for lack of a better word). The former most present in those who believe the marches should be permitted, on the sidewalks or should simply vote - the usual bullshit pacifist tactics. The later usually has some mentality that says quite frankly, homeless people aren't really people and I shouldn't give a fuck about them cause its not my rights being taken away. The media and press has successfully made this sort of thing normal, which is pretty sad.

[gorillafuck]

Is there really any sort of organized homeless struggle?

[Ele'ill]

I live not far at all from where the shooting happened. I know the lot where it took place. Portland needs more non-nighttime marches. The one during the day had a couple hundred people join in through downtown and some good folks hung back to talk to the people coming out of shops and cafes if they had questions. Others were handing out flyers.

[Nolan]

This is senseless. Fuck the cops.

[psgchisolm]

A taser ineffective on a 60 year old? THEIR 60 YEARS OLD. You shouldn't use a taser then because it could cause all sorts of health problems, and even possibly give them a heart attack. Not to mention the fact their homeless and probably don't have adequate healthcare. This needs to be brought up, to someone because this is police brutality.:(

[Ocean Seal]

These are the stories that the mainstream won't hear on the other side of the coast. Maybe its just that the police covers up stories about stuff like this that happens in New York, but the Portland police seems especially bad. Keep and eye out comrades, they have power and almost immunity from the law :sneaky:.

[Paulappaul]

Portland needs more non-nighttime marches. The one during the day had a couple hundred people join in through downtown and some good folks hung back to talk to the people coming out of shops and cafes if they had questions. Others were handing out flyers. Defiantly. The one back in June during the day and in the downtown area, felt alot more successful, in that the original group of marchers was about 40 - 60 in size and mostly consisting of "Black Blockers", whereas at the Climax the march was about 200 - 300 in size then mostly consisting of average people. The people that hung around were of extreme importance, insofar as it were those who eased the tensions between average unknowing people -who thought the march was simply Anarchist and Socialist garbage- and the protesters themselves.

The Fail of the June march is that, while it tried to organize people's assemblies in the weeks leading up to the march, they were done in already existing anarchist circles and through the radical left on Indymedia. Organizers of the people's assemblies should have more publicly advertised them. I didn't hear about any post march assemblies, most likely because I am not any clique, but if they weren't organized, they should have been to pursue further action.


but the Portland police seems especially bad.

Yeah the Portland Police are real dickheads, in the tradition of most Pacific coast police.

[Red Commissar]

The police apologists will settle for the "knife" angle and that the police were some how endangered by an elderly, homeless fellow.

Seriously, sometimes it makes me cringe when people side with cops in situations like these.

[ComradeGrant]

Here in Sherwood (18 or so miles from Portland) all the kids at my school agreed with the cops. I hate this town.

[synthesis]

As far as reformism goes there's a decent article in the Willamette Week right now about Tasers that automatically start recording video when the safety is off. I suppose that would be a good place to start.

[Diello]

As far as reformism goes there's a decent article in the Willamette Week right now about Tasers that automatically start recording video when the safety is off. I suppose that would be a good place to start.

I don't think I'd trust the cops to use them correctly; how difficult would it be to sabotage the camera or to surreptitiously/"accidentally" delete incriminating footage?

[yobbos1]

http://apocalypsewave.blogspot.com/2011/01/violence.html

Here's a blog post on some of the shit the North American Brownshirts have been pulling.

I was particularly disgusted with the way Seattle pigs recently murdered a man for whittling in public.

[synthesis]

I'm sure there are plenty of workarounds. Again, as long as we are talking about reformist solutions to systemic problems it seems like that would be a place to start. The lumpenproletariat does get fucked by capitalism the hardest, but you can't build a revolution on the injustices done to them.

[Ele'ill]

Defiantly. The one back in June during the day and in the downtown area, felt alot more successful, in that the original group of marchers was about 40 - 60 in size and mostly consisting of "Black Blockers", whereas at the Climax the march was about 200 - 300 in size then mostly consisting of average people. The people that hung around were of extreme importance, insofar as it were those who eased the tensions between average unknowing people -who thought the march was simply Anarchist and Socialist garbage- and the protesters themselves.

There was talk of student outreach as well but it didn't materialize at all. I believe the early spring demos did have that element though.


The Fail of the June march is that, while it tried to organize people's assemblies in the weeks leading up to the march, they were done in already existing anarchist circles and through the radical left on Indymedia. Organizers of the people's assemblies should have more publicly advertised them. I didn't hear about any post march assemblies, most likely because I am not any clique, but if they weren't organized, they should have been to pursue further action.

This. I understand the refusal to work with the AMA and the rejection of the committee panel as it lacked a radical voice but there could have been a much better job done organizing the marches (and just flat out organizing the organizing) that did take place. I was present for several of the spokes council meetings at the church with AMA and their civil review panel made up of people with various backgrounds (some undesirable)- and there was an anarchist presence in the audience. I noticed a couple things- very subtle but I believe they made the difference between reaching a goal and failing. The anarchist voice within the community was preaching police aboition and took a public position against reform or 'police accountabiity' and they did so in a forceful manner. This absolutely shattered the potential for ordinary people to network with the anarchist community because it's a very extreme idea compared to what we currently have. I am opposed to police and the idea of police but I would also question the idea of pushing for police abolition right now under capitalism. The timing seems very off to me and it seems like a horrendously impossible goal.

The marches that did take place were masked property destruction runs against insured windows often belonging to facilities that had nothing to do with the police or they might have been slightly related to something the Portland Police Bureau did at some point but would take 45 minutes and a power-point presentation to explain to anyone why and how. I'm not afraid to say this next part- if you aren't witty enough to shout down or exchange with a police officer without getting competely verbally schooled don't open your fucking mouth. Don't talk to people if you're unsure what to say. There are a shit ton of half-anarchists that continuously take it upon themselves to give a horrible representation of what police abolition or police reform/accountability is. I understand I understand, diversity of tactics, no controlling what anybody else does- I'm fine with that until someone fucks up my chances of achieving a goal over and over again. Don't be the asshole who ruins it for everyone- do the tactics you're using as an individual make it easier for everyone else you're working with to reach a goal or do the tactics you're using make you feel important as an individual.

Yes, I abhor the clique mentality and it isn't for security culture purposes anymore. The illegal activity can be done by individuals separate from mainstream organizing efforts and events. The spokes council meetings I attended at AH were small and involved friend circles. They weren't unproductive just very intimidating.

[Delirium]

Is there really any sort of organized homeless struggle?

I dont really know portland too well, i mostly just get the fuck out as soon as i can when im there.

My experiences with organizing homless people in other parts of the west coast have not been very encouraging. When you are homeless alot of your time and energy go into finding the basic necessities of life, food, water, shelter, bathroom. If you have a substance abuse problem on top of that the last thing that your going to be doing is organizing. Many homebums tend to alienate the activists helping them also by being rascist, sexist, or homophobic.

As far as the youth homeless poplulation, they are usually extremely transient, staying in a location for only a few months at the most before traveling on. This makes it hard to even build a temporary organization.

[scarletghoul]

Is there anything that chronicles incidents of police brutality and murder ? Like Iraq Body Count kinda thing . It would be a pretty good idea

[Delirium]

Copwatch might do it if they are in portland.

[Ele'ill]

Is there anything that chronicles incidents of police brutality and murder ? Like Iraq Body Count kinda thing . It would be a pretty good idea

Yes there is a national one. I'm not sure how accurate or trustworthy it is though and I can't find the link for it. It was basically a frequently updated news site covering everything that was going on by city or town updated live in a twitter format.




And there are two in PDX-

http://www.portlandcopwatch.org/

http://rosecitycopwatch.wordpress.com/