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Police Association Contract Sessions
Focus on Ground Rules,
Victims' Families Attend Action

Mid-day on March 13, down the block from Portland Police Association (PPA) headquarters, members of a number of groups met at the site of the Dickie Dow memorial at N. Fenwick and Lombard. Dickie Dow was killed after a number of Portland Police officers piled on him there in October 1998 (PPR #19). The Barbara Vickers gathering included Dickie's mother Barbara Vickers and Donna Hayes, the grandmother of Quanice "Moose" Hayes. Quanice Hayes was killed in February, 2017 by a police sniper (PPR #74). The event began a half hour before the third round of collective bargaining negotiations were set to take place inside the PPA office, closed to the public. The previous two sessions had been held in public spaces at Portland Community College in Southeast and the Portland Building Downtown on February 7 and 24, respectively. The first two meetings were entirely taken up by debating the ground rules for bargaining, so it was unfortunate the closed- door meeting was likely the first to delve into issues to be included (or not) in the actual contract. Community groups led by Oregon Action have been pushing for more accountability and transparency in the contract for nearly a year (PPRs #78&79).

The City's bargaining team seems to be mostly more prepared to push back against the PPA's shenanigans than in the past, in part because they hired a seasoned labor attorney, Steven Schuback, to lead them. The City's previous Bureau of Human Resources (BHR) head, Anna Kanwit, surprised everyone by showing up as a hired consultant for the PPA at the first meeting. Though Anna Kanwit on Oregonlive the City filed a motion to stop Kanwit, who likely knows insider information to benefit the PPA, the court denied it. While the two sides ended up agreeing on a number of basic ground rules, including that they would put out joint news releases after each meeting to keep the public up to date on progress being made, there were a few sticking points. One was whether the City had to keep secret any document labeled "confidential" by the PPA; Schuback noted the City would look to state law to determine what was privileged or not. The other was whether city employees who weren't directly involved in bargaining could attend the alternating meetings which are not being held in public.

The current BHR published a document in mid-February summarizing the two public forums held in November and December. While it contains a lot of information, the report missed some broad nuances and important specifics which were brought up at both hearings. Some important issues around oversight and discipline received one sentence, while hiring was given four. There was no mention, for instance, of the controversial "standard of review" by which the Citizen Review Committee has to defer to the police when hearing appeals of misconduct cases (see article). Unsurprisingly, PPA attorney Anil Karia made mention of this document at the second session, angrily noting that once the sessions were underway, the only opinions which matter are the City's and the "union's." PPA President Daryl Turner released a nasty screed putting down the public forums and the community concerns in January (see "Rapping Back").

A good portion of both meetings was taken up by both sides heading into caucuses, meaning they were having private discussions and the dozen or so community and media members there to observe were sitting alone in the large meeting rooms making small talk to pass the time.

At the March 13 event, Barbara Vickers reminded everyone things will only change if we stand up and demand it together. Donna Hayes talked about Quanice, his life, how the loss affected her family, and ways she has been organizing through Pacific Northwest Family Circle. Most of the 20 people present then began a "picket line" with signs calling out for justice, marching up and down the block to connect the memorial with the PPA's front door. As the event wrapped up, Quanice's great-grandmother Sylvia Dollarson told the crowd the movement needs more people in order to make a difference.

Watch a video of the March 13 event at <youtu.be/8ZZYAH34KLs>.
Look for news releases about the bargaining sessions at
<beta.portland.gov/wheeler/2020-ppa-negotiations/news>.
Info on the contract campaign: <portlandcopwatch.org/ppa_contract_campaign2019.html>.

  People's Police Report

May, 2020
Also in PPR #80

Terrorism Task Force Report Provides Answers
City in "Full Compliance" with Federal Oversight
Families Attend Action on "Union" Contract
City Ends Claim Mother Caused Police to Shoot Son
  Oregon: 268 Shooting Incidents Over 10 Years
Two Members of Review Committee Resign
Review Board Reports: More Disturbing Behavior
Portland Implicated in W Linn Racial Bias Case
Chief Outlaw Out; Deputy Resch Takes Over
Houseless Issues During the Coronavirus
Training Council Prompts Quicker Responses
More Revised Policies, Copwatch Comments
Quick Flashes #80
  • KKK Cancel Rally when Cops Won't Protect Them
  • Washington County Sheriff Collaborates with ICE
Rapping Back #80
 

Portland Copwatch
PO Box 42456
Portland, OR 97242
(503) 236-3065/ Incident Report Line (503) 321-5120
e-mail: copwatch@portlandcopwatch.org

Portland Copwatch is a grassroots, volunteer organization promoting police accountability through citizen action.


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