In Memory of James Chasse Jr. community informationJames Chasse case mentioned in Grand Jury report on County Jails (11/1/06)BACKGROUND
For extensive links to articles relating to the 9/17/06 in-custody
death of
James Chasse Jr visit the Mental Health Association of Portland's website at
•Full-page flyer •Quarter-page flyers
EVENT: MEMORIAL VIGIL Friends, family, and concerned community members will gather to remember James Chasse, Jr. on Friday, October 27, 2006 at 7:00 PM at Portland's First Congregational Church in a memorial vigil titled "Love One Another." Chasse, who died in Portland Police custody on September 17, is remembered as a peaceful man who wished no harm on anyone. People attending the vigil are asked to honor the family's wishes for a respectful event. Messages to be communicated apart from memories of James will be focused on simple, positive phrases such as "Justice," "Love," and "Remember James Chasse, Jr." Speakers will include family members, friends, clergy, and community leaders who will reflect on the life of James Chasse Jr. and offer words of hope and encouragement. Media attending should be aware that some speakers may not wish to have their presentations recorded or otherwise reported on. This information will be shared from the stage prior to the presentation. The family has asked that donations in memory of James be made to Operation Nightwatch or the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The event is being co-coordinated by members of the Chasse family, First Congregational Church- United Church of Christ, Parkrose United Church of Christ, the Mental Health Association of Portland, and Portland Copwatch. It is supported by Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Oregon Advocacy Center, Mental Health Association of Oregon, Icarus Project-Portland, Operation Nightwatch, ACLU of Oregon, and others. For more information call Portland Copwatch, a grassroots group promoting police accountability through citizen action, at 503-236-3065.
Note that the letter we wrote to the District Attorney, below, was based on information we had prior to the release of the autopsy report showing that James Chasse Jr. died after 16 of his ribs were fractured in 26 places, with some pieces splintering and puncturing his lungs. While this means the actual cause of his death is more related to the beating by the officers that his inability to breathe, it does not mean the facts we address had no bearing on Chasse's death. It is still true that the officers should have known that their actions could have caused his death. October 2, 2006 POLICE OVERSIGHT GROUP URGES DA IN UPCOMING CHASSE GRAND JURY On Monday, October 2, Portland Copwatch, a grassroots organization promoting police accountability through citizen action, sent a letter to Multnomah County District Attorney Michael Schrunk urging an "aggressive and thorough" presentation of the in-police-custody death of James Chasse Jr. to the grand jury. The jury, which meets tomorrow, will be deciding whether the officers involved in the case should be indicted on criminal charges in Chasse's death. Portland Copwatch points out that the reports published to date imply that the officers could at least be charged with criminally negligent homicide. The full text of the letter is below. Portland Copwatch has been monitoring police actions in Portland, including shootings and deaths in custody, since 1992. For a full list of incidents see (http://www.portlandcopwatch.org/listofshootings.html). ###
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Portland Copwatch
October 2, 2006
We are writing to you today to urge you to present an aggressive and
thorough case before the grand jury convening tomorrow in the case of the
police in-custody death of James Chasse Jr.
By the accounts we have read of this case, Mr. Chasse:
Those same accounts indicate that the police officers involved:
All of the above indicates that even if the officers did not intend to
kill Mr. Chasse, they should have known that their actions could cause his
death. It seems reasonable that a jury could indict the officers for
criminally negligent homicide.
Your office has come under great scrutiny over the past few years in other
cases which involved unarmed civilians dying at the hands of the police.
To our knowledge there has never been an indictment of an on-duty officer
for excessive use of force in Portland. In the last high-profile case, of
James Jahar Perez, your office accepted paid testimony from a biased
"expert" on police shootings to speak of "action-reaction" theories, which
probably swayed the outcome of that case.
Attorney General Hardy Myers, when looking at the issue of deaths in
police custody in 2005, recommended that transcripts of grand juries in
these cases be released publicly. The Oregon Senate passed a bill to allow
that transparency to happen, but the bill never made it to the house
floor.
We would like to thank you for apparently agreeing with the Police
Assessment Resource Center, which has been studying shootings and deaths
in custody by the Portland Police, who recommended that deaths in custody
be treated with the same procedures as police shootings. We hope it is
never a question whether a death in custody should be presented to a grand
jury.
Many members of the public are aware that the District Attorney's office
has a very close relationship with the police and is thus reluctant to
bring charges. It seems to us that an aggressive and thorough presentation
of the facts in this case might lead to an indictment and the end of
speculation that your office has a serious conflict of interest when
considering police shootings and deaths in custody.
Sincerely,
Dan Handelman
October 3, 2006
DISTRICT ATTORNEY RESPONDS TO PORTLAND COPWATCH LETTER ON
CHASSE CASE
On Tuesday afternoon, District Attorney Michael Schrunk responded to the
letter released by Portland Copwatch on Monday, which urged an "aggressive
and thorough" presentation of the circumstances surrounding the
in-police-custody death of James Chasse Jr. to the grand jury.
The response assures the police oversight group that the case file was
being presented to the family's attorney. It notes that criminal liability
and civil liability are not necessarily the same. (The DA's response is
attached, below.)
It does not respond to the central assertions of the original letter, that
the officers should have known that their actions might have caused
Chasse's death, or that the DA himself has a track record of going easy on
police in shootings and death cases.
Since the grand jury is expected to wrap up on Wednesday, the group is not
planning an immediate direct reply to DA Schrunk. Portland Copwatch Dan
Handelman did say, "The tone of this reply indicates that the DA does not
believe there was criminal liability in this case. I would be very
surprised based on the content of this email if the grand jury were to
indict the officers for negligent homicide."
On the other hand, such an indictment could be issued based on the medical
information released Tuesday afternoon indicating that nearly every one of
Chasse's ribs were broken, and some splintered, causing him to bleed to
death internally.
The issues above underscore some of the shortcomings of the current
system, in which the DA is the only person who can present evidence to the
body considering whether criminal charges are appropriate.
The group hopes to monitor the internal investigation, which will
culminate in a hearing by the secretive "Use of Force Review Board," and
the outcome of the complaints filed with the Independent Police Review
Division, as well as any other actions taken which could bring justice for
James Chasse Jr.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Dear Mr. Handelman:
Thank you for your recent mail. The complete investigation into James
Chasse's tragic death will be presented to the Multnomah County Grand
Jury. I have spoken with his immediate family's attorney, Tom Steenson,
and offered to have him or a representative of his office review the
entire investigative file prior to the completion of the grand jury
inquiry. I have also invited Mr. Steenson to forward the names of any
witnesses or evidence he feels the grand jury should consider.
Very truly yours,
MICHAEL D. SCHRUNK
We will try to keep you posted on upcoming community
events.
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