Portland mayor proposed bringing back controversial Gun Violence Reduction Team: ‘Sell it to the new council ASAP’
Updated Jan 12, 2021;
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Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler told his top staff last month he was interested in reinstating “part or all” of the city’s disbanded Gun Violence Reduction Team and instructed them to find a way to convince the incoming City Council to support the controversial proposal.
“The dissolution of GVRT came at the request of the community, but I cannot escape the reality that the victims of gun violence in our community are overwhelmingly people of color,” Wheeler wrote in a Dec. 17 text message obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive through a public records request.
Judges dismiss or recommend throwing out 2 civil suits that challenged Portland police ‘kettling’ tactic
Updated Jan 11, 2021;
Posted Jan 11, 2021
On June 4, 2017, Portland police detained more than 300 people on Southwest Fourth Avenue between Southwest Morrison Street and Southwest Alder Street after closing down Chapman and Lownsdale Squares and ordering protesters to disperse north.
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Two federal judges in separate opinions have either dismissed or recommended throwing out two civil suits challenging the mass police detention of hundreds of people during competing demonstrations downtown in June 2017.
Despite heavy community objection to the tactic called “kettling” and a critical report from Portland’s police review office, the rulings mark a win for the city.
Flooding closes new Multnomah County Central Courthouse
A ruptured sprinkler caused extensive damage to the $324 million building that opened last October.
The new Multnomah County Central Courthouse will be closed until Wednesday, Jan. 13, at the earliest after a ruptured seventh-floor sprinkler caused extensive damage to the recently completed building.
Several floors were flooded on Saturday, Jan. 9, according to the Multnomah County District Attorney s office. The $324 million courthouse opened at the west end of the Hawthorne Bridge at 1200 S.W. 1st Ave. last October.
The Multnomah County District Attorney s Office issued a statement Monday, Jan. 11, saying the courthouse is expected to re-open for public business Jan. 13. All court hearings, including grand jury proceedings, scheduled for Monday and Tuesday have been canceled will be rescheduled.
Cody Oller was found shot to death in 2018 at Northeast Portland s Fernhill Park. Author: Mike Benner Updated: 11:22 PM PST January 8, 2021
PORTLAND, Ore. Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt is pleading for tips in the murder of Cody Oller. If you know even the slightest bit of information to help detectives, it s imperative you come forward, Schmidt said in a video message. Cody moved from Lawrence, KS to Portland and moved in with his sister. If Cody was still with us today he d be 28 years old.
Oller did not live to see his 28th birthday. On January 8, 2018, somebody called 911 to report gunfire coming from Fernhill Park in Northeast Portland. Responding officers found Oller dead from a gunshot wound.
Jan 8, 2021
The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office and the Portland Police Bureau are asking the public for information to help solve the murder of Cody Oller.
“Cody was just 25 years old. He moved here from Kansas to live with his sister. He worked at a hotel in downtown. His life here in Portland was just beginning. He had a job and strong family support. We believe there are people either in Portland, Kansas or Missouri who have information about Cody’s death. If that’s you, please come forward,” said Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt.
This investigation started on January 8, 2018 when officers assigned to the Portland Police Bureau’s North Precinct responded to a report of gunfire at Fernhill Park, located in the 6000 block of Northeast 37th Avenue.