OCTOBER 2020 Legalizing Psilocybin Library Seeks Levy for New Building and Expansions by Jack Rubinger
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SOUTHEAST EXAMINER Your Neighborhood News Source October 2020 Created and Powered by the Love of Community southeastexaminer.com Our 31st Year Vol 31 No 10 Portland, OR Police Oversight Measure on Ballot BY DON MACGILLIVRAY A plea for police accountability has came the first Black woman to be elected been the root cause of the nightly unrest in to the Portland City Council. As a longtime the streets of Portland. Demonstrators want community organizer and former state police reform so that people of color and lawmaker, her paramount priority has been disadvantaged citizens are treated appro- a reform of the Portland Police Bureau priately and with respect. (PPB). Safety from police coercion and mis- Commissioner Hardesty and Mayor conduct requires an accountable indepen- Wheeler have had a problematic relation- dent, citizen empowered police oversight ship over police matters, but last spring to- system. Even though Portland has strug- gether they agreed to reduce the Portland gled for two generations to create a satis- Police budget by $15 million. factory system of oversight, this remains a On September 2, three volunteer work in progress. members of the Citizen Review Com- The organizations working for police mittee (CRC), the city’s 11-person police reform want to limit the size and scope of oversight board, resigned because Port- our police force, reinvest in our communi- land’s system of police accountability is ties, find alternatives to policing and re- inadequate. Equalizing the Future: Measure 26-214 duce punishments for non-violent offenses. This June, the Independent Police In July, Portland City Council unani- Review (IPR) division received more mously voted to put a City Charter amend- than 600 complaints about police conduct BY NANCY TANNLER ment, Measure 26-217, on the November and more complaints continue to flood in 3 ballot. It will authorize a new, indepen- dwarfing the total number of complaints Voters in Multnomah County will de- At a Zoom meeting, Vega Pederson dent community police oversight board to received in 2018. cide on Preschool for All, Ballot Measure responded to the most pertinent question, investigate complaints about Portland’s Volunteers on the CRC that try to 26-214 in November. Multnomah County “Why does this matter,” especially if a per- sworn police employees and recommend hold the police accountable have found the Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson, Dis- son doesn’t have children. appropriate practices and policies to ad- chaos of this summer’s nightly demonstra- trict 3, championed this cause along with She related it to her own personal dress the concerns of the community. tions has made police oversight practicably her staff and other organizations. experience. Vega Pederson is of Mexican- The Measure will comply with the impossible. “This measure is the culmination of American heritage and she witnessed how City’s obligations under the Public Em- Portland’s 35 year old police over- eight years of dedicated work and advoca- difficult it was for her mother to pursue a ployees Collective Bargaining Act and sight system is complicated, controversial cy by members of our community,” Vega career after she had children, especially other state laws by adopting and imple- and frustrating for everyone. Pederson said. since there were limited preschool options. menting new City ordinances within the Between 1982 and 2001, there was There are 60 programs across the It is a matter of fact that the early next two years. the Police Internal Investigations Auditing country that have invested in large-scale, years of a child’s life are crucial for social, Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty is Committee (PIIAC), consisting of three publicly funded preschool programs. Her emotional and cognitive development. the primary author of this new proposal to City Council members that utilized an ad- hope is that Multnomah County will be the Economists estimate that the rate of return address this old issue of police account- visory committee made up of police staff next jurisdiction to step up for children and for funding high-quality preschool ranges ability. and citizen volunteers. They considered families. between $7 and $10 for every dollar in- For many years, Portland’s minority appeals of the decisions from police In- continued on page 10 populations have complained that Port- ternal Affairs (IA). Under this system, the land’s abusive system allows the police to Chief of Police was allowed to overrule the act with impunity towards those popula- decisions of City Council, thereby protect- tions. Demands for accountability, trans- ing officers from sanctions. Mayoral, City Commissioner Races parency and public awareness of police In today’s system the IPR receives dereliction have grown with the nightly police accountability complaints, conducts demonstrations of Black Lives Matter and a preliminary investigation and, if neces- BY MIDGE PIERCE their supporters. sary, sends complaints to police IA. In 2018, Commissioner Hardesty be- Police IA researches the facts and The November ballot will include mands that often devolved into violence. gathers officer testimony to make judg- two City Council positions with run-offs Given turmoil and pandemic, Wheel- ments and policy recommendations to the against Portland’s Mayor Wheeler and er is asking for time to deliver on his “deep PPB and City Council. The IPR is an in- Commissioner Eudaly. commitment” to structural reform. He and dependent agency under the Office of the As violence, crime and houseless- Iannarone face a write-in candidate, Black City Auditor that is autonomous and inde- ness rise and confidence in Portland gov- Lives Matter activist and founder of Don’t pendent from the PPB. ernance has decreased, incumbent Mayor Shoot Portland, Teressa Raiford. If there are complaints about the Ted Wheeler has been challenged by activ- Incumbent Council member Chloe judgments, they go to the CRC, a volunteer ist Sarah Iannarone. Eudaly faces heavy criticism about turn- board appointed by City Council that hears A self-described anti-fascist, Iann- over in the Office of Community and Civic appeals, gathers community concerns, rec- arone has blasted Wheeler for failing to Life (OCCL), which she renamed from ommends policy changes and reports their hand off oversight of the Portland Police the Office of Neighborhood Involvement findings to both the IPR and the PPB. Bureau (PPB) and not yielding more fully (ONI). She has widespread support from Their decisions are referred to City to defund police during 100+ nights of de- renters and the marginalized. continued on page 2 continued on page 4 MORE BALLOT MEASURES HAWTHORNE PAVE AND PAINT A&E Legalizing Psilocybin PBOT Releases Options Milagro Theatre Measure 109 seeks to create a program to PBOT has released an alternatives evalu- Milagro Theatre takes two shows on virtu- administer psilocybin-producing mush- ation with four options analyzed to meet al tour, partnering with other city theatres. rooms and fungi. PAGE 2 project goals. PAGE 3 PAGE 12 Library Levy Portland Black Music Expo Multnomah County Library looks to secure Neighborhood Notes Plenty of music, panel discussions and a $387 million. PAGE 2 Five Neighborhood Associations provide Sunday Gospel Sermon. PAGE 12 Portland Parks & Recreation Levy updates from monthly meetings, including Movie Madness Express Levy proposed to provide more non-fee widespread discussion about Hawthorne The Portland institution’s service helps you funding for PP&R. PAGE 10 Pave and Paint. PAGES 14-15 reserve movies from your home. PAGE 13 2 THE SOUTHEAST EXAMINER OCTOBER 2020 Legalizing Psilocybin Library Seeks Levy for New Building and Expansions BY JACK RUBINGER Oregonians will vote on OHA would set psilocybin tical interventions. BY MIDGE PIERCE whether to legalize psilocybin in dosage standards and labeling “Psilocybin, if used under November. Psilocybin is a natu- and packaging rules. medical supervision, is a promis- Multnomah County Library venience store, library spokesper- rally occurring psychedelic com- The Southeast Examiner ing alternative to ease treatment officials are forging ahead with a son Shawn Cunningham says its pound produced by more than spoke to two SE residents who resistant depression and severe measure on the November ballot “space deficit” clearly illustrates 200 species of mushrooms. expressed opinions on the poten- cases of PTSD,” said Sheila during a time when household the need for expansion. Oregon Measure 109, the tial use of psilocybin. Hamilton, CEO, Beyond Well finances have already been im- With only 4,259 square feet Psilocybin Program Initiative, is “In 30+ years of working in Solutions. pacted by the pandemic. of public space, Belmont has had on the ballot in Oregon as an ini- and around public psychiatric and Oregon Measure 109 has They say the measure is to deny up to 70 percent of re- tiated state statute in this Novem- addiction treatment, I’ve never been endorsed by organizations more important than ever with quests for its free public meeting ber’s election. Proponents refer heard a licensed clinician – or such as Oregon ACLU, The COVID-19 social distancing, vir- space and has turned away young to the measure as the Psilocybin anyone – say their client needed Democratic Party of Oregon, the tual learning resource demands children during its capacity-filled Services Act. psilocybin,” said Portland thera- Black Resilience Fund and Cas- and growing economic inequities. story hours. Measure 109 would cre- pist Jason Renaud. cade AIDS Projects and many po- Ballot Measure 26-211 is Over the past year, Belmont ate a program for administering “I’ve never experimented litical leaders and citizens. mostly targeted for a new, 95,000 Library had more than 230,000 psilocybin-producing mushrooms with ‘shrooms personally,” said Measure 109 would allow square foot flagship library in visits, hosted 862 programs and and fungi, to individuals aged 21 Chris Mosteller, Student Trans- cities and counties to place ref- East County, similar in size to the filled more holds than any other years or older.