From the open publishing newswire: On a Sunday in March of 2004, Jahar Perez looked in the rearview window of his car and saw something that surely caused his heart to beat faster. He saw a Portland police car cruising close behind his car. Perez had done nothing wrong. He had committed no crime, he had violated no ordinances, he had committed no traffic infractions. But there it was, just the same. Perez had reason to fear this sight even more than many of us in Portland: Jahar Perez was Black. And, as a Black man in Portland, he knew all too well that the police never need a reason to stop African Americans in this city. They never need a valid reason to search, harass, intimidate, beat, taser, and even kill Black people in Portland. They have done it over and over again. Not only have they gotten away with it; They've actually gotten medals for it. Again and again and again, the ridiculously inappropriate phrase, "I feared for my life," has gotten officer after officer off for murder.

And apparently, it was enough. Both officers were cleared by the obligatory secret grand jury. Although a toothless inquest later ruled the killing a homicide, no charges were ever filed. Both officers were allowed to keep their jobs and their guns. Sery later resigned, but is now carrying a badge and a gun out in Beaverton. Macomber is still prowling the streets of Portland. Yes, this is how it works. Again and again and again.

This week, word comes that the city of Portland will finally settle a lawsuit with Jahar Perez's family. They will hand the Perez family a check for $350,000, and business will go back to usual. I'm shocked by this "award." Although it is clearly an admission of guilt, it is way too little, way too late. The PPB should have changed its policies long ago, to prevent this kind of senseless killing. They should have disciplined Sery and Macomber severely. Both should have been stripped of their badges, and both should be serving lengthy prison sentences for the violent homicide which they committed. They should never be allowed to carry guns again. But none of this has happpened. I'm shocked that anyone could conclude that $350,000 is a fair price to pay for the taking of a life -- especially the predictable, repeated, savage taking of the life of yet another Black man on the streets of Portland.

From the open publishing newswire: The marriage of private and public security forces and the Portland Business Alliance is threatening the organic infrastructure of the inner Eastside of Portland. Recent events point to gradual takeover... it's almost nostalgic, thinking of the days when PPI and Clean and Safe patrol and harassment were limited to Portland's Corporate Livingroom: Pioneer Courthouse Square and Pioneer Place. Then the Portland Business Alliance took advantage of unconstitutional, racist and fascist 'laws' like the Sit-Lie and Anti-Camping ordinances and Drug Free Zones in order to expand their control over most of downtown. In cooperation with the Sheriff, the Portland Police, Tri-met Security, Portland Patrol Services, Blackwater and others, they have even set up a fusion center (go see it yourself: the logos cover the windows) at the Old Town/Chinatown MAX stop, right next to the TopOff3 dirty bomb target: the Steel Bridge.

Now they're on the Central Eastside Industrial and Commercial area. With spreading gentrification, real-estate grabs and looming MLK/Grand Streetcar plans (where Blumenauer's business buddies are padding his PAC coffers and re-election plans), it appears that the PBA and their rent-a-cop thugs are reaching their tentacles into our dear neighbourhood. We stopped the big box development plans on the Burnside Bridge, but that wasn't a big enough hint. The other day they were seen rounding up ruffkins and later came into our shop to tell us we had nothing to be afraid of: we were safe now. What I want to know is which businesses asked them to come over here and "save us" in the first place? We're doing fine on our own, thank you very much. If there are any problems, it's the drunk Pearl District prowlers, getting their kicks at the Doug Fir and Union Jacks, vomiting and knocking over our plant boxes. That's no reason to call over private mercenaries and harass the homeless, now, is it?

From the open publishing newswire: press statement from rnc welcoming committee after sheriff and sppd raid of convergence space

FRIDAY AUGUST : Assitant Police Chief Bostrom has talked about the St. Paul Standard, and on the anniversary of last years' critical mass police riot, we saw its true face. The ramsey county sheriff's dept and the SPPD raided the RNC convergence space and detained over 50 people in an attempt to preempt planned protests of the rnc on Monday.

Looking for items found in any twin cities house like jars, paint, and rags, this attempt to portray us as criminals and destroy our credibility has already backfired as evidenced by the masses who have come to support us. Children and elderly people were inside the convergence center when the police violently busted down the doors. The police may claim that the raid was executed according to protocol - however, the violence inherent in this action may only be a hint of the violence to be expected on Monday and beyond, and is only a hint at the violence perpetrated daily by the police. The convergence center is simply a gathering place and is not used for illegal actions - it is a place for workshops and trainings. Tonight we were watching films and sharing food.

This action will not deter us from our plans to protest the RNC on September 1st. We want to invite all people who oppose this police oppression to join us on Septemeber 1st. See you in the streets.
[ Read More ]

Ongoing Coverage at: twincities indymedia

Anarchists Attack Bank in Pittsburgh

The Greater Pittsburgh Anarchist Collective received this anonymous communique and were asked to post it. ------ Late Tuesday night the National City Bank branch on Penn Avenue in Pittsburgh was attacked with iron bars. We damaged the front windows, smashed out the side windows, and destroyed the ATM. The reason we chose this target is obvious. It was an attack on a symbol of the entire capitalist system of exploitation. Primarily, however, we chose to carry out this attack as an act of solidarity with our friends and comrades who are fighting in Denver and the Twin Cities against the conventions. For those of us who cannot be there, this is the least we can do to stand in solidarity with you. We hope that this action inspires you and lets you know that you are not alone. We know that comrades all over the country are carrying out actions like this in solidarity, and we know that there will be many more. Fight your hardest, and we'll do the same.
[ Read More ]

Second Night of Anarchist Attacks In Pittsburgh

From the open publishing newswire: Sandy P.D.'s own Bill Bergin is on administrative leave and under investigation yet again. This is the third time that Bergin, one of the cops involved in the horrendous slaying of Fouad Kaady, has been put on leave in less than three years.
The Sandy Post is reporting that Bill Bergin has been on administrative leave from the Sandy P.D. since Friday, July 25th after some new information was revealed in the ongoing investigation of Clackamas County Sheriff's Deputy Brandon Claggett.

Claggett has been on paid leave since early July after the Department of Justice passed along complaints and allegations made against him by a Sandy resident.

From the open publishing newswire: Yet another Portland cop (who was fired from the bureau after a deadly shooting) has been reinstated following a review of the case by an arbitration judge. Lt. Jeffrey Kaer was fired by Mayor Tom Potter after he shot and killed Dennis Young in January of 2006.
This is the one from 2006 where this cops sister called him and said someone was sitting in a car outsider of her house. Portland cop "Lt. Kaer" decided he was going to check it out himself and confront the person in the car without telling dispatch what he was doing.

When Kaer got there, he found Dennis Young asleep in the car. Kaer tapped on the window and could not wake the guy up, so he

From the open publishing newswire: Please come out in support of Tre. His sentencing hearing is set for Tues, Aug 12th at 2:30 p.m. in downtown Portland (1000 S.W. 3rd). Judge Redden's courtroom is #1527. Please dress and act appropriately, and arrive early to make it through the metal detectors. See you there!

 http://www.trearrow.org

From the open publishing newswire: August 10th 2pm--4pm at Liberty Hall (311 N. Ivy)

Know Your Rights and Check A Pig (how to Copwatch) Training
presented by NoPo CopStop

Learn your rights when dealing with the police and how to organize community pressure to check the pigs.

From the open publishing newswire: As we drove to Silverton today, we passed by the memorial along Highway 213 which honors Andrew Hanlon, the Irish citizen who was shot and killed by officer Tony Gonzalez early this month. The Grand Jury has since decided that Officer Gonzalez was justified in killing Hanlon. No surprise there. We are getting used to officers being exonerated after their thoughtless and deadly actions. Will we ever get used to these memorials? There were notes from Andrew's friends, declarations of solidarity and flags of Ireland fluttering in the summer breeze. I thought about Fouad Kaady, another unarmed man killed in Sandy by officers quick to pull their triggers. In Portland there have been many such deaths. Each of them has been discussed and remembered on this site. Here are pictures of this memorial so we can put a face to this most recent murder.

From the open publishing newswire: In the face of growing concern over the use of tasers and other so-called "less lethal weapons," police officers and weapons industry shills have been conducting what can only be described as one of the strangest PR campaigns ever mounted. They have been "demonstrating" tasers by shooting them at each other, and at hapless volunteers in incongruous settings during family-friendly public gatherings. The message is supposed to be simple and easily digested: "See? Tasers can be fun." One such demonstration took place at the Columbia County Fair over the weekend. It was a bizarre spectacle that surely must be reminiscent of what Rome was like shortly before it fell.

From the open publishing newswire: Thank you! To the anonymous ninjas, Us here at the Pitch Pipe Infoshop would like to thank you from the very bottom of our hearts for removing the surveillance camera that was pointed at our house. You are beautiful and amazing, whoever you are. We are all extremely grateful for your vigilance in defending our community from the onslaught of the police state.

The government wants us all under their thumbs. They want all of us to be in our right place; going to work, being trapped in school, rotting in prison, doing nothing that they do not want us to do. We are forbidden from living. The government wants to render us into soulless, empty shells, acting as nothing more than carriers for capital and resources. Our forests are as expendable as we are to them. And so that none their slaves may rebel, they cover our streets with cameras and police cruisers. They wish to destroy every free space still in existence. They wish to see everything so that they may stop what is most dangerous to them: LIFE.

Whoever destroyed the camera destroyed a small piece of the government's grand design for us. They took a swing at the panopticon and made off with one of its eyes. Let there be thousands more of these acts. Together, let's smash their horrible machine to pieces.
PS: If you can, please make information about the stolen camera public so everyone can know what they were using against us.

Photos of the Camera: 1,2

From the open publishing newswire: Not even 24 hours after the Silverton police brutally shot and killed Andrew James Hanlon (who had been living with his mother in France and attending art school when he came to visit his sister in Silverton last year). The Clackamas police used a "pit manuver" on bank robbery suspect Mitchell Sean Coole and caused him to bounce off the 205 freeway wall at Sunnyside rd. and cross the medium into oncoming traffic and ended up hitting several vehicles injuring multiple people.

From the open publishing newswire: So, I am riding my bicycle home from work on the afternoon of June 30th, 2008 through Waterfront Park when I hear the tell tale signals that the pedestrian path on the lower Steel Bridge is raising. Instead of sitting in the sun waiting for the barge to pass I stop short of the bridge to stand under the shade of a tree. This is when I notice about 50 feet away two uniformed officers talking to an black couple laying down in the park. I look to see what is going on as it is very strange how the officers are treating them and this is when I identified Ofc Reisten from the Joe Anybody? video in May. [ Read More ]

From the open publishing newswire: The Portland Police Bureau has continued its criminalization of houselessness, by sweeping 50 folks from under and atop the Burnside Bridge on 6/24, and sweeping almost 50 more folks from the Hawthorne and Morrison Bridges the following night. Their possessions were confiscated and thrown away. The Portland Coalition Against Poverty is hosting a demonstration to demand an immediate end to police harassment of poor and houseless people. It is on Wednesday, July 9th, at 5pm, in the North Park Blocks.