Mental Health Association of Portland

By Brian Lindstrom, in the Portland Tribune, Feb. 21, 2013

Brian Lindstrom

As parents of a 7- and an 8-year-old, my wife Cheryl Strayed and I often discuss what we hope to impart to our children.

At the top of that list is resilience, which I define not only as the ability to persevere despite obstacles but also as the capacity to extend some key element of your essential being beyond the vicissitudes and surfaces of day-to-day life.

James Chasse was resilient, and the opportunity to share that and other of his defining characteristics with a large audience was one of the main reasons for making the documentary “Alien Boy: The Life and Death of James Chasse.”

Many of you know Chasse’s name through the headline “Man with schizophrenia dies in police custody.” Perhaps you followed the story through the grand jury and civil lawsuit phases, and perhaps you wondered how he received 26 fractures to 16 ribs.

The first task of the film was to delve into James’ life, adding necessary dimension, depth and nuance to a person that — through no fault of his own — was now being defined by how he died. In making “Alien Boy,” I wanted to define James by how he lived.

One of the brightest parts of James’ life was his participation in Portland’s early punk music scene. Embraced by fellow outsiders and artists, he flourished, publishing his fanzine The Oregon Organizm, writing and recording songs as lead singer of The Combos, and playing muse to Greg Sage of the Wipers and Kim Kincaid of the Neo Boys, inspiring the songs “Alien Boy” and “Nothing to Fear.”

How many of us can say one song was written about us? James had two.

A measured account

James Chasse

The onset of schizophrenia made it nearly impossible for James to maintain those relationships, though he valiantly tried, writing a heartbreakingly brave note to an old friend from his punk days, “I thought I’d try to explain who I am….”

As so often happens with people suffering from severe and persistent mental illness, his behavior put people off and his interactions became confined to family members, mental health professionals and the rare person willing to endure the discomfort of reaching across the chasm of schizophrenia. One such brave, kind soul was Russell Sacco, a retired physician who attended the same church as James.

“He’s just a person and I’m just a person, so I went up and talked to him,” Dr. Sacco explains.

After weeks of no response, one day James replied “hello” to Dr. Sacco and a dialogue began. If only the police officers had approached James in a similar spirit that fateful day — or, absent that, ignored him altogether and not have initiated a foot pursuit that the Portland Police Bureau’s Training Division would later rule should never have happened.

The other task of the film was to take a clear-eyed, calm, measured account of how and why James Chasse died. Using eyewitness accounts, audiotape of the police investigation, police evidence photos, official court documents, footage from jail surveillance cameras, interviews of Medical Examiner Dr. Karen Gunson, recent Portland Mayor Sam Adams, then-Multnomah County Chairman Ted Wheeler, journalists Matt Davis and Anna Griffin, attorney Tom Steenson and James’ mother and father, and videotaped depositions from Officer Christopher Humphreys, Sgt. Kyle Nice and Deputy Bret Burton, the film presents a relentless, enraging cascade of actions, decisions, omissions and lies on the part of police that led to James Chasse’s death.

Then-Mayor Tom Potter and then-Police Chief Rosie Sizer attempted to divert attention from the actions of Humphreys, Nice and Burton by framing what happened to James Chasse as a failure of the mental health system.

Nothing could be further from the truth. James was a success story, living independently and managing things well. He went off his meds, which is part of the disease of mental illness, but his case manager was aware of this and asked Project Respond to do a welfare visit accompanied by a police officer.

The welfare visit revealed that James was in a bad way, and Project Respond’s Ela Howard asked Officer Worthington to file a report flagging James as mentally ill so that if the police ever encountered him again, they would know to call Project Respond rather than try to deal with James by themselves.

Officer Worthington didn’t file the report. This was on Sept. 15, 2006, two days before James died. The mental health system is not to blame for James’s tragic death.

Fueling change

Last Friday evening, at the Northwest Children’s Theater on Northwest 18th and Everett, a mere 100 feet from where Officer Humphreys first encountered James, we had a party after “Alien Boy” premiered at Cinema 21 as part of the Portland International Film Festival.

I had the privilege of introducing Mayor Charlie Hales to James Chasse Sr. What followed was an open conversation between a still grieving father and a new mayor about what steps the city can take to guard against this kind of tragedy happening again.

I’m in Missoula, Mont., where the film just played in the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival. The audience was enraged — may that rage fuel positive change.

But rage will only get us so far. Let Russell Sacco’s simple, wise words guide us: “He’s just a person, and I’m just a person….”

In that vein, we have to ask about the toll all this has taken on the officers involved. Have they received the necessary mental health help such a traumatic experience requires? How has this experience changed them? What have they learned? Are they still capable of doing their jobs? Do we, the public, still have confidence in them?

Portland resident Brian Lindstrom’s third feature-length documentary, “Alien Boy: The Life and Death of James Chasse,” will play Sunday through March 7 at Cinema 21 in Portland.

Editorial column by Matt Davis, Portland Mercury, April 15, 2010

James Chasse Avenue

Granted, that insult was a long walk. But at the same time, it was wittier than most of your efforts to call for police reform. Turning dumpsters over in the street? Ooooh. And screaming at a KOIN TV reporter, “You’re a media whore!”

James Chasse, as well as being a man suffering with schizophrenia who was beaten to death by Portland police, was a poet and a musician. So if you’re going to protest in his name, at least be a little more original about it. You’re just giving anarchy a bad name, and I doubt he’d be proud of your efforts.

Having said all that, I was impressed with one thing y’all did last week: Painting over the sign for 13th Avenue with the words “James Ave.” Now that’s a good idea: City code says any individual or organization—even the black bloc, presumably—may apply to the city to rename a city street. City streets may only be renamed after a prominent person who has been dead for at least five years. Chasse died on September 17, 2006—so we’re on course for a rename to occur next September.

Prominence occurs as a result of a person’s “significant, positive contribution to the United States of America, and/or the local community.” Well, in Chasse’s case I would argue that his contribution to the local community has been made by dying at the hands of a broken mental health system, and highlighting just how broken that system has become.

“No crisis has focused my administration more than the death of James Chasse,” said former Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler in his address to City Club on February 12.

I rest my case. And since we still seem to be doing such a terrible job of addressing the root causes of Chasse’s death, I think the very least we can do is honor him by renaming a street until we can summon the political backbone to make funding mental health a priority.

Anyone can call the city auditor’s office to get this ball rolling: 503-823-6964. You’re welcome.

From the Portland Mercury, February 4, 2010

It’s no secret Multnomah County is strapped for cash. County Chair Ted Wheeler was even moved to quote former President of Czechoslovakia Václav Havel in the introduction to the county’s 2010 budget.

“Hope is a state of mind, not of the world,” wrote Wheeler, cutting $46 million out of the $1.2 billion budget because of the recession. Of those cuts, the sheriff’s office took a $1.8 million hit, losing 26 positions and negotiating a wage freeze for some employees. Available jail beds have also plunged from 1,690 in 2007 to just 1,367 today, and there’s little sign of improvement on the horizon. Unless….

A revived proposal by the district attorney’s office suggests outsourcing health care in the county’s jails to a private contractor. The idea could save between $4 million and $5 million a year, says Deputy District Attorney Chuck French, who convened the 2009 corrections grand jury, which made the recommendation last December in its report.

“One of the problems in our mental health system is that there has been no support for community mental health,” says French. “And that’s really where you get the best bang for your buck.”

As such, the jury suggested shifting the savings to support community mental health services like Project Respond—which aims to treat mental health problems before people act out in ways that could be construed as criminal, and end up in the county’s jails ["The Criminalization of Mental Illness," Feature, Jan 14].

French first made the recommendation as part of a corrections review in 2006, which highlighted a contract between nearby Washington County and a company called Prison Health Services, Inc. (PHS), based out of Tennessee.

“A huge benefit of the contract signed by PHS and Washington County is that by the terms of the contract, PHS accepts all legal liability for judgments against the county involving legal actions for inadequate jail medical care,” reads French’s report.

“Recent events have demonstrated just how significant a contract clause like that might be,” the report continues. “As Multnomah County is now facing the prospect of defending against a probable multi-million dollar lawsuit involving the death of an arrestee brought to the jail.”

Since then, the county has settled its portion of the lawsuit mentioned for $925,000, relating to the 2006 death in custody of James Chasse Jr.—a man with schizophrenia.

Mental health advocates agree that Chasse should have had better care in the community before he was arrested, but they are also concerned about farming out jail health services to corporations just to save money on potential lawsuits.

“This is the canary in the mine,” says Roy Silberstein, president of the Mental Health Association of Portland, saying PHS has faced more than 1,000 lawsuits at facilities across the country.

“The expense of these settlements is merely the acceptable cost to PHS of doing business,” Silberstein continues. “But our association believes the efficiencies and savings PHS provides are at the expense of systemic and unconscionable paucity of quality health care.”

For example, PHS paid $1.5 million in December to the widow of a Virginia man with mental illness who died of pneumonia and dehydration in one of its jails. In November 2008, an Idaho jury awarded $3.6 million to a woman who gave birth on a prison ramp in a PHS jail. Her baby was run over by a wheelchair, and now has cerebral palsy. Meanwhile the New York Times branded PHS care “flawed and sometimes lethal” at the conclusion of a 12-month investigation back in 2005.

Interim Multnomah County Sheriff Dan Staton is looking into the grand jury’s suggestions, and will make recommendations to Chair Wheeler on March 2. Staton says people have suggested to him that he might be in favor of contracting out, but that such a characterization is “totally inaccurate.”

“I have no intention of making any move on this until a full and thorough study has been done,” says Staton, emphasizing that the quality of health care inmates receive “is obviously going to be foremost.”

Wheeler says the county considered this idea before, back in 2006, but that the potential savings did not justify the risks.

“The question is: What are you giving up?” says Wheeler. “There are some cost savings that can’t be justified as a matter of conscience.”

“I would be opposed to anything that would give the jail inferior services,” French responds.

PHS spokesman Pat Nolan says the company is aware that Multnomah County is “considering the option of outsourcing its corrective health care,” but adds, “I really don’t want to get into some big long debate before there’s actually an RFP [request for proposals] process”—if the contract is opened up for bids.

“If there is an RFP process, I suspect that oversight will be a part of that,” Nolan continues. “We feel good about our record.”

Michael Schrunk, District Attorney

In an excruciating budget year that has seen millions slashed from Multnomah County departments, the line in the sand has come to this: an $84,020 gap in the $1.3 million drug court budget.

As they dealt with one of the biggest shortfalls in years this spring, Multnomah County commissioners cobbled together enough cash to keep the lauded treatment court from the chopping block.

But the program on Tuesday became a symbol of the frustration that has built up among elected officials worn out from tussling over money for months.

“It’s the stress of having all of these programs we all agree we need and not having money to provide them,” said Commissioner Jeff Cogen. “At the end of the day, it’s probably not about the drug court, but about programs being so strapped.”

Here’s the problem. In the budget adopted in June, the county funded $847,000 of the drug court costs and got another $316,000 from federal and state sources. The district attorney’s office was supposed to find grants that would pay $120,000 for the prosecutor assigned to the drug court.

District Attorney Michael Schrunk applied for three grants and just learned he’d been turned down a third time.

The program has run up a $36,000 deficit. During a board briefing, Schrunk told commissioners if they didn’t come up with $84,020 to fund the position for the rest of the year, the program would shut down.

The special court offers people caught possessing drugs a chance to trade a felony conviction for treatment. It was the second in the country, and now more than 2,300 exist.

“I’ve gone around preaching the virtue of drug court and forced drug treatment. I don’t like being in this position — it’s embarrassing,” Schrunk said.

Chairman Ted Wheeler wasn’t buying it. He questioned why Schrunk couldn’t move one of his 69 district attorneys to the drug court.

Schrunk said he’s already stretched thin and can’t afford to pull attorneys from gang, neighborhood, personal crime and domestic violence work.

“I am asking people to come back early from maternity leave … you know we’re hurting,” he said.

But Wheeler said the county “dug deep” provide most of the drug court money with the understanding that the district attorney — which is also funded by the county — would cover that one small portion.

The briefing ended with what appeared to be a stand-off — neither Schrunk nor Wheeler budged.

But in an interview after the meeting, Wheeler said what the other commissioners and Schrunk also acknowledge: The drug court won’t shut down over what amounts to a drop in the county budget bucket. Still, he said he doesn’t like being put over a barrel.

“I have a lot of respect for the district attorney, I mean that, but to say it’s a priority and then not have the drug court DA be funded as any of the 70 DAs … means it’s not a top priority,” he said.

At the same time, he said, “I think it would be stupid for Multnomah County not to fund the drug court, so we’ll find a way to get it done.”

Schrunk echoed that sentiment as did other commissioners.

But all involved admitted they’re feeling the effects of fatigue from slicing budgets for nine years.

“I think what you ran into is a bunch of frustration,” Schrunk said. “That’s the danger you get into when you’re cutting programs that work.”

Cogen said the parties need to move past it. “It doesn’t have to be the DA winning or the board or chair winning. We need to sit down and get something together to keep this program running.”

OUR COMMENT – You tell him, Ted.

KNOWN FACTS

On the evening of September 17, 2006 James Chasse was walking toward his home from Northwest Portland. Portland Police officer Christopher Humphreys and Multnomah County Sheriff’s deputy Bret Burton called out to him from their patrol car. Portland Police sergeant Kyle Nice arrived within seconds. According to witnesses, James turned away and began to run from the officers. Humphreys tackled James on the sidewalk, and both Humphreys and Nice fought with James on the sidewalk. According to witnesses, the struggle was brief, and one-sided.

According to the homicide investigation presented to the grand jury and two autopsies, James was tackled and beaten by fists and feet. He was Tasered multiple times. Officers caused 26 rib fractures, broke his shoulder, tore his spleen, smashed his face. His fatal wounds were from knee drops and kicks to the face. They hogtied him and threw him in the back of a patrol car.

Emergency medical technicians from American Medical Rescue examined James and indicated to officers he was not sufficiently injured to need medical care.

The officers who beat James transported him to jail, and then were directed by jail nurses to take him to a hospital. No jail nurses offered medical assistance.

As shown in a jail security video, officers hogtied and carried James, shrieking and writhing in pain past deputies and nursing staff, out of jail. The officers elected to take James to a hospital 8 miles away, instead of to any one of the four hospitals within two miles. He died en route to the hospital and little more than 100 minutes after the beating.

WHAT HAPPENED AFTER JAMES CHASSE DIED

Portland Police homicide detectives interviewed all three officers who beat James within a week after he died. All officers returned to duty and remain officers today.

On September 17, 2006, Medical Examiner Karen Gunson determined the cause of Jim’s death was blunt force trauma and that his death had been accidental. The fatal trauma was caused by knee drops to James’ back and kicks to his head, both unsuitable uses of force by police officers.

Assistant District Attorney Christine Mascal presented the investigation of the officers to a grand jury on October 3, 2006. On October 17, 2006, the grand jury return with no decision to prosecute. District Attorney Michael Schrunk failed to file charges against the officers.

In October 2006, Michael Schrunk released the entire homicide investigation to the Chasse family, who in turn released it to the media.

On October 17, 2006, the Mental Health Association of Portland, joined by Portland CopWatch and the Oregon Advocacy Center held a memorial for the Chasse family at the First Congregational Church downtown. Over 400 people attended.

On October 23, 2006, the Mental Health Association of Portland launched a comprehensive web site to contain all information pertaining to the what happened to James Chasse and to evoke community dialogue. The site is located at http://jameschasse.blogspot.com. On September 2, 2008, updates to this site were shifted the the new Mental Health Association of Portland web site at www.mentalhealthportland.org.

Mayor Tom Potter apologized to the Chasse family through the media on October 17, 2006.

On October 31, 2006, Potter convened the Public Safety and Mental Health Task Force, co-chaired by County Commissioner Ted Wheeler and then State Senator Avel Gordly. For the most part the Task Force focused on shortcomings of the mental health system instead of police procedure. However, they recommend changes in police hiring procedures, in police training, to build and fund a sub-acute psychiatric facility, and to fully fund Project Respond.

Mayor Potter allocated $500,000 in funding for Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training, and classes for all Portland police officers began on February 5, 2007. The training protocols, used in dozens of cities nationwide, are re-written by police training administrators leaving community members out of the process, a move which included canceling of the CIT oversight committee. According to police sources, all Portland Police Bureau officers received training by September 2008.

On February 8, 2007, the Chasse family filed a civil lawsuit against the City of Portland, Multnomah County, Tri-met and American Medical Rescue. Opening statements in Chasse v Humphreys are scheduled for March 2010. The family’s attorney stated from a second autopsy that James would have survived the beating if he had received medical attention.

The Oregon legislature passed Oregon House Bill 2765 on May 19, 2007, providing 24 hours of training for all Oregon certified officers on identifying persons with mental illness.

The Oregon legislature passed Oregon State Senate Bill 111 on June 28, 2007. The bill requires each county to create a process of investigation and review of use of deadly physical force by law enforcement officers.

On February 19, 2007, Multnomah County Commissioners changed jail policy to require injured and ill arrestees to be transported via ambulance to hospital and not by police car.

On January 30, 2007, the Portland Police Bureau policy changed to require ambulances to transport injured or ill arrestees to jail whenever possible.

On June 14 2007, Multnomah County Sheriff’s Deputy Bret Burton was hired as a Portland Police Officer.

On August 6, 2007, the Mental Health Association of Portland announced the beginning of production of ALIEN BOY, a feature length documentary about the life and death of James Chasse. As of September 2009, the film has been fully funded by contributions from over 200 community members. Director Brian Lindstrom has interviewed over 60 persons associated with James, and the film team has begun post-production. The film will be ready for festivals in the winter of 2009.

On September 17 2007, the Mental Health Association of Portland hosted a peaceful rally at City Hall and presented the Mayor’s staff with a list of unanswered questions about what happened to James Chasse. Mayor Potter responded with a considered letter but was unable to answer many basic the questions stakeholders posed about what happened to James and who was responsible.

On October 11 2007, Federal Judge Dennis Hubel ruled to allow a wide ranging protective order in Chasse v Humphreys, making secret thousands of policy and financial documents of the City and County. Lawyers for the City and Judge Hubel cited the documentary film ALIEN BOY as a threat to officer safety and as an example why the protective order was required.

In January of 2008, Chief Rosie Sizer ended the long-running Chief’s Forum, the only public opportunity to speak with police leadership.

In March and April 2008, fiscal mismanagement overtook Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare, requiring a $2.5 million emergency loan from Multnomah County and the state. Profitable portions of the agency were handed over to local competitors. Lead staff members were fired or resigned, but eight out of ten board members remained. The agency still exists, but in a diminished form; its financial and clinical sustainability is questioned by many mental health practitioners and county administrators.

On September 17 2008, the Mental Health Association of Portland held a peaceful demonstration at the Portland Police Bureau headquarters, noting that two years had passed without resolution to the case.

On October 27 2008, attorneys for the Chasse family released a closed circuit video from the Multnomah County jail of James Chasse, still alive but hogtied and screaming in pain, being carried into a jail cell. Police officer Christopher Humphreys can be heard saying “we tackled” Chasse. In September 2006 Humphreys told homicide investigators he had “shoved” Chasse.

On December 9 2008, Rosie Sizer announced the production of police training videos to highlight the danger of foot pursuits and the bureau’s “knock-down technique.”

On May 5 2009, Michael Schrunk declined to prosecute Christopher Humphreys after reviewing the jail video and considering the variance in his comments and his testimony to investigators in September 2006. At the same time Rosie Sizer stated the case would be turned over to the police bureau’s Internal Affairs Division for review.

On July 1 2009, attorneys for the Chasse family released portions of transcripts from dozens of sources, including of witnesses, police officers, and American Medical Rescue staff, policy documents, photographs, expert testimony.

On July 2 2009, the Chasse family accepted a settlement from Multnomah County for $925,000 for their part in Jim’s death.

On July 2 2009, county chair Ted Wheeler and state mental health administrator Richard Harris announced they had found funding to build and operate a sub-acute psychiatric facility. Central City Concern (CCC) was designated as the vendor for this project without an competitive open-bidding process. CCC’s director Ed Blackburn stated on July 2, 2009 the facility would be open by the Spring of 2010.

CURRENT STATUS AS OF SEPTEMBER, 2009 – THREE YEARS AFTER JAMES’ DEATH

Since September 17th 2006 there have been over 300 news stories about what happened to James Chasse. Updates about what happened to James remain front page news.

To date, no data has been released to show the effectiveness of CIT training – or any other new training or hiring policy – on officer behavior or performance.

To date, $925,000 has been awarded to the Chasse family from one of four parties. Over $100,000 has been spent by the city defending the case, now at $3700 per month.

To date, no one has been held accountable for James’ killing.

From the Portland Mercury, July 8 2009

Terminal Energy – Partial Settlement, New Allegations in Chasse Lawsuit

“There is a lot of positive energy that has developed out of this tragedy,” said Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler last Thursday morning, July 2, discussing the county’s record $925,000 settlement for its role in the death of James Chasse Jr.

Wheeler coupled the county’s settlement with a more positive announcement about finally building a sub-acute facility for those who are in mental health crisis like Chasse, who died in custody after an encounter with two Portland police officers and a county sheriff’s deputy in the Pearl District on September 17, 2006. Chasse—who was pursued and tackled by police after allegedly being witnessed urinating in the street—was 42, and had suffered with schizophrenia since his teens.

“I think this is in the best interest of the community and the Chasse family, and it allows us to get beyond the legal issues in the case and move toward a better system of delivery for people in mental health crisis,” said Wheeler.

The new center is expected to open on East Burnside and MLK, on the second floor of Central City Concern’s (CCC) existing Hooper detoxification center, in late 2011. In the spring, the county gave CCC $1 million to move the detoxification center to a new CCC building at the old Ramada Inn in the Rose Quarter by May 2010—thereby making space for an overhaul of the Hooper building and the new sub-acute facility.

The Portland Development Commission (PDC) has approved $75,000 in pre-development for the project, setting aside $2 million in its 2012-13 budget to cover the cost of the sub-acute center, said PDC government affairs specialist Keith Witcosky at last Thursday’s county meeting. Witcosky said PDC will “be as creative as we need” to cover the time lag between now and 2012, and hopefully move the money into this fiscal year so that work can begin on the center as soon as possible.

The county currently faces an $800,000 per-year budget hole in opening the sub-acute center, said county mental health director Joanne Fuller, but it hopes to plug the gap by working with the city, state, and CCC. “There is also the potential for stimulus dollars,” said Fuller.

“I don’t think a celebration is in order today,” said Wheeler. “There’s an opportunity here.”

Wheeler said the new center, which is expected to house those in mental health crisis for up to 10 days while they stabilize, before moving them into housing through CCC, “is going to be effective, and cost-effective, and I don’t want to overlook the fact that it’s humane.”

“What was very encouraging in hearing Ted speak was that he was taking what happened to James seriously and straightforwardly,” said Jason Renaud of the Mental Health Association of Portland.

Meanwhile, the Chasse family’s attorneys filed documents on Wednesday, July 1 in their ongoing case against the City of Portland that contained troubling new allegations based on testimony about Chasse’s death in police custody. They are as follows:

1. Chasse’s broken ribs were most likely the result of kicks or a dropped knee. State medical examiner Karen Gunson, who performed Chasse’s autopsy, told attorneys for the Chasse family during depositions that some fractured ribs in Chasse’s back were unlikely to have been caused by his fall to the ground, but that a “knee in that particular area on the back of the neck” was a “better scenario.” Gunson found 48 separate abrasions or contusions on Chasse’s body, including 16 possible blows to the head. Chasse would most likely have lived if he had been given proper medical care, Gunson said.

2. Chasse never urinated in the street. Deposition of Portland Police Bureau Officer Christopher Humphreys reveals he never saw Chasse urinate on the sidewalk—an alleged detail of their encounter, which has been widely reported as a possible legal basis for the officers stopping Chasse. At most, Humphreys thought he saw Chasse urinating in his own pants because there was possibly a wet patch on his trousers, he said. But Chasse was causing no distress or alarm, Humphreys admitted.

3. Chasse screamed before going unconscious. Several witnesses described Chasse’s screams during his struggle with police. “He seemed like a scared animal,” said witness Melissa Jane Gaylord. Electrician Tony Lee Carter “thought [Chasse] was dead” for a period during which Chasse was unconscious on the sidewalk, following his beating. Bike lawyer Mark Ginsberg, another witness, said: “I did hear Mr. Chasse yelling ‘mercy, mercy, mercy,’ and that was personally pretty disturbing to me.”

4. Paramedics did not adequately assess Chasse’s injuries. Sergeant Kyle Nice radioed for backup saying Chasse was “unconscious” on the street corner of NW 13th and Everett, but never informed paramedics of the extent of force used or of Chasse’s prolonged unconsciousness, according to the documents. Paramedic Tamara Hergert wrote only that Chasse had become “extremely quiet” on the sidewalk. “Police thought he may have passed out, he came to quickly,” she wrote. Hergert also apparently neglected to do a body check on Chasse, beyond checking his vital signs, which she wrote down were normal. Hergert also told lawyers she was directed by Nice to have Humphreys sign a medical release form on Chasse’s behalf.

5. Witnesses were shocked Chasse wasn’t taken to hospital in an ambulance. Local developer Homer Williams said Chasse looked like a “bag of bones” when police put him in a squad car.

6. There was mocking of Chasse’s distress. “There was clear vocal mocking, the mocking of Mr. Chasse’s cries for help,” said eyewitness Randall Stuart, referring to emergency workers on the scene. Later TriMet sergeant Terry O’Keefe, who was supervising Humphreys and Sheriff’s Deputy Bret Burton that night, sent them a message on their in-car computers: “NICE WORK BOYS. GLAD U R OK N HE ISN’T.”

7. Police experts say cops were in the wrong. An expert witness says Officers Nice, Humphreys, and Sheriff’s Deputy Burton did not follow police policies and practices in the treatment of someone who is at least suspected of being mentally ill. Lou Reiter, former Deputy Police Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, described the officers’ use of force as “unreasonable,” and their failure to disclose to paramedics the force used on Chasse as “unreasonable.”

“We should have known all this within hours of Chasse’s death, not three years later,” says Renaud of the Mental Health Association. “The public is stuck in the middle without the facts, waiting patiently for legal documents to emerge so that we can discern the truth.”

It is against the city attorney’s policy to comment on ongoing lawsuits.

From the Oregonian, July 2 2009

On the day Multnomah County commissioners awarded the county’s largest settlement ever to the family of a mentally ill man who died in police custody, the board voted to move forward with a mental health crisis center that some believe could have saved the man’s life.

The crisis center will fill a hole left when 2003 budget cuts closed a similar center housed at Providence Medical Center. Since then, those experiencing a mental health crisis often end up in one of two places: jail or a hospital emergency room.

James P. Chasse Jr., the man who died in the back of patrol car in 2006, has become the face of why this system doesn’t work.

“The most obvious gap is the lack of a facility where police can take someone who is either a danger to themselves or others,” said county Chairman Ted Wheeler. “If police take somebody to the hospital, we have been told they can wait up to eight hours to be served, and if you’re acting out because of mental health issues what you need is appropriate mental health services, not a jail cell.”

Mental health advocates and county and city officials have long talked about opening such a center, even convening a task force during former Mayor Tom Potter’s tenure.

But Chasse’s death and the ensuing civil lawsuit brought by his family pushed the need to the forefront. Commissioners voted 4-0 today to approve a record $925,000 settlement and end the county’s part in the federal suit.

County attorney Agnes Sowle said the settlement doesn’t suggest wrongdoing by the county, but was a “good business decision for the county and for the taxpayers.”

Wheeler said he was grateful that Chasse’s family agreed with the county, allowing officials to focus on improving mental health services.

The 16-bed crisis center — to be funded with county, city, state and federal dollars — will take those suffering a mental health breakdown such as suicidal or violent thoughts, hallucinations and severe anxiety.

“The fact that Jim Chasse suffered from schizophrenia and was acting in a manner hostile to the police called out for the need,” Wheeler said. “A community of this size should have appropriate services.”

The center will provide for up to 10 days of assessment and treatment, monitor medication and come up with a plan for patients once they leave the center, said Joanne Fuller, director of the county Department of Human Services.

Treatment at the crisis center will cost less than a hospital stay, but also help reduce the times that police must care for people who are acting out because of mental illness, Fuller said.

The county will house the center on a floor of the David P. Hooper Center operated by the nonprofit Central City Concern. That agency is relocating some of its services to the old Rose Quarter Ramada, and the county is paying the agency $1 million toward the renovation of the motel.

The city and county have pledged to pay the $3 million in annual operating costs of the crisis center and the Portland Development Commission has set aside $2 million to redevelop the Hooper site. The state also will pitch in additional money if needed. A third of the center’s operating costs will come from federal Medicare reimbursements.

The center could open as early as 2011.

It’s something Fuller said she has pushed for since becoming director in 2007.

“We have known for a long time that we’ve needed to have this kind of center and that we have a hole in our system,” she said. “It feels really great that this is going to happen.”

Mental health advocates say it is a long time coming.

“If Chasse had been taken somewhere like this rather than jail, he might still be alive,” said Terri Walker, board president of the National Alliance on Mental Health Multnomah.

Still, Walker said the new center doesn’t go far enough. In the end, it’s still for people in crisis, she said, but doesn’t address the needs of people who are on the verge of crisis and find it hard to get help in Multnomah County.

“I hear from family members whose loved ones can’t get help until they have to be a danger to themselves or others,” she said. “People are told they have to be naked standing on top of a bridge before you can get help. As long as we think like that in this county, people are going to be in danger.”

Fuller agreed that the county has a long way to go to meet the mental health needs of its residents. “At some point, we need to do more,” she said. “But this is a good start.”

For many, Chasse’s death proved to be the wake-up call.

“It’s a horrible tragedy,” Fuller said. “James Chasse’s death did mean that there was a face on and issue like this and does catalyze people to make changes.”

From the Oregonian, July 2 2009

Multnomah County commissioners today voted 4-0 to approve a record $925,000 settlement to end its part in the federal civil rights lawsuit brought 2 1/2 years ago by the family of James P. Chasse Jr.

“We believe this is a good business decision for the county and for the taxpayers of Multnomah County,” county attorney Agnes Sowle told the commissioners. She added that the settlement does not suggest wrongdoing by the county.

Chairman Ted Wheeler said he felt grateful that Chasse’s family agreed with the county, allowing officials to focus on improving mental health services.

“I think it allows us to get beyond the legal issues to improve our delivery of mental health care,” Wheeler said. ” In order to do that, we need to work together.”

Portland attorney Tom Steenson, representing Chasse’s family, said the settlement does not effect the pending lawsuit against the remaining defendants, including the city of Portland and American Medical Response, Inc.

The family is preparing for a March 16 2010 trial, accusing two Portland police officers of excessive force, denial of proper medical attention, and discriminating against Chasse because of his mental illness, Steenson said.

Chasse, 42, who suffered from schizophrenia, was chased by officers who said he appeared to be urinating in the Pearl District on Sept. 17, 2006. The officers knocked him to the ground and struggled to handcuff him. He suffered multiple broken ribs, some of which punctured his left lung, early in his encounter with the Portland officers and a sheriff’s deputy.

Ambulance paramedics who responded said Chasse’s vital signs were normal, and police drove him to the Multnomah County Detention Center.

He appeared to suffer a seizure in a holding cell. A jail nurse looked through the cell door window and told police the jail would not book Chasse. Portland police placed him in a patrol car, where he died on the way to a hospital. The cause of death: broad-based blunt force trauma to his chest.

The settlement would remove from the lawsuit the county and its employees, including then-sheriff’s Deputy Bret Burton, who was involved in the initial struggle with Chasse, and jail nurses, who are accused of failing to examine or treat Chasse or call an ambulance.

Before accepting the settlement, the Chasse family made sure the county made changes to ensure that ambulances – not law enforcement vehicles – are used to transport injured people to provide appropriate medical care.

Wheeler scheduled the vote as the county pressed forward with a 16-bed mental health crisis treatment center in Portland. The Portland Development Commission has set aside $2 million to redevelop the David P. Hooper Center as the county’s new mental health triage center. The city and county have pledged to split the $3 million operating costs. The state has also pledged support.

“We have an opportunity to begin a process of filling a big gap in the services to people who are experiencing mental health crises in Multnomah County,” said Joanne Fuller, director of the county’s Department of Human Services.

Wheeler said the new crisis center would be a “humane and cost-effective alternative” to taking someone with a mental health crisis to jail, or to the hospital.

Ed Blackburn, executive director of Central City Concern, said the new site for Hooper detox center should be available by April 2010. He said he’ll work to have the renovated Hooper facility available for the mental health crisis center by either late 2011 or early 2012.

Richard Harris, who heads the state Division of Addictions and Mental Health Services, said he supports the county’s move to steer mentally ill people to more appropriate care, which will likely reduce state hospitalization costs. He said similar crisis centers are needed across Oregon, not just in Multnomah County.

EXTRA – County settles in death suit, KOIN.com
EXTRA – Multco board approves $925,000 payment for Chasse’s family, KATU.com