Death by cop: Who’s at risk? – Mental Health PDX

May 21, 2015

As of May 2015, over 300 names are on the list, which also appears (full-size) at the bottom of this article.

by Jason Renaud and Jenny Westberg, Street Roots, 15 May 2015

For years, our organization, the Mental Health Association of Portland, has chronicled, eulogized and remembered persons who have been on the receiving end of Portland-area police violence. Today we’re sharing these names with you, recognizing early on that many were people barely noticed even while alive, easily forgotten once they’re gone. But someone should remember — and we do.

Our list, now over 300 names long, has developed to the point where we can parse the data and tease out some reasonable sense of who, exactly, is at risk. One minority group rises to the top, year in and year out for over 40 years, consistently targeted — sometimes justly, sometimes not.

Which group?

Here’s a hint: If you have a mental illness or active addiction, keep your head down.

Tracking unwarranted force

The list starts in 1969, when Clay Hall was killed by then-Portland Police Officer Steven Sims. The story does not fit with any pattern found elsewhere in the list, but we start there for a reason: to this day, it’s still the last time a PPB officer was convicted for a use-of-force incident in a Multnomah County court.

Forty-three years went by. In June 2011, then-Officer Dane Reister mixed up his ammo, loading lethal rounds into his beanbag gun. Later that day, he responded to a 9-1-1 call of a man “possibly harassing” children and behaving in a “peculiar manner.” The man was William Monroe, a 20-year-old diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Reister, thinking he was firing “less lethal” beanbags, blasted four bullets into Monroe, causing severe injuries that left Monroe permanently disabled.

Reister was fired by the city, an extreme rarity; Monroe sued the city and won a record $2.3 million. Reister has been charged by a Multnomah County grand jury — but it’s been three years, and Reister’s case languishes on the desk of District Attorney Rod Underhill.

The list is not a list of innocent persons. Many — too many — were by all accounts extremely dangerous when officers engaged. Nor is it a list of guilty persons. It is also not a list of police-caused deaths in the U.S. We did that already; it appeared in The Portland Mercury.

What the list does include are incidents we could find from a thorough search of the public record, including court reports and newspapers. We include incidents where one or more persons were killed or where lethal force was used, in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington Counties. We don’t list all Taser uses or most beatings. We certainly don’t try to list every time a citizen has a gun pointed at them, or all threats of bodily harm. At more than 300 incidents, our list is long enough as is.

But the data confirms our long-standing hypothesis; that the persons most likely harmed by police are those whose thinking was impaired during the incident.

The data of the public record is affected by an evolution in media coverage. Crime reporting has improved significantly over 40 years — both mainstream and local sourced. Now journalists sometimes ask questions. Prior to the killing of Kendra James in 2003 local crime reporters simply restated law enforcement talking points. After James, things got better — but they’re still not great.

On the spreadsheet a link to an original single news story represents the best information about what happened each of the 300-plus individuals.

Other data includes name, age, race, agency, date and clinical status. Not shared on the list are the names of the officers involved, and outcome information.

Too many persons on our list are “unidentified” by race and too many are listed as “unknown” for clinical status. Someone knows these people. Over one hundred times the public record failed to including the race of the individual harmed. This is a substantial gap in our list and we’d appreciate comment from the community to improve the data. Please e-mail your comments to info@mentalhealthportland.org.

The list includes 15 known black men and one black woman shot and killed by the Portland Police Bureau since 1970. Others died in custody, or were shot and grievously wounded, and in a sentinel case, strangled. Of those 20 who died, nine were in a what the police call a mental health crisis.

No LGBTQ persons are identified from the public record.

Over 40 years of the public record complements the Department of Justice’s 2012 findings and confirms the basis of Portland’s recent foray into police reform. In the Portland area the majority of police use of force incidents revolve around people whose thinking was impaired.

The killing of James Chasse, Jr. sparked community outrage and local media has followed the case closely since 2006. Chasse, a white man with schizophrenia, was not the first or last person with mental illness killed by the Portland Police Bureau. Since Chasse’s death, an average of two have been killed each year; just over a month ago Chris Healy, a man with schizophrenia, was killed by officer Tom Clarke.

Prior to the killing of Aaron Campbell, when a black person was killed there were fewer news stories. When family or community members did not advocate on behalf of of the person killed there were even fewer. In several cases in recent years when a Hispanic man is killed -— especially in Washington County, there could be less than 300 words in the news.

We think it’s likely people have been killed by area police and it didn’t make the public record.

What we learned from a close review of the Chasse case in our film Alien Boy: The Life and Death of James Chasse is what police officers announce at the scene may be wildly inaccurate — but reported as fact by both the media and other parts of the police accountability system. The media — high and low — is a big part of this problem. A reporter might eventually get wised up but media churn is too fast for advocates to educate each one individually. And it’s not our business to educate reporters. Editors and publishers need to invest in smarter people, inform and train them, and keep them on the good story and not report smoke.

Of those identified on our list, most are male (93 percent), most are white (66 percent) and a large number of them, by police report repeated in the public record, were imminently dangerous. Members of the Portland Police Bureau harmed more people than other police departments, but they have a larger population. Tiny Fairview, considering its small population and small police force, is proportionally the most dangerous city.

Other than being male and white, the other most common quality is the number of those killed who were impaired by drugs, alcohol and/or mental illness.

Untreated, under-treated and mistreated mental illness, alcoholism and addiction profoundly affect the criminal justice system. Most persons arrested self-disclose mental illness or addiction. Fifty-four percent of persons harmed by police, from our survey, were impaired at the time. Oregon prisons hold more than 7,600 people with mental illness — 10 times the number in Oregon’s psychiatric hospitals.

In many cases, we can only suppose the clinical condition, but a close reading of hundreds of articles reveals what police, family and witnesses told reporters. “Yes, he was drunk all day,” or “My son had bipolar disorder.” These constitute sufficient evidence for our survey, and sufficient to beg for complete data collection by an impartial researcher.

Our list is not conclusive rigorous research, but it underscores our hypothesis – people the police kill are affected by mental illness, drugs and/or alcohol.

Is this list an indictment of the addiction and mental health system? No. These illnesses, entangled in an infinite academic argument about civil liberties and enmeshed in a hyperbolic medical industry, are complex and baffling. Their regulation is impossible, their effective treatment is purposely underfunded by local governments and therefore rare. Oregon legislators spent billions evading solutions and sending us to an early grave.

Does this list relieve police of responsibility for undue force? Absolutely not. Police -— and everyone employed by the criminal justice system — are aware they routinely prosecute people with illnesses — and they remain silent. Their silence is consent, disregard, denial.

Can the list instruct police reformers? It ought to, but we doubt they have the capacity to learn. They haven’t lived our experience — they don’t represent the concerns or needs of people in recovery.

By looking at Portland police use of force data with a collective pre-Ferguson mind, the USDOJ came to the same remarkable conclusion — that the Portland police have a pattern and practice of undue force against people with mental illness. They hadn’t reached this conclusion in any prior investigation. Perhaps Portland is unique — but since it’s not unique in any other way, we doubt that too.

In response to U.S. v. City of Portland, the mayor’s office mustered folks to report to Judge Michael Simon about repairs meant to cease the bad behavior. Those selected folks primarily represent the racial justice community, the LGBTQ community, and not, as it turns out, those most often harmed by police: people with mental illness, alcoholism and addiction. As long as —others are positioned to represent our direct interest — not getting killed like Chris Healy — it’s unlikely things will change.

Review the complete list of Metro PDX Critical Incidents — 1969-2015

tinyurl.com/metro1969-2015

Of 171 people killed by police, the public record identified:

20 as African American (11.7%)

32 as persons of color (18.7%)

110 as having a mental illness or being in mental health crisis: (64.3%)

Of 129 people injured by police, or shot at but not hit:

21 are identified as African American (16.3%)

30 are identified as persons of color (23.3%)

54 as having a mental illness or being in mental health crisis: (41.9%)

Names on Mental Health Association Metro PDX Critical Incidents List – 1969-2015

Aaron Marcell Campbell, Aaron Rahmaan, Adalberto Flores-Haro, Adam Berndt, Adam Olsen, Afasy “Joe” Kraskoff, Albert L Flinn, Albert Wayne Williams, Alfredo Cruz-Garcia, Andrew Meade, Anthony Falsetto, Anthony McDowell, Anthony Utah-Zona Beck, Archie McNeal, Barton Clifford, Benjamin Allen Skinner, Bill Bowman, Bill Utton, Billy Ray Hutchens , Billy Simms, Brad Morgan, Bradley Michael Snell, Brandon Scruggs, Brian Penton, Bruce Browne, Bruce L. Steward, Bruce Perison Clark, Bryan Allen Lund, Bryan Guerrero, Bryan T. French, Byron Hammick, Charles E. Harbin, Charles Edward Menefee, Charles Glenn Ferguson, Charles H. Michel Jr., Charles Ray Burke, Charlotte Grahn, Chelsea Fresh, Chris Healy, Christopher Karl Bullert, Christopher Lewis Demy, Christopher M. Owsley, Clayton Eugene Hall, Clint Carey, Colby Lee Diller, Craig Boehler, Dale E. Mullens, Dale Lawrence Cunningham, Damon Lowery, Daniel Brink, Daniel Cromb, Daniel Joseph Barga, Daniel Leon Flannigan, Daniel Ynosente Reyes, Danyale Gill, Darrell Lavon Steele, Darris Eugene Johnson, Darryel Dwayne Ferguson, David Cassel, David E. Isringhausen, David Earl Hughes, David Ernest Gildersleeve, David L. Cox, David S. Evernden, Dell Aaron Youngblood, Dennis Arnold Hartse, Dennis Lamar Young, DeNorris Laron McClendon, Deontae Keller, Derek J. Coady, Diane Lee Ball, Diosdado Pabingwit, Dirk Riche, Don Charles Eisfeld, Donald Graham, Douglas P. Thibeault, Dragan Rados, Duane Anthony Shaw, Duane Lyle White Jr., Dupree Carter, Dustin Tyler Gomez, Dwayne Richard Novak, Dwayne Tyrone McClinton, Eddie Homsombath, Edward Tramazzo, Eric Cederholm, Eugene Estes, Eugene Kirk Lockwood, Evans Arnet Smith, Floyd Andrew Young, Fouad Kaady, Frank Bearcub, Frank Joseph Brauner Jr., Fred Gudmundsen, Gable Lee Eaton, Gale E. Moody, Gary Randall Hottman, George Gaines, George Hawkins, George Waldum, Gerald F. Gratton, Jr., Gilbert Thomas King, Gilberto Rafael Perez, Gregory Pierson, Herbert Henry Faber, Herbert Rabago, Herbert Wayne Holm, Hubert Henkel, Ivan Lee Dixon, Jack Dale Collins, James B Jennings, James Farmer, James Hopkins, James Jahar Perez, James Lamberson, James Philip Chasse, Jr., James R. Sample, Janet Marilyn Smith, Jason Kyle Gillett, Jason Matthew Cox, Jason Spoor, Jeff Grahn, Jeffery David Anderson, Jeffrey Allen Holmes, Jeffrey Dean Turpin, Jeffrey Samuel Chilson, Jeffrey Scott Gregg, Jeremy A. Shellbe, Jeremy Joseph Christian, Jerome R. Remington, Jerry Goins, Joaquim Angel Vasquez, Joh Aaron Potter, John M. Vitale, John Wimberly Smith, Johnny L. George, Jordan Case, Jose Angel Padilla, Jose Carlos Echeagary, José Santos Victor Mejía Poot, Joseph Henry Hopkins, Josephine Santa-Gomez, Joshua D. Vetter, Joshua John White, Joshua Stephen Baker, Joyce M. Staudenmaier, Judy Hinch, Justin Garrett Gallegos, Justin Lee Sawtelle, JUVENILE, Kathleen Hoffmeister, Keaton Dupree Otis, Kelly Swoboda, Kendra James, Kenneth A. Hendershott, Kenneth Austin Allen, Kenneth E. Gerde, Kerry Brent Prowse, Kerry Dean Barker, Kevin Charles Moffett, Kirmet Kellion Faglier, Konrad Marshall Radys, Larry McKinney, Lawrence Cambra, Lawrence L Stacey, Lawrence Leroy Luce, Lawrence Ramirez, Lee Harrison Hardman, Leopoldo Lucio, Leord M. Renfrow, Leord Salanitro, LeRoy Clark, Lesley Paul Scott Stewart, Lewis James Frank, Lewis Lee Lembke, Lewis Patrick Clark, Lewis Wiley, Lloyd Stevenson, Louis Dewey Kennedy, Louis Earl Ritzman, Luke Lewis Seal, Lukus Glenn, Lynn Marc Kibbee, Marc Lagozzino, Marcello Vaida, Mari Lyn Sandoz, Marino Sanchez-Sanchez, Mark James Renwick, Mark Roy Stomps, Mary Jo Diershaw, Merle Hatch, Michael Anthony Tate, Jr., Michael Colligan, Michael Dickenson, Michael Duane Cawley, Michael James Mullins, Michael Justin Evans, Michael K. Dvorak, Michael Lee Henry, Michael P. Malloy, Michael Rashawn Yew, Michael Ray Jaquith, Myra K Carlson, Nancy Lee Logan-Morgan, Nathan Thomas, Neil Bruce Marcy, Nicholas Glendon Davis, Nicholas Kirschder, Nick Teixeira, Ollie B. Russell, Osmar Lovai-Bermudez, Patricia Sweany, Paul Jeffrey Smith, Paul Joseph Williams, Paul Ropp, Perry McInturff, Peter Gilbaugh, Phyllis Owens, Quinten Joel Keppinger, Quintrell Shaimon Holiman, Ralph Clyde Turner, Randolph Marion Martin, Raymond Dwayne Gwerder, Raymond Leord Youngberg, Jr., Reiner Ralph Schmolling, Richard Dickie Dow, Richard Guy Brown, Richard Lochner, Richard Lynn Smith, Richard Pierre Overton, Richard Rummery, Richard Wesley Gnewuch, Rickie Charles Johnson, Robert Allen Peterson, Robert Harvey Rinehart, Robert Jack Christopher, Robert Kimball Fox, Robert Lundy Smith, Roberta Bert Tate, Rodger Allen Rosling, Rodney Ray Layman, Rold Richard Riebling, Jr., Ronald Barton, Rudie Wilhelm III, Rufus Washington, Russel Stoneking, Santiago Cisneros, Scott Lee Campbell, Scott Vincent Suran, Sean Joseph Cook, Sengsadaphet Seng Phongsavanh, Sepp Dietrich Tokaga, Shane Eric Clements, Shane Lucan Griffin, Shane Miguel Grundmeyer, Shawn DeVoe Mosley, Shawn Michael Hankins, Shawn Schumacher, Sir Millage, Songseumsack Tanovan, Stanley William Peregoy, Steffen Wesley Redincer, Stephen Berrd Denson, Stephen Borst, Steve G. Stanturf, Steven Bowmer, Steven Douglas Dons, Steven Richard Bolen, Steven Roy Bergeson, Thomas Higginbotham, Thomas L Graves, Thomas Lee Nunes, Tim Cannon, Timm Kruger, Timothy Baumel, Timothy Grant, Timothy Jay Fight, Timothy Mathers, Todd K Calhoun, Todd Lee Hampton, Tonya Yut, Travis Blake Utley, Travis C. Hunt, Tyler Brown, Tyrone Waters, Vernon Clifford Allen, Vernon Roger Tosh, Victor Torres-Elizondo, Victoria Schulmerich, Walter Sutton, Wanda Johnson, Warren Dudley Sercombe, Whitney Hash, William Frederick Brown, William H Aberthy, William John Phillips, William Kyle Monroe, WIlliam Pinter, Willie T Davis, Willie Thomas Grigsby

Police violence

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