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Time
to Finish the Job It has taken six years plus a major scandal involving sexual assaults by two police officers for Eugene to once again be on the brink of enacting meaningful civilian oversight of police misconduct complaints. It's essential for the community to speak clearly in support of police reform when the votes are counted Nov. 8. The last time a civilian oversight measure was on the ballot in Eugene, it lost by less than 300 votes out of more than 46,000 cast. In the wake of that vote, the city did create the Eugene Police Commission to provide civilian input into police policies. The commission has done good work, prompting much-needed revisions in policies on the use of pepper spray, the handling of political demonstrations, and the use of force generally. Now is the time to finally implement the other essential component needed to achieve meaningful police reform in Eugene — civilian oversight of misconduct complaints. The Police Commission spent much of the past year studying a myriad of options for implementing civilian review. Measure 20-106 is the first step to implement the commission's unanimous recommendations. The current public discussion about the proposed charter amendment has centered almost entirely around the question of whether it is appropriate to put the City Council — rather than the city manager — in charge of hiring the police auditor and appointing the civilian review board. Ballot Measure 20-106 is an untraditional approach for Eugene, and one that shouldn't be taken without a close look. So let's review how we got here.
Public confidence and internal morale in the Eugene Police Department were badly shaken by the sexual assault and intimidation scandal involving former officers Roger Magaña and Juan Lara, both now serving lengthy prison terms. In August, the city announced it has agreed to pay more than $800,000 in out-of court settlements with three of the victims in those cases. Ten other victims reportedly have claims pending and the city is hoping to negotiate settlements in those cases as well. The final tab could be well over $2 million. And that doesn't include the cost of the investigations and prosecutions of Magaña and Lara. We now know that some of the victims reported the crimes to EPD even though they were frightened about their safety if they did so. Others chose not to report the crimes because they had so much to lose. We also know it took years before anyone inside EPD treated the accusations seriously. Hiring a truly independent police auditor and allowing the auditor to accept complaints would address both of those problems. It is essential to create a climate of trust in which victims of alleged police misconduct feel safe coming forward. Having the auditor be outside the "normal" chain of command at City Hall will help encourage future victims of police misconduct to come forward. Allowing the auditor to have full access to EPD misconduct investigations will ensure that serious allegations are investigated promptly and thoroughly.
But there's more. For decades, EPD has been accused of racial profiling. Awareness of racial profiling among communities of color did not start with the stop and frisk of Cortez Jordan last year. Jordan is just one of the few who has followed up by filing a civil rights lawsuit over it. Ask any African American, Latino or Native American man in this town between the ages of 16 and 30 about their experiences with police officers. They will tell you about being stopped by police for flimsy reasons while driving or walking because someone thought they might be up to no good. Usually, these stops, questioning and searches of people who have committed no crime are perfectly legal. That doesn't mean it's OK. These kinds of experiences pull a community apart at its seams. If people can't trust the police to treat them fairly, they are less likely to come forward with evidence that is critical to solving crimes and less likely to want to report crimes when they are victims. For many years, Eugene police chiefs have decried racial profiling and have expressed commitments to eliminate it from the EPD. Unfortunately, all too often the attitude of the rank and file has been that if no laws or policies are broken, no harm has occurred. It's difficult to change the internal culture of any police force. Business as usual just isn't good enough. The Police Commission's recommendations for independent civilian oversight would also address these issues by requiring tracking of all complaints — so it would be easier to spot patterns of inappropriate behavior — and by offering a range of alternatives for pursuing complaints, including mediation as well as investigation by internal affairs and review by the police auditor and civilian review board. Again, the independence of the police auditor and the review board are critical steps to take to show good faith to the community. To have true independence, the auditor and civilian review board should be appointed by the council, rather than the city manager. Measure 20-106 is critical to help EPD heal and restore the bonds of trust between the community and police. Measure 20-106 will help all of us — residents and police — work together to create a community that is safe for everyone. David Fidanque is the executive director of the ACLU of Oregon, and Henry Luvert is President of the Eugene-Springfield Chapter of the NAACP.
Missing
Out Sometimes I poke fun at straight people. I apologize. Forgive me for heckling folks who can't help being the way they are. Unlike Republicans, fundamentalists, and SUV drivers — who are free to choose a different persuasion if they want to — heterosexuals are pretty much stuck being heterosexual. They're born that way. Despite abounding opportunities to leave their lifestyle, most hets never turn gay. Not for very long anyway. Obviously, it's not a choice. Straight people say they've known they were heterosexual since they were kids. Where they get the idea is anybody's guess. Maybe instead of a Midge doll, their Barbie had a Ken. Psychiatrists say heterosexuals can become fine, well-adjusted adults who contribute to society, if they learn to accept themselves. Many develop a healthy sense of humor about their sexual orientation. The rest, well, what can you do but feel sorry for them? It's too bad there's no special recognition for straight people. When they discover they're straight, who cares? There's no coming out, nobody to confide in, no one to make a big deal of it. No Het Pride parade. Boy-girl oriented kids lose out on so much. Pity the poor children who are never allowed sleepovers with their closest friend just because that child is a different sex. Kids are separated by gender in gym class, Brownies, Cub Scouts. Sure, boys and girls can play some sports together, but that all changes when they grow up. They'll never play on the same pro basketball team. Dating outside their gender must be hell. How awful to worry about birth control every time they have sex. There's so much straight couples can't share together, not the least of which is using the same restroom. Where do het couples go for a private chat in a public place? If they want to work out or go for a swim, they're relegated to different locker rooms. If they go clothes shopping with their sweetie, they can't share a dressing room. That's lonely. Even during their together time, can they really know each other's personal woes? How isolating to never fully understand what your partner's going through with menstrual cramps or jock itch, menopause or male-pattern baldness. Plus straight couples face all those family expectations. Like getting married. Sure they can live together like any gay couple, but the marriage option is always hanging over them like the sword of Damocles. Even the ones who willingly choose to wed don't have it easy. They're strapped with the ordeal of trudging off to the courthouse and shelling out good money for a license. It must be creepy to have the state all up in your personal business like that. Same-sex couples can't understand the burden except in Massachusetts, Canada, and a few Western European countries.
Think of the suffering inside straight relationships. One person is expected to fix stuff and earn more money and the other is expected to cook and clean and nurture. The teasing can be merciless on the ones who deviate (aka girliemen and ball-busters). And during holidays, how they must agonize over both families vying for their company. Queer people shouldn't gloat over having neither family want us to visit. There's no call for arrogance. Sooner or later, hetero couples are expected to reproduce. How embarrassing is that? Most of them never get to peruse sperm-donor catalogs and select the traits they want for their baby — they take their chances. If they do have kids, only one partner is expected to be the primary parent. If they're both nurturing and equally involved, people look at them funny. That's gotta be tough. I'm doing my best to be more understanding, more tolerant of heterosexuals. I'm sorry if I've offended. Hets deserve acceptance the same as anyone else. After all, straightness is one of nature's myriad variations. Besides, you never know when someone in your family might turn out that way. Sally Sheklow's Living Out column celebrates its sixth birthday in EW this issue. Kudos and kvetches welcome at sally@wymprov.com. Enroll in Sally's "Laughing All the Way" holiday stress reduction workshop at Tamarack Wellness Center Dec. 3, see www.tamarackwellness.com
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