Posted on 09/26/2018 10:25:20 PM PDT by robowombat
Portland State protesters pledge to stay put until campus cops disarm Activists launched the occupation during the first day of classes after a man was fatally shot by campus police in June while witnesses say he tried to break up a fight
By Shane Dixon Kavanaugh
PORTLAND, Ore. — A group calling on Portland State University to end its policy of arming campus police officers said Tuesday that it would continue an around-the-clock occupation outside the school's public safety building.
"This is the escalation we need," said Olivia Pace, an organizer with the PSU Student Union, during a news conference. "The administration is about to be at a tipping point where they have to crack under the pressure
Pace said 20 people spent Monday night camped out in front of the school safety headquarters on Southwest Broadway and Montgomery Street.
Activists launched the occupation during the first day of classes and after around 200 people held a demonstration and candlelight vigil for Jason Washington, a husband and father of three who was fatally shot by campus police in June while witnesses say he tried to break up a fight.
Washington, 45, wound up holding a friend's handgun amid a drunken melee outside the Cheerful Tortoise when Officers James Dewey and Shawn McKenzie ordered him to drop the weapon, authorities said.
Within seconds of the command, the officers opened fire. Nine bullets struck Washington, according to police and the Multnomah County medical examiner's office.
The school released body cam video of both officers, which captured a chaotic scene before and after the shooting.
Records show Washington had a blood-alcohol content of 0.24 percent when he died, three times above the legal limit for driving in Oregon. A concealed handgun license carrier, he had confiscated the friend's gun after a night of drinking, according to police reports.
A grand jury this month decided not to indict the two officers, who have since returned to work. The Multnomah District Attorney's Office plans to release transcripts of the hearing.
Washington's death marked the first fatal shooting by the university's police force, which began carrying guns three years ago in a decision decried by activists and many students.
The occupiers said they plan to remain camped out in front of the public safety building until the school permanently disarms its police force.
They are also demanding that PSU fire Dewey and McKenzie, who remain at their jobs, and for the school to establish a permanent memorial for him on campus.
Pace said the student-led occupation would not attempt to shut down the public safety building but would serve as a reminder of Washington's death and the continued opposition to armed police officers at the school.
She also urged students and members of the public to attend the university's Board of Trustees meeting on Oct. 4.
A PSU spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
I would remove the campus cops, and put ‘real’ police on patrol...fully armed.
Dream of the ‘90s | Portlandia | IFC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4hShMEk1Ew
“We Want To Be Easy Targets”
Let's see how long THAT little social experiment lasts.
Great idea, or just remove any/all police from the campus and let the snowflakes fend for themselves.
GMTA! :-)
Let the city/sheriff/state pd handle all crimes.
Oh, you getting the crap beat out of you and they have a knife, well the nearest unit is 10 mins away stuck in traffic. As soon as they get to campus, they will secure their side arm in the safe at the PD, then head on over to see if you are still alive. Thanks for calling, bye.
“Great idea, or just remove any/all police from the campus and let the snowflakes fend for themselves.”
If the take the arms away from campus cops, everyone will be fending for themselves.
Do the snowflakes think unarmed cops will throw themselves between the bad guys and the students? I don’t think so.
If I was a campus cops, and they took my gun...they could also have my badge. I’m not getting shot for this squishy bunch of mama’s babies.
“The administration will crack under the pressure...”
200 protestors? 20 camping out? That’s the ‘pressure’ they think will bring the University in line with their wishes?
Piffle. You can get 200 students to turn out for anything during the first week of classes, if the weather is good. Wait until the term gets going, and the season gets further into Fall. See how many show up then.
Good one! :-)
The stupid gun grabbing kids are really STUPID and deserve to have to learn the hard way!
So wait a minute something is very fishy about this story. He was with a friend that had a gun that was about to get into a fight. I’m uncertain of the CC laws in Washington but in Ohio I can go to a bar and carry but not drink. So this responsible CCW holder was not only with a friend that was armed armed and drinking but he too was drunk and decided it was ok to take the weapon himself? On the surface this does not pass a smell test. Why didn’t the guy pull his friend away from the fight? What responsible CCW carrier hangs out with a “friend” who is armed and drinks? What kind of responsible CCW carrier places himself in a situation where he too is drunk and confiscates the firearm thereby committing a crime as well? Sorry something just does not add up
I’d remove all police, armed and unarmed for a month, and let the hood teach these POS commie students a lesson.
Give them want they want. Then withdraw All police protection and response from the area. Lets see how well that works for them.
One can get a CCW and carry a firearm and not be responsible, sadly. People do lots of goofy stuff when drunk. While in many cases I have heard of the cops giving conflicting demands to a person and shooting them when they don’t comply - I imagine that with a .24 level the guy holding the gun may have been confused over even the most simple command and deemed a threat.
“Drop the gun!!!”
Swinging around to face the police “Who? Me!!??”
BTW - the guy’s name was Washington, this was Portland, Oregon. In Washington state you can’t bring your gun into a bar. You can bring it into a place that serves booze, but you have to stay in the family area. Stupid if you ask me, but many places will have the tables in one area to eat dinner and drink with the family, and another area with tables and the bar for eating and drinking. Most places the two areas are just separated by a railing or a waist high wall.
How the hell did I miss the place? Haha! That’s what I was thinking. I think the police in this situation did the right thing given the hand they were dealt. I’m not buying this story that a drunk CCW holder took his friend’s gun from him because he was getting into a fight. A responsible CCW holder gets out of confrontational situations if able to and NEVER holds a gun while under the influence in a public setting. I agree with you, this guy was extremely irresponsible and not representative of the vast majority of CCW holders.
Remove the cops, then LOUDLY let it be known that there aren’t any cops onsite to stop any shenanigans “in accordance with the wishes of (protestors group name)”
Put it in large signage and radio ads as a public recognition and acknowledgement of same.
Wait for Mass murdering psychos to appear.
BUT, I’m betting the protesters are mostly non-students who don’t care about campus safety.
My experience is that many of the campus cops were angry dykes on bikes.
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