It was a sad day on the Council. The DSA Councilors and others that joined them also decided to overturn a recommendation from City Attorney’s office and allowed a person determined to be “biased” against the police to serve on the new board. This may well endanger the new Police Accountability Board’s ability to make fair, unbiased decisions.
This is extremely concerning, although not surprising. Thank you for your canddidness and open communication on this consequential decision by the Council.
I agreed with Mitch Green on Halsey - everyone's got a bias. A dissident voice on the PAB shouldn't be a problem. But I was annoyed that so many councilors - save Kanal, who's quite sharp - seemed to voting on Weinstein's politics, not his position on transparency.
Since this review board finally began taking shape, I have been wondering why the police union has not taken formal action to curb a process that has been biased against law enforcement since its inception. The union's most recent response was tepid:
"Portland Police Association union president Sgt. Aaron Schmautz said he agrees that information about the board’s process should be transparent to ensure fair investigations, though he was not familiar with the details of the nondisclosure."
"He said city rules protect the confidentiality of the investigations. But he said if the nondisclosure goes beyond that, 'then I would be concerned, and my members would be concerned, and frankly the community should be concerned.' "
The city council and the mayor should be strengthening the criminal justice system. It would be nice if the police could do their job and arrest the bad guys and gals and be sure that active prosecution takes place.
It was a sad day on the Council. The DSA Councilors and others that joined them also decided to overturn a recommendation from City Attorney’s office and allowed a person determined to be “biased” against the police to serve on the new board. This may well endanger the new Police Accountability Board’s ability to make fair, unbiased decisions.
This is extremely concerning, although not surprising. Thank you for your canddidness and open communication on this consequential decision by the Council.
Every day is a "sad day on the Council".
Jo Ann Hardesty must have chortled with glee when she saw her vision become a reality.
I agreed with Mitch Green on Halsey - everyone's got a bias. A dissident voice on the PAB shouldn't be a problem. But I was annoyed that so many councilors - save Kanal, who's quite sharp - seemed to voting on Weinstein's politics, not his position on transparency.
Here's a recording of the city council meeting, if anyone's interested. Bob Weinstein explained the principle at stake quite clearly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-sM8QHkdJs&list=PL4m94lCOY10kcH-ufAjNIh1ntElCElA4_&index=11
Since this review board finally began taking shape, I have been wondering why the police union has not taken formal action to curb a process that has been biased against law enforcement since its inception. The union's most recent response was tepid:
"Portland Police Association union president Sgt. Aaron Schmautz said he agrees that information about the board’s process should be transparent to ensure fair investigations, though he was not familiar with the details of the nondisclosure."
"He said city rules protect the confidentiality of the investigations. But he said if the nondisclosure goes beyond that, 'then I would be concerned, and my members would be concerned, and frankly the community should be concerned.' "
https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2026/02/he-refused-to-sign-an-nda-portland-leaders-might-remove-him-from-a-police-oversight-board.html
"If"? There are no ifs about it. Sgt. Schmautz and the rank-and-file should be concerned and should be doing something about it.
He should have signed the NDA and then leaked, just like everyone else in Portland politics.
The city council and the mayor should be strengthening the criminal justice system. It would be nice if the police could do their job and arrest the bad guys and gals and be sure that active prosecution takes place.