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THAT HASHTAG HEY DAN.
NOW I KNOW THE LAST WEEK OR SO
WE'VE BEEN REALLY ELECTION
HEAVY ON THIS SHOW BY THE WAY,
SHOULD MENTIONED ELECTION DAYS
ONE WEEK FROM TODAY.
SO GET THOSE BALANCE IN.
BUT BEFORE WE GET INTO ALL
THAT, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT
LET'S TALK ABOUT THE POLICE
NOW.
NOW.
NOW. IT'S
NOW. IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE THE
PROTESTS AND THE RIOTS AND
POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY AND ALL
THAT HAS KIND OF DOMINATED THE
CONVERSATION AND THOSE CALLS TO
DEFUND THE POLICE HAVE QUIETED
A BIT I WOULD SAY AT LEAST IN
THE STREETS.
THE STREETS. BUT THOSE CALLS ARE LOUD CLEAR
ONCE AGAIN, THIS TIME FROM
INSIDE CITY HALL.
AND THAT BRINGS US TO OUR BIG
STORY TO PORTLAND COMMISSIONERS
WANT TO SLASH ANOTHER 18
MILLION DOLLARS FROM THE POLICE
BUDGET.
BUDGET.
BUDGET. >> I'M SURE YOU REMEMBER AT THE
PEAK OF THE PROTESTS THIS
SUMMER THE CITY ALREADY CHOPPED
THE BUDGET BY 15 MILLION
DOLLARS AND THAT WAS A HISTORIC
AMOUNT OF MONEY AT THE TIME.
NOW MAGGIE VESTRE FOUND OUT
WHAT THESE PROPOSED CUTS COULD
COST THE BUREAU AND WHAT OUR
MAYORAL CANDIDATES THINK ABOUT
IT.
IT.
IT. I'LL
IT. I'LL GIVE YOU A HINT.
ONE LIKES IT.
ONE DOES IT.
>> AMID MONTHS OF NIGHTLY
PROTESTS AND A HISTORIC SPIKE
IN SHOOTINGS AND VIOLENT
CRIMES.
CRIMES.
CRIMES. IT'S KIND OF SCARY TO CITY
COMMISSIONERS ARE PUSHING TO
SLASH MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FROM
THE PORTLAND POLICE BUREAU'S
BUDGET AGAIN OVER AND OVER AND
OVER AGAIN WE'VE SEEN
OUTRAGEOUS BEHAVIOR BY POLICE
COMMISSIONERS JOE HARDISTY AND
CHLOE.
CHLOE.
CHLOE. >>
CHLOE. >> YOU DAILY BOTH VOCAL CRITICS
OF POLICE WERE NOT AVAILABLE
FOR INTERVIEWS TUESDAY.
STAFF SAY THEY'RE PREPARING FOR
WEDNESDAY'S CITY COUNCIL
MEETING WHERE THEY'RE SLATED TO
WEIGH FALL ADJUSTMENTS TO THIS
YEAR'S BUDGET AS PART OF THAT.
THE COMMISSIONERS PROMISED TO
PUSH FOR MAJOR CUTS TO THE
PORTLAND POLICE BUREAU MORE
THAN 18 MILLION DOLLARS TOTAL.
IF THIS SOUNDS FAMILIAR TO YOU,
YOU'RE NOT HAVING DEJA VU.
BACK IN JUNE THE CITY COUNCIL
VOTED TO CUT 15 MILLION DOLLARS
FROM PBB.
FROM PBB.
FROM PBB. THE MOVE CAME AMID HISTORIC
ANTIPOLICE PROTESTS FOLLOWING
THE DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD.
BUT IT FELL FAR SHORT OF LOCAL
PROTESTERS DEMANDS TO SLASH 50
MILLION DOLLARS.
MILLION DOLLARS. >> AT THE TIME COMMISSIONER
HARDISTY PUSHED BACK ON THAT
NUMBER.
NUMBER.
NUMBER. >> I WANT TO BE CLEAR THAT THAT
50 MILLION DOLLAR NUMBER WAS
BASED ON NOTHING.
THERE WAS NO ANALYSIS DONE THIS
TIME AROUND.
TIME AROUND. >> HARDISTY IS ONLY FORMALLY
PROPOSING THE NEW TOTAL OF 18
MILLION DOLLARS IN CUTS.
IN A RECENT MEMO THOUGH TO
FELLOW COMMISSIONERS SHE
SUGGESTS THE CITY CAN GET THERE
BY SPECIFICALLY ELIMINATING A
LIST OF PERSONNEL AND TEAMS
WITHIN THE BUREAU.
AMONG THEM, 42 POSITIONS
VACATED BY OFFICERS WHO RETIRED
IN AUGUST.
IN AUGUST. INSTEAD OF FILLING THEM,
HARDISTY WANTS THE CITY TO GET
RID OF THEM.
THAT, SHE SAID, WOULD SAVE
AROUND SEVEN MILLION DOLLARS.
SHE ALSO WANTS PBB TO ELIMINATE
A COMBINED ONE POINT TWO
MILLION DOLLARS IN FUNDING FOR
THESE SPECIAL EMERGENCY
RESPONSE TEAM OR CERT AND THE
RAPID RESPONSE TEAM.
THE LATTER IS A KEY COMPONENT
OF THE BUREAU'S RESPONSE TO
PROTESTS WHICH HAVE CONTINUED
ALMOST NIGHTLY FOR MONTHS.
HARDISTY WRITING IN THAT MEMO.
I BELIEVE THERE IS A DIFFERENT
WAY FORWARD FROM WHERE WE HAVE
BEEN A PORTLAND WHERE A REDUCED
POLICE FORCE IS FOCUSED SOLELY
ON SOLVING CRIME, WHERE CRIME
IS ADDRESSED THROUGH A PUBLIC
HEALTH LENS AND WHERE WE MAKE
REINVESTMENTS IN COMMUNITY AND
POLICE ALTERNATIVES.
POLICE ALTERNATIVES. IN THIS CASE SHE CALLS FOR THE
MONEY TO BE REINVESTED INTO
HOUSING AND CAUVIN RELIEF
ESPECIALLY FOR PORTLANDERS
OF COLOR.
OF COLOR.
OF COLOR. IT'S WORTH NOTING COMMISSIONER
HARDESTY HAS REPEATEDLY
DEMANDED MAYOR AND POLICE
COMMISSIONER TED WHEELER HAND
HER CONTROL OF THE POLICE
BUREAU A DEMAND HE HAS
REPEATEDLY REFUSED.
REPEATEDLY REFUSED. AT A PRESS CONFERENCE MONDAY,
HE ALSO REFUSED TO ENDORSE HER
CUTS.
CUTS.
CUTS. >>
CUTS. >> WE STILL HAVE A NUMBER
OF QUESTIONS ABOUT VIRTUALLY
ALL OF THEM IN TERMS OF NUMBER
ONE, WHAT WOULD BE THE IMPACT
ON PUBLIC SAFETY IF THE
REDUCTION WAS TAKEN?
AND NUMBER TWO, HOW DID THEY
GET THE NUMBERS THAT ARE ON
THAT LIST OF PROPOSALS?
AND I'M NOT SURE THAT ALL
OF THOSE ARE NECESSARILY
ACCURATE.
ACCURATE.
ACCURATE. >> HIS OPPONENT IN NEXT WEEK'S
ELECTION SERAI AND AROUND
ENTHUSIASTICALLY ENDORSES THE
CUTS, ESPECIALLY IF IT MEANS
PULLING POLICE BACK FROM
PROTESTS JUST IN JUNE.
>> FOUR MILLION DOLLARS IN
POLICE OVERTIME.
POLICE OVERTIME. WE'RE GOING TO BE MILLIONS
OF DOLLARS OVER BUDGET IN TERMS
OF POLICE STAFFING THIS YEAR
THROUGH LACK OF BAD MANAGEMENT
FRANKLY AND AN INABILITY TO
DEAL WITH THE PROTESTS IN THE
STREETS.
STREETS.
STREETS. >> COMMISSIONERS WILL HAVE SOME
TIME TO WEIGH THEIR OPTIONS.
A FINAL VOTE ON THE
SUPPLEMENTAL FALL BUDGET WON'T
TAKE PLACE UNTIL NEXT WEEK, OK
?
?
? MAGGIE
? MAGGIE VESTBERG JOINING US NOW
IS DO A LITTLE BIT OF MATH.
YOU KNOW PROTESTERS INITIALLY
DEMANDED TO HAVE 50 MILLION
DOLLARS CUT FROM THE BUREAU
WHICH SOUNDED LIKE IT JUST THIS
MASSIVE IMPOSSIBLE NUMBER
REALLY INSTEAD COUNCIL APPROVED
A 15 MILLION DOLLAR CUT.
IF THEY'VE MOVE FORWARD WITH
THIS 18 MILLION DOLLAR CUT,
WE'LL BE LOOKING AT A COMBINED
33 MILLION DOLLARS CUT FROM THE
PORTLAND POLICE BUREAU WHICH
STILL SOUNDS LIKE SUCH A HUGE
NUMBER.
NUMBER.
NUMBER. CAN YOU PUT THAT INTO CONTEXT?
HOW SUBSTANTIAL IS THAT?
>> I CAN'T BY THE WAY, DARN
GOOD MATH.
GOOD MATH. THE PORTLAND POLICE BUREAU'S
BUDGET WAS SUPPOSED TO CLOCK IN
THIS YEAR PRIOR TO ANY OF THESE
CUTS AT TWO HUNDRED HUNDRED
FORTY FOUR MILLION DOLLARS.
SO IF YOU WERE TO TAKE THIRTY
THREE MILLION FROM THAT TOTAL
THIS YEAR, YOU'D BE LOOKING AT
A MORE THAN 13 PERCENT CUT TO
THE POLICE BUREAU'S BUDGET.
SO THAT WOULD BE HISTORIC.
BUT AGAIN, IT'S NOT THAT 50
MILLION THE PROTESTERS CALL FOR
ONE THING THAT HAS PEOPLE
CONCERNED AS WE DISCUSSED CUTS
HAS BEEN THE RISE IN CRIME THAT
HAS SEEMED TO BE IN CONJUNCTION
WITH THE 15 MILLION DOLLAR CUTS
THAT WE SAW DURING THE FIRST
ROUND.
ROUND.
ROUND. >>
ROUND. >> THEY GOT THE GUN VIOLENCE
REDUCTION TEAM AND WE'VE SEEN A
RISE IN GUN VIOLENCE.
WHAT ARE PEOPLE TO THINK AS WE
STILL ARE IN THIS SPIKE IN
CRIME AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
MORE CUTS POTENTIALLY DOWN THE
LINE?
LINE?
LINE? SURE.
SURE.
SURE. >>
SURE. >> SO IT'S WORTH NOTING THAT
THERE IS DEBATE AROUND THE
CAUSE OF THAT SPIKE IN
VIOLENCE.
VIOLENCE.
VIOLENCE. THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, FOR
INSTANCE, POINTS OUT THAT THIS
IS HAPPENING IN OTHER MAJOR
CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND
THEY ALSO POINT OUT THAT SPIKE
IN GUN VIOLENCE WAS ACTUALLY
HAPPENING PRIOR TO THE LAST
ROUND OF CUTS PRIOR TO THAT 15
MILLION DOLLARS IN CUTS.
AT THE SAME TIME, THE PORTLAND
POLICE ASSOCIATION, THE UNION
THAT REPRESENTS POLICE OFFICERS
SAYS ABSOLUTELY NOT.
THEY DO BLAME THIS SPIKE IN
VIOLENCE ON THOSE CUTS.
THEY SAY THERE'S NO QUESTION WE
DO WANT TO POINT OUT BY THE WAY
WE REACHED OUT TO THEM AS WELL
AS THE POLICE BUREAU AND THEY
DIDN'T WANT TO COMMENT ON THIS
STORY.
STORY.
STORY. >>
STORY. >> GOT IT.
YOU KNOW, AS WE TALK POLICING
AND SOME OF THE CUTS THAT CAN
BE MADE, THE CONVERSATION
ALWAYS TURNS TO THE
ALTERNATIVES.
ALTERNATIVES. RIGHT.
RIGHT.
RIGHT. HOW ARE WE GOING TO FILL THAT
VOID AND THE STREET RESPONSE
TEAM KIND OF CAME OUT OF THAT
CONVERSATION EARLY ON DURING
THOSE FIRST ROUND OF CUTS AND
IT GOT THE GROUP THE GREEN
LIGHT, THE GO AHEAD BUT HAVEN'T
REALLY HEARD MUCH ABOUT IT
SINCE.
SINCE.
SINCE. >>
SINCE. >> SO WHERE DO WE STAND WITH
THE STREET RESPONSE TEAM NOW?
SURE.
SURE.
SURE. >>
SURE. >> AND SO FAR REFERENCED BY THE
WAY FOR VIEWERS AT HOME, THE
STREET RESPONSE TEAM REMEMBER
IS THAT PROGRAM WHERE TEAMS,
CRISIS COUNSELORS AND EMT D
WOULD RESPOND TO CALLS
INVOLVING MENTAL HEALTH AND
DRUG ADDICTION, THINGS LIKE
THAT INSTEAD OF POLICE.
THAT SUPPOSED TO LAUNCH THIS
YEAR.
YEAR.
YEAR. LONG STORY SHORT, THE PANDEMIC
DELAYED THOSE PLANS.
SO THOSE HAVE BEEN POSTPONED TO
EARLY NEXT YEAR.