James Perez

I just got back from the protest rally over James Perez' death. It was powerful and moving, angry, sad, full of grief and rage but also filled with hope for justice and potential reconciliation. I was standing in the section to the right of the stage, just behind most of the speakers, and was touched and amazed by the way the speakers connected with the crowd to express outrage and anger but also to promote peaceful methods of resolution, nonviolent ways to demand justice. It was a phenomenal gathering - the energy was good and even the anger wasn't threatening or overpowering.

I think what impressed me most was the feeling of resolve. The feeling of community and togetherness. What saddens me is that we rarely experience this type of bonding and those experiences are usually the result of a tragedy. That feeling of oneness should be an everyday thing - it should BE our experience of community, not the exception. I want my community to know that I support them. I believe that we deserve justice. After listening to several of the speakers, I also now feel that our police force needs something - whether its additional training or a big old revamping, I don't know.

It's difficult for me to speak to the issue of police because I don't believe the system in place now is working (obviously not) but I don't have a good alternative or solution either. The issue of excessive force is not local to Portland, it's nationwide. Actually, it's global and the world leaders are the ones setting the example. But following the leader has never been a good excuse for killing people. Although I have great compassion for the officer, my loyalty and support lie with the community. I believe the officer should definitely be brought up on charges and that the law should decide his guilt or innocence - just as it would a civilian who was accused of the same crime.

There are is a lot of information about what happened, here are a few articles I found interesting:

Robert King's (the police union leader) opinion on what might have happened. He wasn't there but he walks us through a hypothetical situation, step by step. The thing to remember is this: Only 24 seconds elapsed from the time the officers called in the traffic stop until Perez was murdered.

Additional information on the officer who killed Perez.

This story is interesting in that it addresses, in great detail, the issue of drugs found in Perez' body. Although I won't say that drugs are completely irrelevant, it think the media focus on the drugs & Perez' criminal background is mainly a distraction from the main issue - the fact that (apparently) a police officer murdered a young, black male for no obvious reason. The larger issue is also being treated somewhat lightly - the issue of the use of excessive force, especially towards the nonwhite community.

Speak up against ongoing police violence and lack of accountability.

One last note - I got to hear Democrat R.P. “Joe” Smith of Portland speak. He's a very new member of the Oregon house and I'd never heard of him. This is the first time I've ever met a politician that I thought I might be able to vote for and not feel I was compromising myself. I know nothing else about him but he spoke eloquently and he spoke to the grief and anger of the crowd. The amazing thing is - he's an old white guy but he connected with the audience and it was obvious that he felt the pain & outrage of the community and wanted to help put things right. To add a somewhat cynical comment - we'll see what happens...