Release the James Chasse Investigation Now

To:  City of Portland

To: Sam Adams, Mayor of Portland, Oregon, Dan Saltzman, Commissioner of the Portland Police Bureau, Rosie Sizer, Chief of the Portland Police Bureau

We, the signers of this petition, are persons in recovery from mental illness and addiction, their friends and family members, their neighbors, co-workers and colleagues, and members of the public.

Together we are alarmed by the lengthy and unwarranted delay in creating and distributing the internal police investigation, a public finding of facts, from a police action over three years ago which resulted in the death of an innocent man at the hands of city employees.

We believe delaying the release of this investigation jeopardizes public safety.

Our collective reason for concern is based on facts.

James P Chasse, Jr. was a mild-mannered person who lived downtown alone and quietly. He had a family, friends, and a rich spiritual life. He also had schizophrenia.

On September 17, 2006, Portland police officers Christopher Humphreys and Kyle Nice, and Multnomah County Sheriff deputy Bret Burton, who is now a Portland police officer, savagely beat James Chasse on a downtown street corner in front of dozens of witnesses.

Thirty minutes later James died from blunt force trauma, still shackled and without comfort or medical treatment, in the back of a Portland police car.

The District Attorney refused to file charges against the three officers involved in October 2006. They remain on duty pending discipline based on the Portland Police Bureau internal investigation.

On January 30 2009, Chief of Police Rosie Sizer was quoted in Willamette Week stating the investigation, 'is going through the process, and I do not think it will take too much longer.'

Impunity is an active danger both to police officers and the public. There is no tool you can provide to the police that exceeds trust and respect for officers, especially in a crisis. This shadow of doubt must be illuminated.

1. We urge the City to finish writing and publicly distribute the internal investigation of what happened to James P Chasse, Jr.

2. We urge the City immediately suspend from duty those city-employed persons involved in this incident pending the release of the investigation.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Release the James Chasse Investigation Now Petition to City of Portland was created by Mental Health Association of Portland and written by Roy Silberstein (info@mentalhealthportland.org).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.