Now is your chance to do your bit for democracy.

Street Roots is starting a campaign calling for more oversight of Portland’s Rent-A-Cops—the armed guards patrolling downtown Portland, (with the power to issue park exclusions dressed like real cops but with no real oversight):

Nearly 1,000 park exclusions have been issued in Portland public parks since November by private security guards without the public’s oversight.

The idea that a private institution, in this case, Portland Patrol Inc., has the capacity to enforce public policy that is upheld in a court of law without the public knowing their training procedures or what discretion security guards are using is unacceptable for Portlanders. Public parks and sidewalks belong to all of us and should not be controlled by private institutions that hire a private police force to patrol Portland.

Private security oversight could be rolled into the current Independent Police Review (IPR) — minimizing the bureaucracy that would be created by inventing a whole new system. The infrastructure for the IPR is in place, and could be the channel for people to reach the city and citizen oversight groups with regard to policing the private police.

This is different from private guards on private property. And it’s different from the city directly employing security, accountable to the city and ultimately to elected officials. This is private security employed by private business interests. Any measure of public questions and concerns are now ricocheted between private entities, without transparency and clear oversight by the public they monitor.

Portland is known for its green spaces and phenomenal park system, accessible and belonging to all. It is not known for being a police state, yet the numbers of uniformed patrols seems to grow year by year. Let’s keep this expansive rent-a-cop system in check, and let’s begin with the public’s property.

Street Roots says you can email the mayor and city commissioners, asking for more oversight of PPI. Or you can go ahead and email the mayor by clicking here. Here’s a suggested line or two:

“Dear Tom,

I know how you like to keep the Portland Business Alliance happy (after all, its members forked out huge amounts of money for your “strong mayor” campaign), but how about standing up for once and making the PBA take responsibility for its private police force?

Doubtless this will ruffle a few feathers, and you’ll probably have to form a committee before going ahead, but I think you should put PPI under the auspices of the city’s Independent Police Review, and take some other real steps to make them more accountable to the public. Otherwise your promise to work towards “community policing” will ring hollow in the eyes of the public.

Still, you probably don’t care.

Best wishes,

Mr.Sockpuppet.

Or you could cut and paste some of Street Roots’ “constructive,” and “respectful” comments. I’m just offering you options, here…