Don’t you think calling this a documentary is a stretch? I think fiction would be more appropriate. Or maybe even “based on a true story with some of the facts changed to push the agenda of the film makers”.

Whoever wrote the statement on the opening page couldn’t even get the facts right. “James was not suspected of a crime, he had not committed a crime.” Since when is taking a leak in public not a crime? I can think of at least two. Offensive Littering under ORS and Indecent Exposure under Portland City Code. Running from the police is a crime too. Interfering with police.

Are you going to write about how the behaviors of the mentally ill and the behaviors of drug abusers are often extremely similar? Are you going to write about how when the police see someone committing a crime and that person runs away and then fights with them it’s not readily apparent the person has mental health issues?

“…he had a family which loved him…” They loved him so much they let him live on the streets. They allowed him to deteriorate to the point he was as fragile as a piece of china. His family loved him…after he died and they saw the potential for a payday.

It’s obvious this is going to be a typical Matt Davis piece of work. One in which he ignores the facts that don’t support his views. Remember this post on racial profiling?
“Police make stops and person contacts based on crime trends, not race. Matt Davis uses numbers in his most recent article to spin a story to show how terrible and racist Portland Police officers are. I have a few numbers to share.
I wish I had more than just the street robbery numbers from one PDX precinct, however, in my experience these numbers are fairly consistent when it comes to major felony crimes (Robbery, Assault, Etc.) Here are the numbers for street robbery in SE PDX in the last 2 months.
There were 23 total suspects reported by the robbery victims.
White = 5 or 22%
Black = 9 or 39%
Hispanic = 8 or 35%
Native American = 1 or 4%
Of those 8 suspects were armed
White = 1
Black = 4
Hispanic = 3
It makes me wonder why numbers like these were not show in Matt's article.”

Not a word. This I’m sure will be no different. Even so, I have a hard time ignoring his articles. They are like a train wreck. I just can’t look away. Good job, Matt.

Wowee. The alleged urination was never proven, and you, sir, have some anger management issues.

Care to tell us who you are? Where did you get those street robbery statistics?

Well I was interessted in the film, until the moment you ruined your credibility with the photo caption "CHASSE PHOTO: Beaten, hogtied, dying…".

If you mean in an existential sense, 'dying', as we all are day by day, than sure that's correct. But, really, have some better journalistic integrity. The man did not start dying there on that sidewalk.

No, I don't mean it in the "existential" sense. It's meant in the "died less than an hour later, in a police car driven by the same officers who'd arrested him, after he'd been cleared on the scene by an ambulance crew and transported to jail, where he spent 23 minutes in a holding cell, and was subsequently denied admission to the jail by a nurse there, and was driven across the river to a hospital 8 miles away as opposed to the emergency room 2 miles from the jail" sense.

I mean it in the "dying" sense. As in, nobody stopped him from dying. As in, he died. As in, he is now dead. Questions?

"Credibility"... "journalistic integrity"... ?

We are talking about Matt Davis, right?

The same.

Yeah, Matt David knows very very little about the medical field and the human body. Whatever.

But he can find his way around a computer keyboard, "s." I wish you guys would post under your real names. Or at least spell mine, correctly.

Davis.

That's better. Now. You were misspelling "existentialism?" Please. Continue...

Wow, with your steady diet of vitriol, I'm hoping I don't see you in the oncology ward any time soon.

Swallowed a thesaurus, did you? My "vitriol" is nothing compared to yours, pal. Or your mate's, in comment #1.

Now: Let's talk about what happened to Chasse. I'd like to hear your thoughts.

Come on, Matt. Anger management issues? Since when does being passionate about something translate to anger management issues. I could read a lot of your posts in a certain tone and say the same thing about you.

As for who I am. I'm a cop. Can't you tell? Where did I get the stats? From robbery detectives. They have stats from the entire city if you care to get in touch with them. If you're nice they may give them to you. As for my name...I'll keep that to myself at this point. I think giving that out could put a target on my chest given the people who are currently running the city. I wouldn't put it past them to find some way to discipline me for speaking my mind.

Firstly, I did not swallow a thesaurus. If I had, I'm sure I would currently be in the emergency room.

Secondly, I don't have a mate. I don't know what you mean.

And lastly, I did talk about Chasse.
You did not listen.

See, Matt. Post #12. Anger management issues?

And no...I'm not any of the cops involved in the Chasse case.

Chaps, chaps. Let's all calm down. Take your pills. Do some deep breathing. My anger-management issues are well-known. Care for half a X_nax?

Now: Anonymous cop. I'm pleased you're commenting. And I really do hope you encourage your colleagues to comment here, too.

I understand why officers are pissed off when issues like racial profiling are covered in the papers:

http://portlandmercury.com/portland/Content?oid=520143&category=22101

And Chasse's death, too, had a lot of officers on the defensive.

But to argue that "those running the city" might put a target on your chest for speaking frankly? It seems at odds with the reality:

http://portlandmercury.com/portland/Content?oid=531575&category=22101

Chief Sizer, herself, has encouraged officers to speak out when they feel the urge. Nobody's stopping you.

Specifically, there are several unanswered questions in the Chasse case.

The biggest is this:

What happened to Chasse at the jail during the 23 minutes he languished in a holding cell, such that his earlier clearance by a team of paramedics led to him dying 10 minutes after being refused admission, with 16 broken ribs?

If you can answer me that, I'll stop asking it.

Why do cops insist on racial profiling? Statements like the above are the reason the people don't trust the police; they bear a general disdain for anyone who questions their mistakes. James Chasse was a big mistake and I'd like to see more attention drawn to this case and police procedures and policies in general. I for one am looking forward to the documentary and I'm glad that it's being done.

It's not Chief Sizer I'm worried about. It's our "Commissioner" Mayor Potter. He succeeded in firing a Lieutenant who didn't violate any policies or break any laws. Chief Sizer could do nothing to stop him. Putting my name out there would only open myself up to the possibility that someone, somewhere in the organization, would take issue with my opinion the fact I am speaking out and they could find "another reason" for discipline.

As for your last post. I'm not "pissed off" when the papers report about racial profiling. I just think when you use numbers as you did in your article, maybe you could go the extra step and compare them to the numbers I posted. If you did, you would see that officers are stopping a smaller percentage of people belonging to a particular race than the percentage that race represents as suspects as reported by the public and they are more often reported to be armed, and therefore more likely to have guns pointed at them.

I don't have the answers for the questions at the end of your post. Looks like they should be answered by AMR and MCDC. 16 broken ribs I'm sure were caused by a combination of Chasse being in such bad physical shape (apparently not able to care for himself and not being cared for by his "loving" family) and the fact a 220 pound officer fell on or tackled him.

The argument may be that he was doing nothing wrong or that the only thing he did was so minor (urinating on the sidewalk) that it didn't warrant a stop or foot chase and arrest. To that I would say that it is on officer's job to stop and contact these people who are committing crimes and violations or reasonable believe they are doing so.

You say the urination thing was not proven, but I have seen people urinating in public and I have made arrests for it. Not once have I collected any evidence. My word and my observation was good enough, as it should be. My word and observations are good enough for traffic violations and other violations and crimes, so this should be no different.

Some may think police should let people go who run away from minor violations or crimes. Then why should anyone stop for the police? That doesn't make any sense. Everyone would know that if they simply run away they will not have to deal with the charges. I also know from experience that when people run from these kinds of stops, there is often something more. Many of them have outstanding arrest warrants for more serious crimes and others may have just committed more serious crimes or were about to.

I have seen reports that say Chasse was beaten to death. I have had to use force in the course of doing my job on a number of occasions and, in a setting like Downtown, I have been accused of doing it for no reason, or beating the person I had to use force against. Most of the time the people complaining had no idea what was going on. I remember chasing a guy on a bicycle one time. He finally stopped and refused to follow my commands to get his hands up. He then began reaching into his pockets instead so I pulled him off of him bike and onto the ground. As I did, out of his pocket came an open knife in his hand. At that point I could have shot the guy. Instead I punched him in the face hoping it would stun him long enough to get the knife away from him. I did not have a Taser at the time, and if I did it would not have been an option given how close I was to him. When it was all said and done, some guy walking by demanded my name and badge number so he could file a complaint because I "beat" the guy for no reason. I asked. The passerby had no idea I have been chasing the guy and had no idea he pulled out a knife. That is only one of many similar experiences and I'm sure if you ask any cop they will tell you the same thing. The public only seems to see only what the cops do, not what the other people do.

I will agree that this case is tragic, but I don't think the cops are at fault. The opening page of the Alien Boy web site states that a grand jury (made up of community members) refused to indict the officers and the city refused to fire them. They were doing their jobs. The officers have, however, been indicted by the court of public opinion, due in my opinion to one sided media reports.

Thanks again for posting, coppy.

I agree that you can look at statistics any number of ways, and indeed, your stats about suspects did stimulate something of a lively debate here in the newsroom. When I say "lively debate," I mean "argument," about what they might mean.

I don't think cops should be expected, any more than I should, as a white man, to ever fully comprehend what it means to have white privilege. Statistics are interesting ways into that argument but they don't tell the whole story. You're right.

Why should the questions I ask have to be answered by AMR and MCDC? Is it possible, perhaps, that Chasse's ribs were in good shape before he arrived at the jail, and that he should indeed have been cleared at the scene by the ambulance crew?

Why should MCDC have to account for what happened to Chasse in the jail, when the arresting officers remained with him at the jail?

As to the honesty or reliability of the officers' assertions that Chasse may have been urinating, one officer said Chasse was "acting strange." An officer told onlookers he was a "drug dealer with 14 cocaine convictions," which was a lie. He showed the onlookers bread crumbs, claiming they were crack. That was not true. How is that part of the job? Why should we trust the officers' word about the urination, when witnesses say they lied about who Chasse was and why they were beating him?

I also understand that officers are accused, often, of using inappropriate force when their force was appropriate. I went through citizens' police academy and learned all about levels of control. I understand that cops, often, feel they're damned if they do and damned if they don't, in situations like the one you describe.

In this case, you say the reports are "one-sided." But tell me, honestly: Do you not, as a cop with an inquiring mind, have the slightest doubt in your mind about whether the cops really were just "doing their jobs" that day, as you say they were?

Officers will often say "you'd think, reading the newspapers, that we're all criminals," and then go on to say, "really, it's just a tiny percentage of us that are bad."

Well, someone has to have done something corrupt, sometime. Something fishy has to have happened, sometime. Tom Potter says he "saw things as a police officer" that he "didn't like."

So I ask it again:

What happened to James Chasse during the 23 minutes he was in a holding cell at the Multnomah County Detention Center, shortly before he died?

Dear No Name,

Perhaps perhaps. What disappointed me, and many of my friends, is the inability of your friends to withhold action, to chose another way to intervene with Mr. Chasse's acute mental illness beyond beating him to death. Your position is weirdly weak and incapable of consideration, mercy or compassion - which I know from experience with other officers is not a requirement for your position.

Further, to defend the actions of your peers regardless of the pain and suffering they cause is peculiar, disappointing and clearly self-interested. It makes me doubt I want you specifically to be patrolling our community with license and weapons. Have you considered another line of work?

Good luck Matt. It's a potent undertaking with plenty of passion to be displayed on both sides. Here's the question to be answered - what did we, collectively, learn from Chasse?

A doc? More like an opinion piece. Just goes to show your bias once again Matt. You are not a journalist. You are a cop hating pos brit.

Dear Whatever: You're not adding anything to this discourse except the obvious fact that you're a horse's ass. Either stay on topic, or move along.

Matt, you're right. I don't know what happened in the 23 minutes he was at MCDC. But the reason I think the question is better answered by AMR or MCDC is this. AMR cleared Chasse to be transported. They and PFB were the only people there who are medically trained, although I'm sure it's only a matter of time until someone decides that police need to be EMT certified as well, adding one more thing to their ever-growing list of jobs. AMR evaluated Chasse and cleared him to go to MCDC.

If I'm reading your posts correctly I think you are inferring that it's possible Chasse was healthy enough to be cleared at first, but his injuries happened somewhere either during the transport to MCDC or at MCDC. If the question is, "Is that possible?" then I guess the only answer is "yes", just about anything is possible. I just don't think it's at all likely. When we transport someone the transport times are entered into the computer and become a record of that call. Once at MCDC the deputies are in charge of the arrested person, not the arresting officers. It is rare that an arresting officer has any physical contact whatsoever with an arrested person once through the door at MCDC. If Chasse went in to a holding cell at MCDC, he would have been put there by jail deputies and the officers would not have gone in. So again, I don't find it likely his injuries happened there, not to mention the fact that MCDC is full of video cameras and audio equipment.

I believe there are bad cops who do bad things, even in Portland. Recent obvious examples are the "Pervo Cops" as you put it. But I think what people see and know of this case is what it is. I don't believe anything has been hidden and I think that it is extremely rare, especially in Portland, that "cover ups" happen, if at all. I know people on this blog are going to jump on me for that, but I do the job and work within the organization, and I have never ever seen anything to make me even remotely believe that this has happened.

About what the officers supposedly told witnesses about Chasse being a drug dealer, if that is true, it could be for a reason. I don't know. I have told people similar things before and I had a reason for doing so. Take for instance the guy I wrote about that approached me after I chased the guy on the bike. If he had kept yelling and harping at me that I beat the guy, I may have told him something similar hoping it would make him just go away and stop interfering with the arrest. Sometimes it's easier to do that than deal with people getting in the middle of your work. I guess the alternative to lying to someone could be to arrest them as well. I'm not saying that this is common practice, but I'm saying I have done it in the interest of doing my job. When it comes down to it though, I don't see that these statements matter given the circumstances. The question is how Chasse died, not what was said by the police, in my opinion.

Cindy, it's apparent you didn't read my posts. You write about the inability to withhold action. You obviously missed the part where I talk about how it is our job to take action. We are to address livability issues and to enforce laws. If we ignore it or let people run off, can you imagine what it would do to the crime rate? And, like I said, when people run, they often have arrest warrants or are doing other kinds of illegal activity. You also say they should have chosen another way to intervene with Mr. Chasse's acute mental illness. Did you read the part where I talk about how the behavior of the mentally ill is ofter the same as those who abuse drugs? And we all know people on drugs are often out committing crimes, making victims out of people like you, in order to support their habits. Did you also miss the part where I talk about how police rarely know someone is mentally ill until after they are contacted. I actually wonder if it was known Chasse was mentally ill during the entire contact with him. I have dealt with mentally ill people and not known until after the fact, and I have been a CIT officer for over 6 years. Cindy, maybe you should work on some sort of program that has mentally ill people wear something like hot pink shirts so police know who they are and can deal with them appropriately as a result.

Cindy, I don't ever expect people like you to "get it". You seem like the kind of person that wants no proactive police work done in the City of Portland, probably only until you are a victim and you want a cop 5 minutes ago. That way you can be upset for another reason. That the police are never around when you need them No matter what anyone tells you, I'm sure you will continue to dislike police. But that's okay. We will still be there for you when you call, protecting you and your ignorance from those who will take advantage. As for Matt, I think there is still hope.

No Name: Thanks again for commenting. Your opinions are really very valuable and appreciated. I think the public benefits from seeing your point of view.

You said:

"If Chasse went in to a holding cell at MCDC, he would have been put there by jail deputies and the officers would not have gone in. So again, I don't find it likely his injuries happened there, not to mention the fact that MCDC is full of video cameras and audio equipment."

Would he? Why? Is there policy? Are such policies routinely followed?

And you're wrong: there are no cameras in the holding cells at MCDC. The booking area has cameras. The holding cells don't.

In fact, since Chasse died, numerous people have come forward to allege beatings at the hands of sheriff's deputies in those holding cells. One man, Michael Evans, was in fact beaten on camera, or "restrained," depending on your point of view, in the booking area itself, also in September 2006.

It's now a pretty well established fact that the chain of command at the jail is in need of repair, and that policy and procedure has repeatedly been taken advantage of, both by sheriff's deputies, and occasionally, by their friends in the police bureau who happen to be dropping in.

And "whatever," Steve is right. Thanks, Steve!

I salute Matt Davis' efforts. Should nobody ever question the mighty law and police? Police already have way too much freedom, while you and me must nearly always be cognizant of following various 'important' lawns. Who oversees the cops and law enforcers for regular folks? Nobody really except the occasional interested journalist.

That is what got 'us' into this national situation of excessive laws designed to filter money from hard working people's pockets...amongst other tactics.

Also, can anyone honestly say jails are doing a good job in helping people become straight and narrow? If not, why don't we just give life to anyone committing a crime requiring a jail term of more than one year? Because you're basically fucked after getting out of that sick,twisted,sadistic place.

Lastly, this is not the right place for this discussion. We need a national discussion on the future of laws and corrections in America. I'm not optimistic. Perhaps the next Mercury Debate Club could be about the future of law enforcement tactics, locally and nationally - where they will likely go and where we would like to see laws go. National iris and fingerprint database for all citizens!???! That is getting bids as we speak. WE ARE FUCKED!

BTW, I have immense respect for officers working the beat with even the least bit of humility and empathy. That is a tough job that, frankly, the public will never fully understand. Being around criminals all day and having to take people's money and freedom is not easy on your mind or soul...for even the coldest hearted soul. It changes your very being. Good people become anti-social, sweet people become withdrawn assholes. I'd probably be an ass of a cop too.

With that said, I wish there was an easy answer. Regardless, putting out more info about police tactics is good. Questioning incidents is good. Much good has come from the Chasse incident. Sadly, it DOES take horrible shit in our society to implement changes.

Harassing a cop while they arrest someone is just plain retarded. There is a major difference between questioning police behavior and plainly showing disdain. I suspect Matt or myself would never think to harass a cop during an arrest...unless they were arresting me, of course. Even then, not a good idea.

What is this film actually about? That hasn't been addressed in this thread. Is it about his death or his life? I'm curious...

I look forward to supporting and to seeing this documentary. Good luck with the research, Matt.

It is no surprise that Portland's finest jumped all over themselves to defend their thin blue line. How any human can look at that photo - that one photo - and not be ashamed at the spectacle of 11 public servants standing over a dying man is beyond me.

I confronted the complicit Sgt Nice about this case in Nov 06. He ended the argument with "wait until all the facts come out". I wonder, to you PPB folks out there, when are you going to put your facts out?

If what happened to Chasse doesn't qualify as at least "depraved indifference" if not actually murder, then the law needs to be rewritten, ASAP. The degree of simple humanity required to see this should be a base entry requirement for the PPD. Only a depraved thug could defend what happened to Chasse.

The film is about Chasse's life, his illness, and his death. Something that hasn't been mentioned much here is what a remarkable person James was-inspiring at least two songs to be written about him as a teenager.

I'd say the mysterious circumstances of Chasse's death make up about 20% of the research we've been doing, so far, into the project. That's not to say his death wasn't crucially important for Portland, but we're looking to bring the person, James Chasse, to life.

Matt, you're right about the cameras at MCDC. But the holding cells are all within "public" view, meaning other inmates can walk right by then. On top of that, I could be wrong because I don't work there, but I think the doors to the holding cells are covered by the cameras. As far as police going into the holding cells, I have never seen it happen and never heard of it happening. Yes, anything is possible. I don't know if there is a policy at the jail that says deputies will be the only people in the cells or not, but I remember when I was hired I was told MCDC is their domain. We let deputies deal with people while we do our paper work. So if Chasse's injuries did happen at MCDC, which I still don't believe (it would be hard to convince me there was even close to anything resembling a cover up here), the question should be asked of MCDC and not the officers who arrested him. As for what goes on in MCDC, like I said, I don't know because I haven't seen it. That is on them.

No Name:

Michael Evans was beaten in the booking area of the jail just six days before Chasse spent time there. ["Summary Injustice," news, Jul 19, 2007.]

Two more people have filed tort claims against the city, alleging they were beaten in holding cells out of sight of the video cameras, by sheriff's deputies ["Jail Guards Run Wild!, news, Sep 13, 2007.]

Richard Prentice says he was intimidated in a holding cell by Sgt.Kyle Nice and Officer Christopher Humphreys—the officers involved in Chasse's death—last June 14, after putting up posters calling them "killers." ["Thought Police," news, June 28.] Nice essentially confessed to having done so by emailing the Mercury ["Naughty or Nice?", News, July 5, 2007.]

If the Independent Police Review investigation into Prentice's complaint ever gets finished, it's possible they'll have been proven to have gone against policy by entering a cell they had no business in.

Chasse was cleared at the scene of his arrest by trained paramedics. He spent 23 minutes in the jail, then was driven to hospital by Nice and Humphreys. He died, it's alleged, en route.

When, and how, did he sustain 16 broken ribs?

You're saying it's only the jail that knows the answer to that question, but that feels like passing the buck to me. Is it easy to break 16 of an otherwise healthy 42-year-old man's ribs? Or does it take a sustained effort?

Can you kill a man by falling on him? By tackling him to the ground?

What I'm saying is there is no question it can happen and I believe did happen when an extremely weak, frail Chasse, who could not care for himself and nobody else cared for, fell to the ground and was fallen on top of, just as the investigation showed. You say it's possible he was okay prior to his original transport and was injured later, possibly at jail. If that is the case, then I'm saying MCDC is where the answer to your question is and people shouldn't be calling for the heads of the officers. Obviously I don't know because I wasn't there, this is my opinion based on what I know. I just do not believe in the whole "conspiracy/cover-up" theory. I think it is what it is and that is what you see.

The holding cells were in two different places, by the way. The holding cells at jail are run by deputies, the cells at the precincts are used by police. Prentice was at Central when he claims he was "intimidated"

Good job, Matt. It seems like another uninformed, small-minded bigot is putting out stats from un-named sources and presenting them as truth. You know how they think, if they don't fit into their narrow mold, then they don't count or have basic human rights. Maybe he or she should give at least part of thrie name if they are so sure of the facts and themselves. you know how it goes, though. They hide in the dark so as not to see the truth for what it REALLY is

No Name: How are we to know whether there's been any cover-up, when the police bureau's internal affairs investigation into Chasse's death is yet to be completed?

There is no evidence to suggest Chasse was weak or frail. He was a physically healthy man with no drugs in his system. The [first] autopsy says he was in good health and that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the chest caused by another person or a fall.

I'm not disputing Prentice was in another holding cell when he alleges he was intimidated. But Nice admits he has no problem going into a cell where he has no business being.

I hear that you're expressing your opinion based on what you know, and so am I. My opinion is that we don't have enough facts to say there wasn't a cover up. And my opinion is that the facts we do have should prompt us to ask more.

This argument that Chasse was a failure of the mental health system, that his family should have been there to care for him? It's all about blame-shifting.

Chasse was beaten on, and died in mysterious circumstances on, the streets of his home town. By police officers who saw him "acting strangely."

There's a documentary to be made.

Matt, we will just have to continue to disagree. I didn't expect otherwise, but it was a good discussion. Just please be fair when writing your movie.

Dale, I think your comment is worthless. If you read the posts you'll see where I got the stats and you'll see why I'm not comfortable giving my name. I find it funny, however, that you, being oh so open minded, had to resort to name calling (uninformed, small-minded bigot). Good job.

Matt,

What struck me in reading about Chasse is that he seemed to spend so much of his life over many years within a few blocks of where his arrest took place. If we truly had community policing, this contact would have been with the cops on the local beat who would have known him and known of his mental health issues. (And very possibly, he would have known them and not reacted with such fear.) A lot of "what ifs" but I think this is important to consider when looking for solutions.

I appreciate No Name being willing to post his views.

Me too. It's extraordinary being able to have a frank discussion with a cop over the issue. I'm sorry that people have called him names because it takes guts to engage in a forum like this when you know your opinion isn't going to be popular.

And yes, No Name, I think we'll have to continue to disagree. But I will do my utmost to be fair when writing the movie. If you want to appear in it as an anonymous officer--we'll do the blackout thing, and change your voice to Eartha Kitt's or something--I'd be delighted.

rww: The concept of community policing, as it relates to Chasse's death, is an interesting one. When Potter was police chief, he said he'd need 200 more cops to do it effectively. Now there are 200 fewer cops than there were when he said that. So officers are overstretched.

Not only that, but Multnomah County has slashed funding for mental health programs that would have helped these people. Portland hasn't had a sub-acute center--somewhere for cops to take people like Jim, who were in crisis--since 2003. Read the piece "disappointed" in this newspaper, from two weeks ago, to find out more about why Ted Wheeler might never get the thing built.

So cops are placed, with hardly any resources, in a situation where they have to be the safety net for people the community should have caught, long ago. We scapegoat the officers, but its our collective failure.

That's not to detract from some of the very real questions over Chasse's death, in particular. But it does place it in context.

I think the proposed documentary is AN EXCELLENT IDEA!

Wake up people, we are living in a police state!

No other country on earth has more of its own population in prison that the good old UNITED STATES OF AMERIKA!

And you mess with the police you die.

END OF STORY!

It seems we are missing the point of what this documentary is about..

I think it would be the hope of those who knew Jim Jim from the early punk scene that this documentary will bring a human face to him, and will bring some understanding about the battles of living with mental illness.

We are sickened and saddened at how he faced his last hours, knowing his fragile mental state, and his fears (which go back many years) that some evil would come for him.. He was truly in terror of this, and I am not surprised that he ran from the police, given his mental state. I am not trying to make excuses for his behavior, but no one seems to be viewing the world through JimJim's eyes.

As a young man, he was a creative soul with a truly innocent heart, and it is no wonder he inspired both Greg Sage and the Neoboys to write songs about him.

I understand it is the police's job to *take action* depending on the situation. However, it is apparent that additional training into recognizing the signs of mental illness is needed.

another small point upon further pontification... its easy for all of us to make judgments sitting in our comfortable homes.. but what about the homeless mentally ill person? We keep asking them to *live by our standards*. If someone is living on the streets, and most businesses won't let him in to use the facilities.. where is he supposed to relieve himself? People have different levels of existence here.. I am not advocating disregard of the rules.. but I keep seeing people judging JimJim's life by a much higher standard of living than he faced.

JimJim existed with demons we will never be privy too, how can we judge him or his actions by our standards? We walk out the door and can take the world at face value. he couldn't.... he couldn't discern the same reality we take for granted..

We need to address the issues of the Mentally Ill in our communities. If nothing else comes of this effort, I hope it will bring some understanding and maybe some change in the system, which is tragically broken in regards to this population.

Though I knew Jim not, I was another kid
who was stumbling through "reality"
in the same places, at the same time.
I am horrified by what I read about his
treatment by the police. Where I am now,
the police slogan is "To protect and Serve"
I live in Lake View Terrace.
Ring any bells?