This Week in the Mercury
Thursday, August 13, 2009
News / Courts Perlman Arrested for Defacing Recall Petition
Posted by Rachael the Unpaid News Intern on Thu, Aug 13, 2009 at 3:32 PM
Lee Perlman, the man accused of defacing a Recall Sam Adams petition, was arrested today on a misdemeanor charge of criminal mischief in the third degree.
Volunteers Gaye Harris and Joe Favata were getting signatures in the parking lot of the Albina Community Bank in northeast Portland on August 6 when Perlman approached them and asked to sign. He then scribbled across the petition, which already had eight valid signatures, and returned it to the volunteers, saying “here’s my signature,” according to Jasun Wurster, head of campaign to recall the mayor.
The volunteers got a picture of his license plate as he drove away and then called the police, says Wurster.
- Perlman in custody
“We’re deeply disturbed that he thought he could silence eight citizens,” Wurster told the Mercury. “We’re going to prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law. Our attorneys are in contact with the DA’s office and the Secretary of State elections division to see if any [more serious] crimes have been perpetrated by Mr. Perlman.”
Perlman is a writer for the Hollywood Star News and other local publications. When contacted Monday for his comment regarding the incident, he said, “I think it best I don’t talk about it.”
Perlman is still in custody on $1,000 bail. The jail only allows visitors on the weekends.
Update, 3:49pm
District Attorney Mike Schrunk says he is yet to reach a charging decision in the case.
"We'll figure it out and file the appropriate charge, if there is one," he says. "And if we don't, then we'll come up with a written reason why we haven't charged him."
Schrunk said as far as he knew, there was no conferring between the DA's office and the cops before arresting Perlman. Police spokeswoman Mary Wheat concurred. "We don't make decisions based on politics," she says.
City Auditor Andrew Carlstrom says the eight signatures defaced by Perlman are still valid, because everything is still legible on the petition.
"I'd much rather be thinking about some of the other crimes that happen in this town," says Schrunk. "It's not like it's armed robbery, but it seems to be interfering with the process and there should be a consequence for doing that."
Asked whether he would be pursuing the death penalty in this case, Schrunk declined comment.
-Rachael Marcus
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Also, the recall campaign is going to fail horribly regardless of this dumbass acting out.
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Although I guess that's sort of the premise of the recall to begin with.
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"City Auditor Andrew Carlstrom says the eight signatures defaced by Perlman are still valid, because everything is still legible on the petition."
No signatures were vandalized. And also, show where place the Merc staff did anything other than report this factually. There was no editorialzing on this one.
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Writing graffiti on a wall is still vandalism, even if the wall is still functional. Something doesn't have to be destroyed to be vandalized. I think my reading comp skills are up to snuff, smartass.
And the death penalty remark is plenty editorializing for me, especially given the context of the Mercs coverage of the recall.
This is hardly the issue Wurster would like to make it out as, but it's still plenty bullshit. Not being able to admit that is pathetic, regardless of your opinion of Sam or the recall.
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A) It was a dickish thing to do.
B) It's not really that big a deal, and didn't do any serious damage, but it was still dickish.
C) The anti-Sam crowd are trying to make a mountain out of a molehill about it because it might help them achieve their aims.
Hang on, I've forgotten whether I was talking about the signatures or the recall's premise...
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Really give these charges some thought, J'ai sin.
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-Rachael Marcus"
Good bye Mercury. This is not reporting.
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Grow up doofus. Quit grandstanding.
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-They're probably not going to get the signatures.
-They are getting super cheap rent for their offices.
-Their signature form has been defaced.
-Wurster is finally wearing a suit.
sorry, pro-recallers, the Sam part of this isn't very interesting to most of us anymore.
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