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Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Cops BREAKING: City Pays Family of Aaron Campbell $1.2 Million, Largest Payment Ever for Claim Against Police
Posted by Sarah Mirk on Wed, Feb 1, 2012 at 11:09 AM
- Jon Sperry
- Aaron Campbell was shot by an officer in the back two years ago.
Mayor Sam Adams sent out a brief statement formally apologizing to Campbell's family: "Today’s settlement does not erase the Campbell family’s pain, nor does it bring back their father, son, brother, and cousin—and for that, I am very sorry."
Campbell's mother Marva Davis sent out a heart-wrenching letter about the settlement just minutes ago. Here's an excerpt and the whole thing (pdf):
We are told that this is the most money that the city insurer has ever paid out on a claim against the Portland Police Bureau, although in truth it does not seem like enough for the losses we have suffered. We are grateful, however, that we will not have to relive the events of that awful time, and reopen those wounds again. We are also grateful for the support that we have received from family, friends and members of the community who have supported us throughout.We take to heart that officer-involved shootings have gone down in Portland since Aaron was killed, and choose to believe that in some measure, losing him has made our community safer from those we've armed with guns, and entrusted with the community's safety.
However, this needs to be said. During the case, our attorneys uncovered some very troubling information regarding our police policies and practices.
Davis' letter continued:
First, we are very disappointed with Police Chief Reese's refusal to add language to the Police Bureau's use of force policy requiring in writing that officers take a person's emotional upset or mental illness into consideration as a factor when making a decision to use force... Second, Chief Reese assured the public in disciplining the officers involved that Police Bureau policy required that before shooting to kill, the facts and circumstances must justify the conclusion that the citizen's behavior amounts to an immediate threat to life. The Chief's investigation concluded that Aaron Campbell clearly did not present such a danger to anyone. Compare this with the fact that Officers Frashour and Lewton were going to call as witnesses at trial eleven of the trainers who teach our officers the rules. All of these trainers were to testify under oath that Chief Reese is wrong.
2
OH FUCK, I AM SO SICK OF THAT GODDAMNED ILLUSTATION FROM JON SPERRY. PLEASE STOP USING IT. KTHANXBAI
3
Well, this is [i guess] a positive outcome.
A far better outcome would've seen ALL these dirty, filthy, cowardly, murdering, racist goddamn PIGS being FIRED and CHARGED with with Aaron's killing, as well as civil rights abuses, postmortem abuse, etc.
Or better yet, maybe if someone had simple shown this brother some love and told him that shit was gonna be alright. Instead of gunning him the fuck down in his worse moment, like he wasn't even human! FUCKING GODDAMN COPS!
A far better outcome would've seen ALL these dirty, filthy, cowardly, murdering, racist goddamn PIGS being FIRED and CHARGED with with Aaron's killing, as well as civil rights abuses, postmortem abuse, etc.
Or better yet, maybe if someone had simple shown this brother some love and told him that shit was gonna be alright. Instead of gunning him the fuck down in his worse moment, like he wasn't even human! FUCKING GODDAMN COPS!
4
how much deescalation training could be buy for 1.2 million? maybe the police should start spending the money BEFORE it happens?
5
As a Retired RN, BSN, and clinical MSW, who worked nearly all of my 25+ full-time year career, amongst most Portland area health care systems, I have this to say about the matter. Nearly ALL of the inappropriate SHOOTINGS of unarmed citizens stem from the fact that Dammasch State Hospital was closed, along with Holladey Park Hospital, Cedar Hills (Psychiatric) Hospital, Bess Kaiser Hospital, and (later) Pacific Gateway (Psychiatric) Hospital, in the 1990's. I KNOW! Mental health services are MY specialty, in this area!
Too many "mental health advocates" believed (erroneously, IMHO), that if we just "dumped all of the severely mentally ill people" of Oregon, out into the streets, that would save the taxpayers of Oregon SO MUCH MONEY! WRONG! People with SEVERE disabilities need SAFE, SUPPORTIVE, PREDICTABLE environments, in which to live.
Unfortunately, too many of them have TRASHED one group home, after ANOTHER group home, until there are NO group homes that will TAKE them! Taxpayers have been picking up the COSTS of these trashed group homes, though few are aware of it! Having spent some time working at Dammasch State Hospital, it SICKENS me, to know that some people are considering turning it into a PRISON now, INSTEAD of building the long-term MENTAL HEALTH HOSPITALS we NEED, here in Oregon!
Psychiatric/Mental PROFESSIONAL STAFF do NOT SHOOT their patients! We REALIZE that their brain chemistries are OFF, so provide APPROPRIATE SUPPORT SERVICES and LIMITS, until their thinking is clearer, again! Police officers are NOT TRAINED TO DO THIS!!!!!!! Most of them know nearly NOTHING about mental health, let ALONE severely mentally impaired individuals!
They are SO AFRAID of severely mentally ill individuals, that they scream "I'm SCARED", at the drop of a HAT, IMHO! Until LICENSED, FULL-TRAINED mental health professionals AND SECURE long-term psychiatric hospitals RETURN to Oregon, these inappropriate shootings WILL CONTINUE! NO ONE WANTS to be severely or permanently DISABLED, though some people appear to believe that persons dealing with these illnesses WANT them!
Because Oregonians CHOSE to dump our Mental Health system, in the 1990's, we are REAPING what has been being "sowed" for DECADES, NOW! Some severely mentally ill individuals CANNOT live in group homes! They REFUSE to take their medications, they don't eat/sleep/bathe/groom/etc. themselves, on a regular basis, they get into trouble with illicit drugs/alcohol/prostitution/crime/gambling/violence in our COMMUNITIES, then end up homeless, severely physically ill, malnourished, ignored, overlooked, dead and/or DUMPED INTO PRISONS, which are NOT appropriate locations for people with severe/permanent mental health disorders!
PRISONS/JAILS are INAPPROPRIATE locations to WAREHOUSE ILL CITIZENS! However, throughout history, the GREEDY and CALLOUSED amongst us, have ALWAYS PREFERRED prisons, to hospitals! They are, generally, completely INDIFFERENT to BOTH populations! "Out of SIGHT = Out of MIND" to FAR TOO MANY Americans!
Forcing severely ill people to live homeless lives, is ALSO, inappropriate! If they were capable of making wise, responsible CHOICES, most of them would NEVER have CHOSEN to live on the streets! Yet, most Oregonians have CHOSEN to treat these ill individuals as IF they WERE wise, responsible adults! Wrong choice, IMHO!
One of the FIRST things any hospital mental health RN will DO, is to REMOVE the gun of a public safety officer, the MINUTE that officer arrives on the mental health unit. Been there, done that, countless times! WHY does that occur? Because we DO NOT ALLOW WEAPONS of ANY type to be out of OUR control.
No guns, knives, razor blades, scissors, ropes, lighters, matches, or other potentially hazardous implements are allowed on hospital mental health units! None of the PROFESSIONAL staff wants to end up dead, nor do we want our patients to end up that way, EITHER! That is what WE work to PREVENT!
However, as long as the politicians and general public of Oregon remain INDIFFERENT to the safety of our ill citizens, MORE of them will, unnecessarily, DIE! That is due to the FACT that police officers/prison guards are NOT licensed HEALTH care providers, for the most part! There is a HUGE DIFFERENCE between being a police officer/prison guard and being a licensed health care provider!
If Oregonians, INCLUDING our MD Governor got their PRIORITIES straight, in this state, we would ALL be MUCH better off, IMHO! Stop dumping ill people into our PRISONS or on the STREETS and there will be a REMARKABLE shift in how our entire state looks, feels, and lives! We MUST have stable, reliable, SECURE housing, created for our long-term, unstable, mentally ill citizens. Facts ARE facts, everyone!
Janiece Staton Retired RN, BSN, MSW, MAT
More...
Too many "mental health advocates" believed (erroneously, IMHO), that if we just "dumped all of the severely mentally ill people" of Oregon, out into the streets, that would save the taxpayers of Oregon SO MUCH MONEY! WRONG! People with SEVERE disabilities need SAFE, SUPPORTIVE, PREDICTABLE environments, in which to live.
Unfortunately, too many of them have TRASHED one group home, after ANOTHER group home, until there are NO group homes that will TAKE them! Taxpayers have been picking up the COSTS of these trashed group homes, though few are aware of it! Having spent some time working at Dammasch State Hospital, it SICKENS me, to know that some people are considering turning it into a PRISON now, INSTEAD of building the long-term MENTAL HEALTH HOSPITALS we NEED, here in Oregon!
Psychiatric/Mental PROFESSIONAL STAFF do NOT SHOOT their patients! We REALIZE that their brain chemistries are OFF, so provide APPROPRIATE SUPPORT SERVICES and LIMITS, until their thinking is clearer, again! Police officers are NOT TRAINED TO DO THIS!!!!!!! Most of them know nearly NOTHING about mental health, let ALONE severely mentally impaired individuals!
They are SO AFRAID of severely mentally ill individuals, that they scream "I'm SCARED", at the drop of a HAT, IMHO! Until LICENSED, FULL-TRAINED mental health professionals AND SECURE long-term psychiatric hospitals RETURN to Oregon, these inappropriate shootings WILL CONTINUE! NO ONE WANTS to be severely or permanently DISABLED, though some people appear to believe that persons dealing with these illnesses WANT them!
Because Oregonians CHOSE to dump our Mental Health system, in the 1990's, we are REAPING what has been being "sowed" for DECADES, NOW! Some severely mentally ill individuals CANNOT live in group homes! They REFUSE to take their medications, they don't eat/sleep/bathe/groom/etc. themselves, on a regular basis, they get into trouble with illicit drugs/alcohol/prostitution/crime/gambling/violence in our COMMUNITIES, then end up homeless, severely physically ill, malnourished, ignored, overlooked, dead and/or DUMPED INTO PRISONS, which are NOT appropriate locations for people with severe/permanent mental health disorders!
PRISONS/JAILS are INAPPROPRIATE locations to WAREHOUSE ILL CITIZENS! However, throughout history, the GREEDY and CALLOUSED amongst us, have ALWAYS PREFERRED prisons, to hospitals! They are, generally, completely INDIFFERENT to BOTH populations! "Out of SIGHT = Out of MIND" to FAR TOO MANY Americans!
Forcing severely ill people to live homeless lives, is ALSO, inappropriate! If they were capable of making wise, responsible CHOICES, most of them would NEVER have CHOSEN to live on the streets! Yet, most Oregonians have CHOSEN to treat these ill individuals as IF they WERE wise, responsible adults! Wrong choice, IMHO!
One of the FIRST things any hospital mental health RN will DO, is to REMOVE the gun of a public safety officer, the MINUTE that officer arrives on the mental health unit. Been there, done that, countless times! WHY does that occur? Because we DO NOT ALLOW WEAPONS of ANY type to be out of OUR control.
No guns, knives, razor blades, scissors, ropes, lighters, matches, or other potentially hazardous implements are allowed on hospital mental health units! None of the PROFESSIONAL staff wants to end up dead, nor do we want our patients to end up that way, EITHER! That is what WE work to PREVENT!
However, as long as the politicians and general public of Oregon remain INDIFFERENT to the safety of our ill citizens, MORE of them will, unnecessarily, DIE! That is due to the FACT that police officers/prison guards are NOT licensed HEALTH care providers, for the most part! There is a HUGE DIFFERENCE between being a police officer/prison guard and being a licensed health care provider!
If Oregonians, INCLUDING our MD Governor got their PRIORITIES straight, in this state, we would ALL be MUCH better off, IMHO! Stop dumping ill people into our PRISONS or on the STREETS and there will be a REMARKABLE shift in how our entire state looks, feels, and lives! We MUST have stable, reliable, SECURE housing, created for our long-term, unstable, mentally ill citizens. Facts ARE facts, everyone!
Janiece Staton Retired RN, BSN, MSW, MAT
6
@ Janiece, OK, I'll be the jerk who gives you a few gentle pointers on internet persuasion:
1) Way shorter.
2) Generally only ALL CAPS ironically, or once or twice in a post, max.
3) No more than one exclamation point per post, and ideally none.
4) Drop "IMHO." We already know we're reading your opinion.
When you break all of those rules, you appear mentally ill to those of us who don't know you, which is ironic considering your background and the subject matter.
1) Way shorter.
2) Generally only ALL CAPS ironically, or once or twice in a post, max.
3) No more than one exclamation point per post, and ideally none.
4) Drop "IMHO." We already know we're reading your opinion.
When you break all of those rules, you appear mentally ill to those of us who don't know you, which is ironic considering your background and the subject matter.
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