ACLU Releases Statement Regarding Racist Police Behavior

Tuesday, September 08, 2015

Aleck Z. Woogmaster, GoLocalPDX Contributor

Executive Director David Rogers, Photo Credit : aclu-or.org

Today the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon has released a statement regarding racist comments and behavior from former Clatskanie Police Chief Marvin Hoover.

David Rogers, Executive Director of the Oregon chapter of ACLU, released a press release in which he delivers a condemning indictment of Hoover's recent behaviors. Rogers refers back to July, when Hoover was observed to have likened Black people to monkeys with crude manneurisms and noises. Officers Alex Stone and Zack Gibson reported that Hoover displayed mocking, racist gestures in front of them before breaking into a rendition of "Dixie."

Rogers calls Hoover's behavior "appalling in their mockery and display of intolerance for black people." Saying that, "It is shocking that a chief of police would show such contempt and disrespect for people the police are supposed to protect and serve. Chief Hoover’s actions erode the public’s trust that police will treat all individuals fairly and respectfully. Trust in police around the country has already been badly damaged by highly visible acts of targeted violence toward people of color and Chief Hoover’s actions add to the widening chasm between the police and the communities they serve."

Stone and Gibson reported the disturbing behavior, and Hoover was given the option to retire in August. Rogers commends the two officers for stepping forward and, speaking on behalf of the ACLU, says they are "deeply disappointed with the actions of the Clatskanie City Council. Allowing Chief Hoover to retire while paying him a bonus sends exactly the wrong message."

The statement went on to remind the City Council of the implications of this decision.

"By condoning Chief Hoover’s actions and intolerance, the city council has delivered a disturbing message about the values of Clatskanie, at the same time discouraging people who think about stepping up and doing the right thing by reporting such unacceptable actions."

Related Slideshow: Crime Trends in Portland - Good News and Bad News

The Portland Police Bureau's Strategic Services Division and the Criminology and Criminal Justice program at Portland State University (PSU) have partnered to provide an interactive tool to provide a longer term look at crime trends.

The interactive data shows the geographic distribution of crime in the city; and reveals insights into crime data.

See key findings below.

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Vandalism

GOOD NEWS: Overall, the news in Portland is positive regarding incidents of vandalism, but the decline has not been as rapid as some other crimes.

Vandalism has remained relatively consistent for the past five years.

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Domestic

GOOD NEWS: Domestic assaults saw significant decline in the late 1990s, but have been fairly consistent in the past five years.

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Guns

GOOD NEWS: The number of gun related crimes has seen the greatest declines of any of the tracked crime sectors.

Gun related crimes decreased 80%.

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Bikes

BAD NEWS: The theft bikes has seen an 83% increase. Some of this is tied to the increase in biking, but the crime has been the biggest blemish on the crime trends.

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Robbery

GOOD NEWS: Street Robbery is down more than 25 years, but it has been fairly stagnant during the past five years.

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Non-Domestic Assaults

GOOD NEWS: The number of non-domestic assaults has remained relatively stagnant over the past five years.

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GOOD NEWS: Home breakins are down significantly, but like other categories (non-domestic assault and robbery) it has remained fairly constant during the past five years.

Over the 25 years residential robberies are down over 70%.