NEW: Wheeler Slams Hales on Portland’s Rape Kit Backlog
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Ted Wheeler; courtesy Ted Wheeler for Mayor's Facebook page.
“I have been deeply troubled by news accounts that thousands of Portland women and men who have been victims of sexual assault have been denied the justice they may be seeking as evidence is left to gather dust," Wheeler said in a statement.
"This Mayor manages the Police Bureau and yesterday tweeted that he should be held accountable for this. Yet he has refused to talk with the press and public about this travesty, while his staff excuses this by claiming he didn’t know about the situation. It has been reported since at least 2001 that there was a backlog of testing these kits – it is unacceptable that the Mayor hasn’t been paying attention to this issue."
"We need a mayor that will take ownership of this problem by committing the necessary resources to the agencies who desperately need them, hold accountable those who have let this problem fester and give people across this community confidence in our criminal justice and victims’ services systems. Let me be clear, as Mayor I will never make excuses for the mistreatment of sexual assault victims who want to seek the results of these kits. The Mayor asks the public to hold him accountable, and I believe they will do exactly that in next May’s election."
Recently, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Manhattan District Attorney's Office announced that Oregon will receive a $4 million grant to help test their backlog of kits. That includes $2 million that the Portland Police Bureau will receive from the Department of Justice, and $2 million that Lane, Marion and Multnomah counties will receive from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
There are now more than 4,700 untested kits in Oregon, according to a recent audit by the State Police.
Related Slideshow: SLIDESHOW: Ted Wheeler Announces Portland Mayoral Candidacy on Rooftop of Revolution Hall
Oregon Treasurer Ted Wheeler was joined by the press and many close friends, family members, and supporters on the rooftop of Revolution Hall off of SE Stark so that he could officially make his candidacy announcement for Portland mayor in the 2016 mayoral race.
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