LAWSUIT
<<A Portland protester who was yanked off the street and thrown into a van by federal officers in 2020 has lost his case in federal appeals court, because… *checks notes*… Congress hasn’t made a law about the feds kidnapping citizens off the street?>>
SHOOTING
<<The Marion County District Attorney’s Office says five Salem police officers were justified in their use of deadly force against an armed robbery suspect last month.
Officers responded to an armed robbery on Commerical Street SE. on Jan. 23. Video shows that Michael Compton grabbed a woman’s purse at the entrance of a Planet Fitness.
According to the district attorney, Compton left and opened fire at officers at a nearby auto parts store.
Officials say he then ran towards the auto parts store, exchanged gunfire with officers, was shot multiple times — leading to his death.>>
<<A Marion County Grand Jury has unanimously found five Salem Police Department officers justified in their use of deadly force in a January shooting, Marion County District Attorney’s Office said Friday.
Officers first responded at about 9 a.m. Jan. 23 to the parking lot of the Walmart at 5250 Commercial Street Southeast. Initial reports were of an armed robbery and carjacking. Updated information indicated the suspect went north of Walmart to Planet Fitness, where he attempted to steal another vehicle.
According to police, the suspect then ran to the NAPA Auto Parts at 5105 Commercial Street Southeast where officers confronted the suspect in the parking lot and gunfire was exchanged.
The suspect, identified as 27-year-old Michael Compton, was hit by gunfire and died at the scene. Investigators later found a black handgun under the suspect and a loaded magazine in his pocket. Compton had multiple arrest warrants from Clackamas and Lane counties. No officers were injured.
The D.A.’s Office says in total, officers fired 68 rounds at Compton.
Compton was hit 18 times in various parts of his body, including three graze wounds.
The Marion County Grand Jury convened for two days, hearing testimony from 16 witnesses. After reviewing videos, photographs, scene diagrams, dispatch recordings, ballistic information, firearms and autopsy conclusions the jury concluded all officers were justified in their actions.>>
[KW note: 68 shots fired, 18 wounds. That means the cops fired 50 uncontrolled rounds. From a public safety perspective, that is, um, not great.]
BUSINESS ALLIANCE
<<A poll from the Portland Business Alliance shows how residents in the tri-county area feel about the issues that impact their cities the most, such as the economy, housing and crime.
The Portland Business Alliance collaborates with local research firm DHM Research to conduct this survey every year. From Dec. 8 to Dec. 14, 2022, about 500 registered voters in Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas Counties participated in the survey.
One focus of the study was voter pessimism. According to the business alliance, about 52% of all voters said the region is “off on the wrong track.” This statistic was 10% higher among the City of Portland voters, who made up about half of the voters overall.
The results also revealed that 78% of voters believe that the quality of life in the area is on the decline. This indicates an improvement from the previous year, in which 88% of voters said the quality of life was decreasing.
In the latest poll, voters were asked to identify which major problems were impacting the tri-county area. Thirty-four percent of voters identified homelessness as the biggest issue, while 19% of them said it was crime.
Although not all voters identified homelessness or crime as the region’s major problems, the majority agreed that they were “very concerned” about the issues. However, the level of concern has improved somewhat or remained the same from the previous survey.
According to the Portland Business Alliance, economic outlook is another factor that hasn’t significantly changed for voters within the past year.
Thirty-eight percent of the poll participants consider their economic opportunities to be “poor” or “very poor.” The percentage increases for voters outside of the city.
Nearly half of voters are concerned about affordable housing and the cost of living, while just 12% said they’re concerned about jobs.
Another 61% answered that taxes are too expensive in the region.
In Multnomah County, most voters supported policy proposals related to housing and public safety, such as forming a City of Portland Municipal Court and designating homeless campsites.
Furthermore, the poll found that many Multnomah County voters consider affordable housing an important issue, but not as many agree to fund bonds that would help with the crisis.
“Specifically, when asked about whether they would support a future bond similar to the current Metro government affordable housing bond after the Metro bond ends, 42% of voters support and 45% oppose (a gap within the margin of error for this sample size), while 13% say they are unsure,” the business alliance said. “Reasons for opposing a future bond are similar across the region as well: mistrust in government, belief that little progress has been made, and feeling that taxes are currently too high.”
Safety in downtown Portland was a point of interest in the study as well. Sixty-four percent of Portlanders said that they felt safe in the downtown area during the day. Only 40% of voters outside of the city agreed.
On the other hand, 69% of Portland voters answered “yes” when asked if they felt unsafe while downtown at night; about 82% of the voters outside of Portland said “yes.”>>
https://www.koin.com/news/oregon/portland-area-voters-say-quality-of-life-is-decreasing-in-new-poll/