Press Statement For Immediate Release March 22, 2017
Contact: Rev. Dr. LeRoy Haynes, Jr. Rev. Dr. T. Allen Bethel
Albina Ministerial Alliance Coalition For Justice and Police Reform
Subject: The Killing of Quanice Hayes by officer Andrew Hearst
The Grand Jury decision not to indict Portland Police Officer Andrew Hearst for the killing of 17-year-old teenager Quanice Hayes is like a recorder repeated over and over again especially when it comes to Black Lives.
The District Attorney and Grand Juries have never indicted a White Police Officer for killing or using excessive force against a Black person or Latino in the history of the City of Portland.
Whether Quanice Hayes was guilty or not of personal robbery it is not the responsibility of the Police Officer to act as Judge or Jury and carry out the sentence.
How can you put a bullet through the head of a young teenager on his knees (probably giving up) as well as two additional bullets in his body? We know the PPB is trained to shoot for the center mass, so the shot to the head is inconsistent with training. Furthermore, Officer Hearst has killed before. He shot Merle Hatch in 2013 when Hatch was in mental health crisis and holding a telephone handset.
This is why we need stronger, independent oversight of Portland Police Officers in the use of deadly and excessive force.
These kinds of shootings and use of excessive force show that the Police cannot Police themselves. Also, they show there is a great need for an independent prosecutor to be appointed in cases dealing with Police shootings and excessive force.
In a time when we are dealing with one of the most explosive issues in our City and Nation, namely Police use of deadly and excessive force, the City’s legal team is appealing to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to remove Federal Judge Michael Simon from the Settlement Agreement brought by the Department of Justice and the Albina Ministerial Alliance Coalition (Enhanced Amicus Status) to reform the Portland Police Bureau.
Judge Michael Simon is one of the most well respected Judges on the Federal bench for his independence, fairness and jurisprudence. He is well loved by the Citizens of Portland.
The fire is flaming even more in the City of Portland by the lack of diversity in the command staff and rank positions within the Portland Police Bureau.
Portland wants a progressive, Police community oriented, and a diverse Police Bureau. We want to go “forward” and not “backwards”.
Torah for the 21st Century by Rabbi Ariel Stone 