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and some of what I have heard and seen since then requires criticism, investigation, and change <br />in policies and practices. <br /> <br />"If at the press conference I had heard just one story detailing inappropriate police behavior, I <br />would be tempted to dismiss it as hyperbole from someone with an agenda. However, when I <br />hear a dozen stories by a wide range of people--from homeowners in the area to nonanarchist <br />protesters--I'm convinced that inappropriate behavior did take place. <br /> <br />"1 heard a professional who produces music videos--and who was not a protester--say that she <br />came upon the protest Saturday and took her professional camera out to film. She was standing <br />on the sidewalk across the street from the protest, and an officer came up and told her to leave. <br />She had the audacity to ask "why?" The immediate response was that she was hit on the head <br />with the officer's flashlight, her $4,000 camera was thrown to the ground, this slender 115 pound <br />woman was sat on by an officer, and she was arrested for disorderly conduct. <br /> <br />"1 heard a resident who heard sirens and activity on Sunday and went with his wife to the park <br />blocks to see what was going on. He was standing in the park and was challenged by an officer. <br />The resident said he thought it was okay to stand in a public park. The officer's response was to <br />push him. The resident then put his hands behind his back and said "I'm not a violent person; I <br />won't fight back." The officer responded by jabbing the end of his baton in the resident's chest, <br />shoving him the ground, and arresting him. <br /> <br />"1 heard a disabled veteran speak of coming back from the bathroom at Washington-Jefferson <br />Park and walking on the sidewalk. He was told to leave by an officer, and he asked why. The <br />response by the officer was to shout to two State police to "take him down"-- he was knocked <br />down, injured, arrested, and denied medication for his disability in jail. <br /> <br />"A reporter from local NPR station KLCC--a reliable source, one would think--told me that she <br />was audio-taping the protest on Oak Street for her news broadcast, when without warning she <br />was struck in the head by an officer with his baton. <br /> <br />"A videotape was also released at the press conference. It shows--among other things--police <br />using their bicycles held broadside as weapons to hit protesters who have already retreated to <br />the sidewalk. Ask me if you want to borrow my copy of the tape. <br /> <br />"1 urge my fellow councilors and the mayor to join me in calling for Police Department reform in <br />the areas I've described today, and for us to work with the Police Department to accomplish that <br />reform. When we are given a report by the Police Commission next month, I urge us to promptly <br />consider their recommendations as well as to promptly act on the topic I'm bringing up today. <br /> <br />"1 ask the City Manager to provide a broader, more transparent mechanism for police review as <br />was promised a year and a half ago--not another year from now, not six months from now, but <br />soon. I also ask the City Manager to issue a public response to the issues raised at the press <br />conference, and to issues I've raised today. <br /> <br />"Just two more comments from my experience as a liaison at the protests: It's simply not right <br />that all media was kept a block away during most of Saturday's arrests. The media is a proxy for <br />the citizenry, and needs to observe the operation of our government. Also, the police need to <br />make clear what "disperse" means when a group is almost surrounded by officers. <br /> <br />MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 21, 2000 Page 3 <br /> Work Session <br /> <br /> <br />