Man on a bike is tackled, then tasered by Portland Police
Posted by Jonathan Maus (Editor) on June 11th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
last night.
(Photo: Ian Stude)
A Portland man says he was tackled, pushed off his bike, and then tasered repeatedly by a Portland Police officer in Southeast Portland last night.
The Portland Police Bureau, in a written statement about the incident, say that Phil Sano (a.k.a. “Rev Phil”) did not have a front light on his bicycle and that he refused to stop when officers requested.
The incident occurred around 9:30pm on SE 7th Street, just north of SE Morrison Ave. Phil Sano says he was riding along and felt cold, so he went to zip up his jacket. Then, in an email he sent me just hours after the incident, he wrote,
“Across the street a man in all black shouted at me and started walking my way. I stopped pedaling, but didn’t stop because my hands were not on my brakes. He then sprinted, lunged and tackled me. I then scuffled to separate him and stood apart from him in a defensive position.”
Then, Sano says, he was tasered several times.
(Photo © J. Maus)
“I felt a sharp sting in my back and heard a repetitive clicking. I turned around to see that I was being tasered!”
At that point, Sano maintains he still did not know what was going on and he repeatedly asked the officers to explain what he had done wrong. At that point, Sano says two officers were holding him down and he could still feel the taser charge flowing into his back.
“I was still freaked out and yelled again, why are you shooting me?”
Sano says the cops yelled for him to “get down”, but that he still had no idea who was accosting him. He wrote, “It was pretty dark and they were wearing all black without any sort of shiny badge…. They looked kinda’ like cops, but generally cops do not tackle bikers unless it is Critical Mass.”
According to Sano, he was tasered “point blank” in the chest and the lower back and that he began to “spasm out of control as the surge of electricity involuntarily constricted” his muscles.
“…the cop took two steps after him, grabbed him by the shirt, yanked him off the bike, ran hum up the sidewalk and slammed him against the wall and then right away started tasing him.”
–Diana Spartis (she witnessed the entire incident)
After pleading repeatedly for them to stop, Sano says they continued and that, “without question, I could tell they enjoyed seeing me become so helpless, so weak. It was humiliating.”
Once the tasering stopped, Sano said he laid in a small puddle of his own urine, breathing irregularly and “seething with rage”.
“I can still feel their knee on my neck as I write this, but even then I knew they were in the wrong… really, really fucking wrong.” He added, “There was no cause for such violence; I was not harming anyone and I made sure that everyone within earshot knew it.”
Sano says that all the while, a barb from the taser remained lodged in his chest. Luckily, he remembers, a passing ambulance heard him screaming, stopped on the scene, and removed the electrode from his chest. Sano says that the EMT, “was very concerned” that his speeding heart rate would not slow down.
Once everything calmed down, Sano says the cops told him that he was stopped because he didn’t have a front light.
Sano admits he didn’t have his front light on his bike, because someone had stolen the cradle it attaches to. He says the cops found his light in his fannypack a few minutes later.
According to Sano’s recollection of the incident, he heard Officer Smith say, “You should have stopped when I told you to. Then none of this would be necessary.”
A written statement just released by the Portland Police Bureau’s Public Information Officer Brian Schmautz says that the officers were in uniform and were dealing with another woman and had “turned on their lights to alert traffic while they talked to her.”*
Then, writes Schmautz, they saw Sano roll by without a light and, “One of the officers told Sano to stop, but Sano ignored him.” Here is the rest of Schmautz’s statement:
tasers entered Sano’s body.
(Photo courtesy Phil Sano)
“The officer, then reached out to stop Sano and they began to struggle. Sano refused to comply with any of the officers orders and continued to resist until additional officers arrived. The officers attempted to Taser Sano, but it was ineffective because of Sano’s clothing.
Sano was eventually arrested and taken to jail. Sano apparently admitted he had been drinking, but was not given field sobriety tests because the officers were not arresting him for DUII. FYI, the officers checked Sano’s history and learned that the Police Bureau had given Sano a warning for a bike light and a free bike light in the past.”
_________
Diana Spartis, a 28 year-old Sellwood resident, was being cited for not having a light on her bike when the incident took place. On the phone with me this morning, she said Officer Smith was telling her about the importance of having a light when Sano rode by on the other side of the street.
Spartis says the Officer noticed Sano also didn’t have a front light then yelled at him to stop. She then told me, “He [Sano] didn’t stop immediately, and the cop took two steps after him, grabbed him by the shirt, yanked him off the bike, ran him up the sidewalk and slammed him against the wall and then right away started tasing him.”
Sartis recollects that she was “maybe 50 feet away” and says, “I did not see him [Sano] do anything physical to the cops… he wasn’t cooperating fully, but he also wasn’t doing anything that should have provoked them that much. He was screaming, ‘no! no!, why are you doing this?’”
_________
The two officers involved in the incident were Officers Erin Smith and Ron Hoesly. Both are members of the Traffic Division.
I have no knowledge of Officer Smith other than this report from a Critical Mass ride back in February of 2005.
(Photo © J. Maus)
Officer Hoesly is a motorcycle cop. Back in August of 2006 I joined Officer Hoesly for a ride-along. I frequently see Hoesly around town and he is always friendly and congenial.
Hoesly and Smith initially charged Sano with Resisting Arrest, Attempted Escape III, and Disorderly Conduct. He was also cited for not having a front light (ORS 815.280) and Failure to Obey a Police Officer (ORS 811.535).
(UPDATED*) At his arraignment at the Justice Center in downtown Portland a few hours ago, Sano says the clerk told him he had been given a “no-charge”. *According to a source who is a lawyer that means (for whatever reason) the case is not going forward, but the charges can brought back to life at a later date. My source says this could be an indication that either the police or the DA’s office didn’t think they could prove, or didn’t want to try to prove, the charges.
This isn’t the first time Sano has had run-in with the police. During the 2006 World Naked Bike Ride, Sano was involved in an altercation with an off-duty police officer who was the passenger in a motor vehicle that was being held up during the ride. Sano alleged that the vehicle’s driver tried to run him over.
In that case, Sano was charged with several misdemeanors (including Criminal Mischief and Disorderly Conduct) and faced 2 1/2 years in jail. The case was ultimately dismissed and Sano was set free.**
(This incident is being discussed on the Zoobomb Forum and in the Portland Bike Forums.)
========
(*Note: I added a part of the Police statement that mentioned the Officer’s vehicle lights being on several hours after I initially posted the story.
**I added information about Sano’s Naked Ride trial at 10:23pm on Wednesday night.
UPDATE: The Oregonian has quoted another Police spokesperson as saying they didn’t taser Sano until he became “combative”. Read that story here.
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June 11th, 2008 16:28
Disgusting
June 11th, 2008 16:28
Holy crap, that is scary. Hope you're healing up (physically and emotionally) from this Rev. Excessive force anyone?
June 11th, 2008 16:30
PPB new bike policy: Don't have a light and we'll beat the f*ck out you.
Seriously, if large make in black yelled in a confronting way at me I would probably break in a sprint. Its not like bikers are the type to be armed, why did two officers taser him multiple times?
My sympathy goes out to Rev Phil. Heal up. Im no legal expert but I would try to seek legal action for excessive use of force.
June 11th, 2008 16:31
Seriously? How can all those charges stem from not having a front light? A scenario which had a completely plausible story, I've had my light/clamp stolen several times.
Tackled, tasered, and a knee in the back? Serving and Protecting? No thank you, I'm better off without the police force from the sounds of it.
June 11th, 2008 16:34
Looks like business as usual w/ the PPD.
Sue the bastards, Phil.
June 11th, 2008 16:36
Sorry for the misspelling in #3. Make = Male.
At any point before the tasering did the PPB in any way clarify they were police? Shouting "Stop, police!" is a lot different that "Hey, Stop!".
June 11th, 2008 16:36
is this Portland or Singapore?
"...we thought that riding without a front light might be dangerous, so we decided to tackle, beat and taser you until you wet yourself. Young man, the alternative could have been much worse - consider yourself lucky."
I think these fellas are missing the point of the whole no-front-light law. what do you think?
June 11th, 2008 16:38
"At any point before the tasering did the PPB in any way clarify they were police? "
from my conversations with phil, it took him a while to realize they were police and that fact added to his confusion upon being pushed from his bike.
June 11th, 2008 16:41
Can anyone confirm that the Cops ID'd themselves as police? All 3 accounts seem to indicate that the Police did not identify themselves as such before going after Phil.
If I'm riding along at night and someone yells at me to stop I'm likely to ignore them. If someone yells "this is the police, stop," then I'm likely to comply.
This is downright scary and it sounds like a few words could have avoided this entire incident.
June 11th, 2008 16:43
It must be summer, the Police are harassing cyclists again.
June 11th, 2008 16:44
This is absolutely disgusting. I'm scared of cops in Portland-- why? Because their actions turn routine stops into violent confrontations that often turn deadly. This could easily become another James Chasse. Ever parked outside of a bar or movie theater and forgot to remove your light, only to find it stolen minutes later? Prepare to have an unaccountable, bureaucracy-protected thug assault you and fire harmful and potentially lethal weapons at you. The PPB is a disgrace to honest law enforcement everywhere.
June 11th, 2008 16:45
My goodness, it looks like Officer Hoesly got carried away and forgot he had a witness standing right there! Too bad for Officer Hoesly...
My best to Rev. Phil.
June 11th, 2008 16:48
SO OUTRAGEOUS!
The link Johnatan gave for a report on Critical Mass in 2005 says Officer Smith is on camera saying "We (Portland Police) work for ourselves, not for you" - that to me explains a lot. These guys act as gang members; Portland Police seems to have an internal culture of being above the law.
This is not an isolated incident. Anyone who has been following local news knows tha PPD is brutal, violent and abusive.
What are going to do about it???!!!!
June 11th, 2008 16:51
If you would like to email the chief of police to voice your opinion:
chiefsizer@portlandpolice.org
June 11th, 2008 16:53
Serve and protect, eh? I'm sure Phil was much safer being yanked off his bike, tased, and sent to jail than he would have been if they'd allowed him to ride without a light. After all, they'd already given him one light. Can't have those dangerous unlit scofflaws pedaling around our streets -- who knows where they'll end up. And what was he doing wearing all those clothes? Was he purposely trying to make the taser ineffective?
Seriously, though, this is disgusting. The lull in police incidents of late had me hoping that the bureau was starting to clean up its act. Guess not. Good luck, Phil!
June 11th, 2008 16:53
maybe the cops should be spending their time busting drunks in cars then people on bikes. I've ridden at night numerous times without a light, fully aware that I may receive a ticket but a beating? You have to be kidding me!
June 11th, 2008 16:56
I gotta say, as a female rider, if I was riding along in the middle of the night and someone yelled at me, I don't think I'd stop either. Unless it was really obvious that it was a cop, but it sounds like for whatever reasons that wasn't apparent.
In any case, I agree that this sounds a bit excessive... What a shame.
June 11th, 2008 16:57
They messed with the wrong guy. Uh oh.
June 11th, 2008 16:57
Thanks for reporting this Jonathan, you are the promptest! Nothing but side streets for the summer for this Buffalo.
June 11th, 2008 16:59
This sounds eerily similar to what my friend and I experienced a couple years ago riding without a light. We didn't get tackled, he essentially tried to run us over (swooped about 2 feet in front of us actually half jumping the curb in the process).
That's Portland, what can you say?
June 11th, 2008 17:00
We need to organize a BIKE RIDE/PROTEST to City Hall, to PPB, demanding that the Chief of Police step down!!
June 11th, 2008 17:02
that is unphucking believable...
I hope this guy finds a good lawyer and sues the police burean...AGAIN.
a running tackle for a guy without a light on his bike? are you freaking serious? these are the people charged with "protecting" us?
so much for the changes associated with the new head of the traffic division...
next they'll start running us all over with their squad cars or motorcycles in order to issue tickets...
how 'bout this, copper? you and I on a bike at the foot of the west hills...last fat ass to the top pretends to stop being an officer of the law.
freakin' joke.
June 11th, 2008 17:02
typical dumbass PPB behavior that's probably going to cost the city's taxpayers a pile of money when the city settles the lawsuit they deserve for this.
June 11th, 2008 17:04
I might also say, I've been noticing more and more patients in the hospital with taser injuries...
June 11th, 2008 17:06
It's nice that Portland has a platinum rating and all, but with this police force, and its attitude toward cyclists, we really don't deserve it. And I'm not anti-cop! I've gladly testified in court on behalf of a cop who tasered an armed assailant, and who was totally justified in doing so. However, I've also ridden - safely, legally, and in control - in a Critical Mass in which I felt like a sheep surrounded by a pack of ticket-happy wolves.
It's like they get off on the fact that cyclists are so easy to catch, and - in this case - tackle.
My theory is that there are some cops who genuinely want to protect and serve, some that just want to carry guns and tell people what to do, and some that are a combination of both.
Here's hoping Sam Adams does a bit more as mayor to protect us from our own police force.
June 11th, 2008 17:07
holy crap
This past Sunday Officer Smith pushed me off of my bike. I was crossing NW 15th on Marshall at a block sized gap in the floats from the parade. He was supposedly controlling the intersection, but he wasn't actually doing anything to communicate that it was forbidden to cross the street. He ran into the intersection and knocked me to the ground. Officer Hoesly joined after I jumped back up and they proceeded to write me a ticket for "Failure to obey a police officer".
I haven't figured out what I should/need to do about this yet aside from showing up at the court date and contesting. If any of you litigious types have advice I would be grateful. I assumed this was some bizarre one-off experience, but clearly officer Smith is angry, violent, has a problem with cyclists and needs to be dealt with. Please let me know if you'd like to contact me with advice.
Sorry your experience was even worse Phil.
June 11th, 2008 17:09
#18: "They messed with the wrong guy. Uh oh."
:)
June 11th, 2008 17:11
I've also had an incident with the PDX popo
that wound up really bad. The best part was one officer maced four of his mates at one point. As for myself "oops! Sorry we got the wrong guy".
So I can relate.
Ron Hoesly on the other hand I've known from the time we were both very young. He and his family are the kindest of people. The type you can only hope for as neighbors. In fairness I haven't seen Ronny in years but, at the same time it seems very unlike him to do any thing malicious. And I can't stand seeing anyones name being trashed without knowing the whole story.
Best wishes to all involved.
June 11th, 2008 17:14
Will our mayor-elect please step forward and stop the madness?
June 11th, 2008 17:19
Re: # 8
No, the officers did not identify themselves as cops. One just jogged into the middle of the street and yelled "Stop." It seems pretty obvious Rev. Phil was not purposely evading a police officer; he was going so slow that the cop was able to take a few steps after him and pull him off his bike. Last time I checked, it is really easy for someone on a bike to outpace a person on foot if they want to.
June 11th, 2008 17:23
Dear Chief Sizer,
I read a story on Bikeportland.org about two of your officers pulling a man off a bicycle, throwing him against a wall and repeatedly tazering him to the point that he urinated himself, all for the very serious crime of not having a bike light. As a daily bike rider (and someone who has had a light stolen from me while I was away from my bike) I find this type of action on the part of the police department totally inexcusable. Is it really a policy of your department to brutalize and cause potentially serious harm (Tazers kill many people every year) to a person who is RIDDING A BIKE WITHOUT A HEAD LIGHT? If this is the message you and your department would like to send to all the cyclists in this city, namely that if you as a cyclist violate even the most minor of laws the nearest police officer can and will hurt you up to and beyond the point of self urination. If this is your message and you want this type of police behavior to be used, then do not reprimand these officers. If on the other hand you feel that the officers in question where out of line and that they violated protocol, then I strongly suggest that the offending officers are dismissed and reprimanded. Also I would like to note my favorite part of the story: The calm and respectful way the offending officer approached the situation. Especially where the clearly marked officer clearly identified himself.
Lastly: considering the reaction of the police in this situation is this the type of treatment I and my girlfriend can expect to receive when confronted with your officers? If I can be assaulted and tazed to the point that I piss myself, then I feel I would be far safer without the service and protection. I appreciate the effort, but considering the expected reaction, I think I'll be safer without the light.
June 11th, 2008 17:30
I wish the cops would be so vigilant with folks who drive their cars w/no lights after dark. And the idiots who drive around neighborhood streets with their brights or fog lights on, blinding every biker, pedestrian, dog and cat in their midst.
Rev. Phil...get well soon!
June 11th, 2008 17:41
I imagine there's more to this story than we have heard.
June 11th, 2008 17:46
Just emailed the cheif
do we got Sam's email handy?
anyone else we should bug on this?
phone numbers?
June 11th, 2008 17:46
@anonymous #33
I imagine there's more to this story than we have heard.
Oh do please fill us in with your eye witness account.
Oh wait, you weren't there were you? Too bad at least one completely unrelated person present at the scene backs up Rev. Phil's story.
June 11th, 2008 17:52
The only way this will ever change is through protest with specific goals:
1) The firing of Officer Smith. That's a difficult battle, but a necessary one - the only thing these police will ever understand is losing their job. They are absolutely convinced that they will never be fired no matter how many laws they break.
2) Some lesser form of punishment for Officer Hoesly. He may be a nice guy, but he should have stepped in to enforce the law, even against his fellow officer. Even nice guys need to learn the importance of following the rules.
3) Clear rules that mandate police announce themselves *as police* before using physical force, against anyone, in any situation. Again, this must be backed up by credible consequences, including the loss of one's job.
4) Clear rules that the PPB may not ever use a Taser merely to subdue someone. There must be a threat to the officers or to the public - a clear and immediate threat - for a taser to be involved. Again, misuse of a taser should also be a firing offense.
Unless Portlanders demand EACH point, nothing will ever change. So it's up to you - take action now to prevent this from happening again, or sit on your hands, hope for the best, and get momentarily outraged again when some other innocent person is attacked by police terrorists.
Police feel they are above the law. They must be reminded that they are not.
June 11th, 2008 17:53
Sadly even with the election of Good Sam this type of behavior will continue.
June 11th, 2008 17:58
I have been working really hard to persuade my family and friends that cycling is a safe alternative. Gas prices have been helping. But something like this, it shuts down any conversation. I am sad and scared.
This should never, ever happen. Not even once. Isn't there all sorts of rules of engagement or something that prevent this from even coming close to happening?
June 11th, 2008 18:04
Okay, I'll admit that I've said in the past that I wished that the police would write tickets to bicyclists without headlights. It isn't safe, and it makes the rest of us look bad...
However, "tickets", not "almost kill them." If the cop had seen a car with a burned out headlight that didn't stop to a "hey stop", they wouldn't have shot it full of holes, would they? (Ohh, wait, they do do that.)
And really, the police have to identify themselves. If people get randomly tackled, they are either going to run away or fight back, that is what people do. You can't charge a person with resisting arrest if the person isn't aware that the cop isn't actually a mugger...
June 11th, 2008 18:04
Here's a question.
If a car were driving down the road without its lights on, would cops have run it off the road right off the bat like that?
No freakin way. Another example of the cops seeing cyclists as lesser citizens in need of a lessen.
June 11th, 2008 18:12
From this account there appears to have been some terrible judgement by the officers, which I hope costs them dearly and makes and example of this sort of behavior.
Believe me, if some yells stop at night frrom the sidewalk, I'm not stopping unless I hear the word Police out of their mouths and even then it's going to take moment to stop and access the situation... but if this officer was able to pull him off the bike he wass not fleeing - all bets would be off at that moment for me. I'm disgusted by this whoel thing. No one needed to be tasered. Get better Rev. Get better and even.
June 11th, 2008 18:23
This story sucks... PDX is becoming backwards when it comes to law enforcement. I got a citation for smoking on a max platform, and because I despise trimet, i don't use it. Well, i had no choice in April but to ride Max, and when i did i stepped off the train at 82nd ave, stepped away from everyone else and lit a smoke. I took one drag and a cop gave me a ticket. I was standing right in front of a sign the listed all the "Prohibited Activities," and it didn't list smoking as one of the those. I pointed out to the officer about the lack of a no smoking sign in the area, and he said, "It's at the top of the stairs." I reminded him that i just got off of the train and didn't come from that direction. Long story short, i took pictures of the area, sent my ticket in before the due date, and the court sent me a letter in the mail stating i needed to pay my fine, and that they increased the fine from 94 dollars to 317 dollars.
Portland is a great bicycling community, and miss the seen. But with stories like this, and all the crime and bad policing, like ticketing someone for smoking in an outdoor setting away from everyone, and yet can't stop the beatings of innocent people on the train, drug deals and shootings, there going after the small money makers, instead of doing the hard labor. They're going for the small easy fish. Thats why i moved the hell away.
Keep riding Portland, F the police.
Get well soon Rev. Phil
June 11th, 2008 18:24
These type of cops make me feel so happy and free.. bunch of crap! what happened to protect and serve?
zap them i say!
June 11th, 2008 18:26
The Portland Police are organizationally descended from people who were hired to crack the skulls of striking workers.
Thugs then, and apparently thugs now.
Hey PoPo. I know you're one of the good cops out there. But I gotta tell you, if it bothers you that more people don't show appreciation and respect, THIS is a perfect example of why. Don't freakin blame us. You guys reap what you sow.
June 11th, 2008 18:38
#44
Good Point. Wasn't there an article when POPO parked his car in a bike lane, and he was ashamed at how peopled dealt with his vehicle in it (the bike lane.) Well i'm ashamed with the Portland Police. The police officers need to be more easily fired and prosecuted. You, the fucking police, hide behind a bull shit union that has no conscience. Shame on YOU!
Law enforcement officers are supposed to use good judgment. However, being able to run after a cyclist and removing the person from the cycle tells me that the rider wasn't fleeing the scene. If i was a cop and noticed the rider casually riding along and attempted to reach the person, and did, that should say something. If, while attempting, to reach the person on the bicycle, and they speed up, or stand up on the pedals to accelerate, then maybe use of force might be necessary.
June 11th, 2008 18:46
Schmautz writes that the taser did not affect him due to clothing- the photo is proof that the self-serving statement of the police is a lie. If the barb got to his skin, he certainly did get the juice.
June 11th, 2008 18:56
I can't imagine why no one respects the police. To disgusted to make a post without just going off....
June 11th, 2008 19:16
I would love to see what these two Officers involvement with past CM rides or if any of the bike messenger have tickets from them. It seems to me that a lot of the motorcycle cops have a vendetta of sorts against cyclists. Even when they are escorting something like the Fat Tire Fest's bike parade they are rude and ride with little regard for cyclists.
The thing that gets me about this is that you would think as motorcyclists themselve they would realize who they need to watch out for, people in cars and trucks. They are just as vulnerable to right-hooks, left-hooks, and "I didn't see hims" but for some reason they tend to pick on cyclists. Maybe it is because there is less of a chance of getting hurt, i means how many of us cyclists are gun-carrying thugs. Typical bully behavior.
June 11th, 2008 19:34
Wow- crazy. I understand (somewhat) from both sides. I am a police reserve for my city and know what it's like to be in situations like this but by the sounds of it, this was excessive. My brother is in law enforcement also and he told me his taser would record audio (and I think video too) when fired. Would be interested to know if the PPD has taser cams and what was really said while he was being tased.
Wishing you a speedy recovery.
Jeff
Biking Duluth
June 11th, 2008 19:48
This is unjust and inexcusable. Having been assaulted by strangers while riding around at night, I would not stop hearing someone say *only* "Stop!" If they had said "Police!" then that would be a different story. This is repulsive behavior on the part of these particular officers. It is disgusting conduct. I'll leave it at this for now.
June 11th, 2008 19:55
Dear Good Rev.,
I am sorry this happened to you and hope you're feeling better. Still, I have to ask, what part of your body exactly are we seeing in that photo?
June 11th, 2008 20:10
If cops were lightning poor Phil would just be a charred ember.
June 11th, 2008 20:12
So when was the last time a car driver was stop for not have a headlight, got pulled out of the car, pushed to a wall and got tazered??? Boy That would have been front page news. I ride early in the AM I would not have stopped either.
June 11th, 2008 20:17
Hey #31 "Is it really a policy of your department to brutalize and cause potentially serious harm (Tazers kill many people every year) to a person who is RIDDING A BIKE WITHOUT A HEAD LIGHT? If this is the message you and your department would like to send to all the cyclists in this city, namely that if you as a cyclist violate even the most minor of laws the nearest police officer can and will hurt you." Yes Yes Yes. This what the police want you to feel. Don't be fooled by the lip service these cops give to their bosses and the media. These people are thugs through and through. Why do you think they became cops in the first place? Has anyone on this blog ever asked yourselves that?
"to protect and serve"??!! Maybe themselves. Cyclist are fish in a barrel to these people.
Oh and Phil.. When you collect from the city, remember you owe me for the wading pool that you fouled up last year @ the Rickreal Open. Hope your OK
The Beef
June 11th, 2008 20:27
Think about it, if police will tackle, tase, knee, a fellow cyclist(s), what would('ve) happen if you're running no brakes? No helmet? What can happen then?
I hope Rev Phil gets well soon.
June 11th, 2008 20:31
Officer E. Smith and Officer Ron Hoesly and the few others like these guys define the negative stereotypes that people associate with police.
From my review of the story presented by Jonathan and the associated links, I'm ashamed that my taxes pay ***inappropriate insult deleted*** like those mentioned here, they are a complete dishonor to the Police Department, The City of Portland, and greater humanity...
I'm very confused by the officer's actions, what exactly were they trying to do? The actions of the officers don't seem to be at all in alignment with the situation. I'd hate to call it power trip or ego, but these guys are seriously behaving like children with weapons. lack of control, accurate judgement and overreaction. I know a couple of 12 year olds and they behave with much greater regard for other people. Did Mr. Hoesly start hanging out with the wrong crowd?
I'm greatly saddened by the events of this article. I hope that the officers can be adequately trained to effectively judge and act in less hostile ways in the future and if not they need to be let go from the force.
June 11th, 2008 20:39
Having nearly hit at least three bicyclists while I was driving within the last few weeks, and having stepped off a curb in front of one as a pedestrian over the weekend I am all for enforcement. I also find it interesting that Mr. Sano did not tell you, or you did not quote him telling you, that he had been drinking that evening. Nor is there mention of the lights on the patrol vehicles and his failure to recognize uniformed officers.
Two sides to every story. Not saying the officers were right. But I try to remain mindful that police officers deal with an unending train of BS every day, and this does sometimes affect how they react.
And of course when being hailed, one should always obey an officer. After all, they have guns, and tasers, and the ability to charge one witha crime or violation, rightly or wrongly, they have that power.
June 11th, 2008 20:41
The police culture needs to change. It won't mean anything unless the union contract is changed. Binding arbitration has reversed discipline for almost every misdeed. Police: be heroes, not villains.
June 11th, 2008 20:47
PS #46, the aptly named tesla should know it takes two barbs from a taser to penetrate for it to work. Pict seems to show only one barb mark. But I'd bet Mr. Sano knew he was tazed. It does indeed smart a bit.
To me, the lights on the police vehicles would have beena rather large indicator that the person hailing me was law enforcement. Under any circumstances.
June 11th, 2008 20:55
The guy was talking shit.. as is SOP with you people, it seems.
He completely deserved it.
June 11th, 2008 21:21
Spanky, you seem to have never passed by an officer handling business with someone on the side of the road with their lights off. I can tell you from experience that it happens frequently. You seem to know better, or think you do, but I would imagine that if there were 'lights-a-flashing' across the street that fact would have been brought up before now.
Nice try though. The simple fact is, if this had been someone in a car with no headlights on the outcome would have been completely different.
June 11th, 2008 21:25
For those of you who are curious, when cops drag you off your bike, tase you, and beat you up, it may implicate your civil right to be free from "unreasonable...seizure" under (what's left of) the Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution.
Under the Supreme Court's jurisprudence interpreting this prohibition on governmental action, for a citizen to prevail against a city on such a claim, the citizen must prove that the city officials' actions implemented a policy, ordinance, or decision officially adopted by the city's decision-makers (e.g., police chief, mayor) or that those decision-makers hired the officials with deliberate indifference to the known or obvious outcome that they would violate a citizen's civil rights.
For a citizen to prevail against an individual government official on such a claim, the citizen must defeat the official's qualified immunity and show that the official knew or reasonably should have known that the action he took within his sphere of official responsibility would violate the constitutional rights of the citizen.
The official's demonstrated malicious intent or other subjective beliefs about his conduct are irrelevant to determining qualified immunity. Further, the reasonableness of the official's actions are judged from the on-scene perspective and given substantial deference to account for the dangerousness of the job and need to make split-second decisions.
June 11th, 2008 21:31
Get better Phil!
June 11th, 2008 21:31
"I also find it interesting that Mr. Sano did not tell you, or you did not quote him telling you, that he had been drinking that evening"
Spanky... did you notice in the article that I included a statement from the police that referred to Sano as having admitted he was drinking?
I know there are two sides to every story... that's why I waited all day today before publishing this story because I didn't hear back from the police until about 4:30. I could have posted this story at 10:30 am with a full account from Phil Sano and from two witnesses... but I decided to wait and give the Police a chance to respond. Please, if anyone understands that there are two sides to every story it is me.
June 11th, 2008 21:42
I guess the Portland Police Bureau officers will now start shooting bullets at car drivers who have a broken head light! I guess fair is fair.
And to the Portland bike shops...I guess you all better start selling bikes with working head lamps and bells/ horns...per the ORS...before they leave your shops! Or else PPB will need larger jails.
June 11th, 2008 21:57
The Portland Police has been misusing tasers many times. See also here:
http://www.portlandcopwatch.org/PPR41/updates41.html#tasers41
The problem is City Hall. The Major doesn't even think there is improvement needed.
June 11th, 2008 21:57
Will the Rev be free from the clink before BikePorn starts on Friday?
Or will we have to bring the show to him? And a 1000 bike bells outside his cell?
June 11th, 2008 22:01
More about tasers here:
http://www.portlandcopwatch.org/PPR38/tasers38.html
June 11th, 2008 22:03
If someone in dark clothes tells me to stop, I'd rip a serious sprint out of instinct. If the person is clearly an officer, I'd do the opposite. Riding on city streets requires plenty of split second decisions to stay out of harm's way.
This story is deeply frustrating. You can expect me in attendance for any rallies or actions related to this if I can possibly make it.
I don't know you Rev Phil but I hope for a speedy recovery. Sorry this happened to you.
June 11th, 2008 22:05
Isn't this the second time this Phil guy has gotten in to an altercation with police involving alcohol and a traffic infraction? It seems like there were plenty of mistakes on both sides of this thing. Maybe the police need to relax, but Phil needs to develop a bit more common sense.
June 11th, 2008 22:06
From the published account, it's pretty clear that Phil wasn't tased because he was riding without a light, as many of you seem to believe. He was tased because he resisted and assumed a defensive stance after being knocked off his bike and pushed up against a wall by a police officer. There's a HUGE difference between the two.
The real questions here are (1) whether the order to stop was lawful, and (2) whether the officer's response to Phil's resistance was lawful. That is, did the officer identify himself as an officer when he ordered Phil to stop? Or was there any other indication by which Phil should have known that he was an officer-- for example, was the officer in uniform and wearing a badge? Likewise, did the officer identify himself as an officer at any time before Phil was tased? Or, again, was there any other indication by which Phil should have known that he was an officer, such as a uniform and badge?
If it wasn't apparent to the "reasonable person" that he was an officer, then my guess is the order to stop and subsequent tasing would probably not be lawful, and Phil would have no obligation to stop, and would be entitled to defend himself. On the other hand, if it was apparent to the "reasonable person" that he was an officer, then Phil's failure to stop, and subsequent resistance, would not be lawful.
The lack of a light is only incidental to the larger issue.
June 11th, 2008 22:10
While I admit this situation is f@#ked, I think we all need to take a step back and realize that minus the few strange events such as this, we live in an amazing town full of courteous drivers and a wide variety of bike-positive amenities. The cops are lame often, but I think this event should be viewed in contrast to all of the positive experiences we have as cyclists every day. Get well Phil!
June 11th, 2008 22:18
Phil - I hope you're feeling better and making a full recovery. I have to say I'm really floored by this whole incident.
This is my normal route home, so I came onto the scene several minutes after everything went down. After steering around the multitude of police cruisers and the riderless bike in the roadway, I simultaneously recognized it was your bike and that was you sitting on the ground surrounded by many darkly-clad officers. Not knowing what had happened, I stopped and approached the officers to find out if everything was okay (fearing you had been injured by a motorist somehow). It quickly became vely clear the police were detaining you, and they very nearly detained me as well. I was asked repeatedly if I "was with him earlier" as if to imply that I was some sort of accomplice to a crime. I was also asked intimidatingly if I had lights on my bike and why they weren't on. I told the officer I turned them off because I was now a pedestrian. They didn't seem to like my answer much, so I was directed to "move along."
Considering myself lucky, I went across the street and phoned some mutual friends in an effort to get word of your predicament to those who might be most concerned about you. I snapped a couple of photos while waiting to see if you'd be taken away by the EMTs or PPB.
Knowing now what happened to you, I feel extremely lucky -- that could have just as easily happened to me, or my wife, or anyone else riding a bike. That's what makes this story so relevant and so frightening. Please forgive my saying this but, in a way, we are all sort of lucky this did happen to you because you are someone recognizable. If this had happened to someone else less known to this community, we might never have heard about it.
Again, hope you're feeling better soon. -Ian
June 11th, 2008 22:30
"The Police Dept. is like a crew! It does whatever it wants to do!"
June 11th, 2008 22:32
my headlight is staying OFF as long as these bike stings continue.
clearly the POPO set up an official bike sting operation. they came fully prepared to unleash tasers and clubs on bicyclists without headlights.
i'm a reasonable guy but if that's how the POPO promotes safety, i choose danger.
(hey Sam, your credibility is showing ...)
June 11th, 2008 22:37
although it hasn't been explicitly stated yet, I get the impression these cops were actually out doing a sting against cyclists without lights, which went horribly wrong.
June 11th, 2008 22:41
I also agree with earlier comments that a significant portion of the motorcycle / traffic squad has a sort of unofficial vendetta against cyclists; I think if this can be proven beyond any sort of reasonable doubt (or whatever the standard of proof would be) these officers should be removed from this duty.
June 11th, 2008 22:42
My BS alarm is going off big time Rev. Phil!!
This is from some one who has pursued civil suit against the Portland Police. My own altercations during feckless protest skirmishes had resulted even in worse.
However, I am also keen to how one can use a convenient narrative in order to eclipse the context of events which otherwise might reveal the culpability of one's own actions in precipitating said event. If you have ever worked with kids, or had constant interactions with the police it is easier to qualify what I am getting at.
I'm not saying that Rev. Phil is totally at fault, just that there might be some key omissions which might better explain the overzealous reaction of the police.
I am simply not buying it.
Here is my advice get a light, maybe even two, and expect that when you push the boundary's of a cop (who right or wrong tend to have a propensity towards violent overreaction) expect that your going to get knocked down hard.
June 11th, 2008 22:45
Ian, they probably asked if you had been with him earlier because he had admitted to drinking earlier. You were very fortunate to escape arrest yourself-- my mother was arrested once under similar circumstances (er, not "drinking," just witnessing an arrest and refusing to leave. Fortunately for her, trumped up charges and a lying cop amounted to nothing when the jury acquitted her.).
Very timely photo, too. Good job!
June 11th, 2008 22:49
The overzealous reaction of the police is the issue here. There is nothing Rev. Phil did to provoke or deserve it. There may be explanations that show why this happened, but those are not the same as justifying police behavior - and if this gets justified and Smith is not fired, this sort of thing is going to happen to more of us out on the roads.
It would also help if Andrew @76 read the post, which explained that Rev. Phil did not initially know he was being assaulted by a cop. When he was resisting it was not clear to him that he was resisting a cop - to him it was a sudden attack out of nowhere. Folks act on instinct at that point.
Nothing - nothing at all - justifies the cop's behavior. Anyone who thinks it does is sacrificing our rights, and for what? Bike lights?! Jeez.
June 11th, 2008 22:52
Wow. Wow. Wow.
While I'm sure there were some omissions (on EVERYONE'S part - it's human nature, after all), I can't imagine how riding without a light, or even not stopping immediately could warrant being tasered.
June 11th, 2008 22:54
Can witness Diana Sartis back up the police report's claim that the cops lights (I'm presuming the report means the red and blues) were on? If they were, was there some good reason the guy on the bike, Phil Sano didn't might not have seen them?
So, when the cops see a guy across the street on a bicycle riding at night, without a front light on, they holler out to him to stop, and he doesn't, what's going through their mind? I wonder if anyone from the police department would dare answer that question with a comment on this thread.
Their rationale for their actions in this incident is already apparent in the text of the police report filed. Any answer they dared to make here would probably elaborate on the thinking evident in the report. Cops seem to rely heavily on two basic tools: criteria and pretext. With those two tools and the wording of the police code and conduct manual, their call for the use of violent force to apprehend someone is drastically simplified.
Officially, the police work for the people and answer whatever elected official has supervision over them. In the real world, many police do seem to consider their outfit a law unto itself.
Insignificant in relation to this incident, but just look at the recent blow-up over the 'no duct tape' for the Rose Festival parade goers that always want to reserve street-side spots. Commissioner Randy Leanord had to read the cops the riot act just to get them to accept the task of maybe writing a few citations out to illegal duct tapers! Also, to refresh the PD's memory that the PD is not a law unto itself, and has to take it's walking papers from city council.
June 11th, 2008 22:57
"So when was the last time a car driver was stop for not have a headlight, got pulled out of the car, pushed to a wall and got tazered??? Boy That would have been front page news"
Couple years ago. It wasn't a headlight, the driver of a car ran a stop sign, and so the police killed one of the passengers. (But yes, it was all over the papers.) Vera actually fired the chief of police over it. About 10 years ago or so the O published a story that said that the police had killed 16 people that year, (it was something like 1/4 of the people that died of bullet wounds that year were caused by the police.) So, really, the police are getting a lot better than they used to be...
June 11th, 2008 23:00
I've read two stories in the past week about unnecessary police taserings. One was at a peaceful protest against pesticide use in Eugene and now this. The police are out of control and clearly abusing their power and authority.
June 11th, 2008 23:00
Dear Eugene, if the cops are pulling people over, they have big RED AND BLUE lights which I think are a pretty good indicator used to identify police.
I think you are also under the misapprehension that I believe he didn't know who was "attacking him".
My god, I can tell all the middle-upper class white people who have never had there "rights" stumped on before. This is what police do and how they interact in the real world. I'm not justifying it, or endorsing it.
June 11th, 2008 23:05
Eugens, have you ever heard of Kendra James? Shot and killed by police while trying to start her car after she had been ordered out of the vehicle. The Grand Jury refused to indict the officer, and he was not fired.
Ever hear of James Chasse? Spotted riding his bike on the sidewalk downtown (a violation), he was chased, and in the subsequent arrest, he was injured so badly he died on the way to the hospital. No criminal charges against the officers involved, no officers fired.
Those are the ones I can remember off the top of my head, but there have been several other incidents in the last few years.
Given that reality, you don't really believe that Officer Smith will be fired over a scuffle, do you?
June 11th, 2008 23:21
I was with him at Roots until just before then, and he didn't appear drunk at all. And even further from agro drunk like some of you'all are implying. And you can get a DUI on a bike, so he abviously wasn't wasted.
June 11th, 2008 23:27
This is just one more example of a case where a taser was used in an incident that would never ever have ended up with an officer pulling his firearm had the taser not been available. Cops want us to believe that tasers save lives because they prevent shootings, but that isn't true. If it is a serious incident they go for the gun and shoot bullets if they just want to punish/torture someone they go with the taser. Portland should outlaw stun weapons for people and cops.
Bjorn
June 11th, 2008 23:46
In the photo with the article there's one police car pretty clearly visible, but no flashing lights I can see. The only illumination would seem to be from streetlights. This after what the photographer Ian (#72) describes as a "multitude of police cruisers" had showed up, well after Phil was taken down.
Ian, do you have any more pictures you could post?
June 12th, 2008 00:22
Yeah, considering the cops' previous track record, Phil is damned lucky to still be alive. And with all his limbs intact, too.
I hope these incidents become fewer and fewer... although I would suggest people not to ride while intoxicated, as you can get yourself in some serious accidents, and alcohol + police = really bad news.
Interestingly, just the other day when I was riding home, a couple of motorcycle cops said something nice to the couple on the tandem in front of me while we were stopped at the red light. I thought they were pretty friendly.
Hopefully we can all just get along...
June 12th, 2008 00:48
Get well Phil,
I find it crazy that this much force and attention is being paid to bike light safety in that area when I have watched crack dealers roam with impunity in NE portland with no lights, or any saftey gear on mt. bikes (mainly stolen) for years infront of my house everyday 24-7 and I have NEVER once seen anyone cited. This bike corridor along Fremont is heavily travelled.
The police complain that they have no tools to fight whats going on here since the drug-free zones disappeared, but it's obvious that they pick and choose what they see as important and they have admitted to me that they funnel this activity here. Is it saving Phil from himself or us and our kids from bullets and drugs? I guess it depends on where you live and how much the people there are "worth".
June 12th, 2008 01:18
Limbs intact? Reminds me of Craig Rosebraugh (another of Stu Sugarman's clients) who sustained a spiral fracture of his arm during an arrest.
The city did pay on that one, though...
June 12th, 2008 01:25
Way to make friends with the bicycling community PPB. I am so f'in pissed. They better have a great explanation for this.
June 12th, 2008 01:34
I am very sorry to hear about this. I hope you are feeling better Phil. Right now up here in Vancouver we are still processing the death of unthreatening Robert Dziekanski at the hands of the VPD using tasers.
This officer needs to be charged for the crime he committed. I feel very strongly that if there is to be any semblance of a rule of law this crime cannot be left unprosecuted. I don't know how the laws work town there but if the public attourney is not willing to file criminal charges for assault (You should ask him, legally) then you should go to civil court to pursue this. I hope there is some good legal-aid type thing (or something like we have called PIVOT) down there because that is what is needed - a strong message that this sort of abuse of power is not OK. Especially given that there seems to be a rash of this sort of violent unwarranted behavior for relatively innocuous bicycle traffic violations.
June 12th, 2008 04:40
@ Alan #51:
The photo is of Phil's left-side chest. (Were you thinking dirty thoughts? Me too. Heh...) He also had a smaller taser barb wound on his belly.
June 12th, 2008 05:55
This is a clear case, where if the NRA had its way and we all carried guns, that cop would have deservedly been shot.
Instead, they have tazers and get to electrocute the populace whenever they like to.
June 12th, 2008 06:18
Welcome to the New Regime under Dictator G "Dubya" Bush. the new Police State!
JT
http://www.Fireme.to/udi
June 12th, 2008 07:08
And yet another reason to stay clear of that country.
June 12th, 2008 07:39
I wrote to Chief Sizer as well. We have drunks that party in our street almost daily. We've called the cops. The Cops have watched them get into their cars and drive off drunk and have done NOTHING. They have even told us and our neighbor to stop calling them regarding said drinking/driving.
Hm...drunk driver or no bike light? Which is more dangerous?
June 12th, 2008 07:51
This is the second story like this I've read in the past year about Portland cops. This will really make me think twice about an upcoming bike trip to that area. We were looking forward to visiting the wine country on our tandem but like I said I'll really have to do my homework now.
June 12th, 2008 07:54
Even if the strobes were on, it's still possible to envision not being able to recognize the officers for who they are immediately on sight. Were they (and Diana) standing right next to the patrol car, or were they some distance away?
Also - if you're riding along, and someone shouts "Hey, Stop!" you may not think they mean *you*. I mean, the car's facing the other direction, maybe you figure they're shouting at whoever they've obviously pulled over. Unless they shine a light or wave a traffic baton in your direction, how are you to know?
June 12th, 2008 07:54
I was also with Rev. Phil before things got ugly. He definitely was not drunk. It sucks to have to think like this, but if the cops are going to accost and TASE cyclists for minor infractions like riding w/o a light then we aught to start riding in larger groups. Tasers can be deadly
and I'd rather not lose a fellow cyclist
to one.
June 12th, 2008 07:55
The over exuberance of the police force in oregon is common knowledge. Most people do not have the means to fight, and fear retaliation.
June 12th, 2008 08:05
NOTHING can justify tackling someone off their bike and tasing them, NOTHING.
There are red and blue lights all over downtown at night, how are you supposed to know they are for you?
I'll tell you how, you identify yourself as a Police officer BEFORE you make any contact with them.
June 12th, 2008 08:05
I guess the cops are pissed that they can't mess with bikers like they can with drivers. If you're on a bike, atleast in the past, you've been outside of the realm of the abusive police tactics such as stopping and searching with false or zero reason. Now, it looks like that is changing. Time to put the chains on the pigs.
June 12th, 2008 08:08
Jon, your journalism over here is really inter-stellar these days. I've been scrolling through the last few posts and have been seriously impressed.
June 12th, 2008 08:09
I was almost struck by a car that failed to yield the right of way a month or two ago, all while a police cruiser was right behind me, and he didn't stop the car. This is further proof that some cops hate cyclists.
June 12th, 2008 08:13
I like how he couldn't tell they were cops but he COULD tell that, “without question, I could tell they enjoyed seeing me become so helpless, so weak. It was humiliating.â€
June 12th, 2008 08:26
This cheesy **insult deleted** is a professional police antagonizer. Don't believe a word of his story. Just like his last arrest, he was drunk and fucking with the cops, and they did what they had to do until he stopped fighting. That's what you do when the cops tell you to stop- they're trained to escalate if you don't obey. You figure out later why they want you to stop, or you get a bullet in the back- at least, you do in a *real* city. The Portland cops are creampuffs. Let this **insult delete** disrespect some Chicago cops, see if anyone even ever sees the guy again.
I have no doubt that he both provoked and deserved a tasering.
June 12th, 2008 08:48
SkidMark (#99):
Murder, Rape, Fleeing the scene of a felony - Plenty of things can justify tackling them off the bike, and after the tackle, any threat to the officer's safety will warrant (I think justifiably) the use of a taser, which is seldom lethal.
That said, a traffic violation never warrants something like this and the officer(s) involved used extremely poor judgement, unless there is some crucial piece of information that we're missing here. I empathize with your sentiment, SkidMark, but I think the execution is pure hyperbole.
That said, the police bureau has shown another in a long serious of incidents that exhibits a set of systemic problems involving use of force, decision-making in crisis situations, and traffic stop procedures. I believe it's institutional in nature, and as in any large bureaucratic institution, change will likely take 20-40 years and will only happen if people at every level of the organization and in the public sphere agitate to make it happen. A related problem is getting people to step up to push for that change, due to the perfectly natural fear of reprisal.
As a member of a family with 6 members in various law enforcement agencies, and having worked with a number of police officers in the past, I am ashamed of the way our department fails to work. It's only through the efforts of outstanding individuals in the police bureau that the PPB redeems itself after these incidents, and frankly, with the onslaught in public opinion ever time one occurs, I marvel at the fact that those individuals maintain their poise and professionalism and continue to do their jobs.
I just wish the entire bureau were up to the standards of those individuals.
June 12th, 2008 08:59
#97, "And yet another reason to stay clear of that country."
My thoughts exactly.
June 12th, 2008 09:07
IMHO, this is largely the result of 7 years of the Bush administration. We have seen a steady increase in not only the number of but also the severity of excesses committed by law enforcement. It has as its root the "war on terror". Law enforcement has been given a much longer lease, it is alleged to "protect us" from terrorists, and the leash remains lengthened for all police activities. Each time an internal investigation absolves the officers involved, all of law enforcement is emboldened and the excesses not only continue but they increment in severity. One solution would be citizen review of allegations of police excess but few communities have this. Human society makes a police force necessary and we all should be grateful for them. But if they don't restrain themselves, we civilians must take action. At the ballot box, by taping or photographing their activities, by speaking up, by writing to the editor, our elected representatives and the police chief, etc.
June 12th, 2008 09:15
It is pretty clear that Phil was not visibly intoxicated. Cops love to overcharge people and let them try to get it dropped later, if they thought there was any chance they could get him on DUI or other charges related to drunkeness they would have gone for it.
June 12th, 2008 09:19
Police: use good judgement!!! He was riding his BICYCLE without LIGHTS. Big deal!!
Bicyclist: use good judgement!!! When a cop tells you to stop, do it!!!
June 12th, 2008 09:28
I hate it how it's becoming so "us against them" in Portland. It sucks how we as bikers are becoming this annoying sub-group to such a large portion of the rest of Portland. I don't have any miracle sollutions, but, can't we all just get along?
June 12th, 2008 09:29
Jonathan,
Sound like this has been and predictably will be a common experience between Portland cops and bicyclists. Would Bike Portland consider collecting a database (like you have with Stolen Bikes) about these incidents?
It's a powerful message to see all these incidents in one pile - that's when you can begin to see the patterns of institutional behavior.
June 12th, 2008 09:30
Hi all. Thanks for posting this article. I wrote a letter to the Portland Mayor and to Police Chief Sizer. It's WAY too long to post here, but I figured I would link to it, if you care to read. Sorry Phil had to go through this... things are getting worse.
http://tinyurl.com/5jzchd
John
June 12th, 2008 09:31
Wow.
June 12th, 2008 09:35
Some people seem surprised by this. That's the only surprising part. Rixter said it. Kendra James. James Chasse. The list goes on...
...the courts and the politicians won't protect you. Who will?
June 12th, 2008 09:39
[...] BikePortland.org [...]
June 12th, 2008 09:41
Civil twilight in Portland, OR ends at 9:37 p.m. on June 11, 2008.
Thus, if he was riding at 9:30, he was still riding before the end of legal twilight.
All the more reason for officers to use judgment.
June 12th, 2008 09:43
This incident doesn't necessarily surprise me, but it does sadden me.
I was stopped a few years back while riding home from work at about 10pm by the Beaverton police. I had front and rear lights on my bike and they were both on. A cop car passed me going the opposite way on Cedar Hills Blvd, then swung around and cut me off, pulling onto a side street. The cops both got out of the squad car and yelled for me to stop. I complied and asked what the problem was. They said that my taillight wasn't the proper color (which is true, it was green, but it was still a taillight). When they asked me for ID, I informed them that my wallet was in my backpack and that I needed to get it out to show them, but when I reached inside, one of them drew his gun and trained it on me.
Once I assured them that I had nothing dangerous in there by panicking and dropping most of the contents of my bag on the ground, he calmed down and holstered his weapon, but kept his hand on the butt of the gun the rest of the time. They proceeded to grill me as to my purpose for riding my bike at this hour (again, it was 10PM on a Tuesday night, not that late) and where I was coming from and going to. It was only as they were getting into their car to drive off that one of them turned and told me that, oh yeah, I should have a helmet on, too.
Seriously, go stop some real crime and leave bikers alone.
June 12th, 2008 09:47
@Johnny Payphone: 'professional police antagonizer'? So he's got, what, a union card with the PPA local #713?
Obvious troll is obvious.
June 12th, 2008 09:54
I have know way of really knowing what happened in the scuffle, but tackling someone for a traffic infraction is asinine. It is a dangerous and uncivilized practice that should be addressed at a department policy level. Not only was Sano put at risk, the officer put himself at risk to enforce a law that is not even a misdemeanor.
June 12th, 2008 09:57
I had pulled up to Morrison Hotel bar just as sirens sounded nearby. Then I walked through the gas station lot on 7th & Morrison and watched from 1/2 block away. The two police had someone pinned to the ground and he was screaming to stop tasing him. The clicking of the taser could be heard for the next few minutes, along with his yelling. They must have just pulled him off his bike before my arrival. I'm assuming it was his bike lying in the bike land on 7th, and 1 police car. Over the next 10 minutes, seven or eight more police cruisers and at least 10 more officers arrived. An ambulance as well. Many people stopped to watch, a few took phone video. Someone at the nearby bus stop seemed to have a video camera. A number of pedestrians stopped to watch. At one point, someone yelled, "You're wasting my tax dollars!" And I nodded in agreement.
June 12th, 2008 10:01
the police would never ask before they taser...do you have a medical condition!
also tasers, called a non-lethal enforcement action has sent many americans to their grave and they were dead forever, not temporary dead.
police give around 8 seconds for the american citizen then they pile on the taser and they pile on multiple charges in any town usa.
criminals are not the good guys but what do you do when the good guys with badges are more like ss gestapo agents than what we used to know as police officers?
police have been trained to write as many offenses as possible for a single contact so that prosecutors can "stick" the charges but if you are a senator and drown your secretary or if you are a senator and kill a motorcyclist, or if you are richard cheney and shoot a man straight in the heart after publically admitting he drank one beer...yeah baby, one beer! then the law of the land is applied differently.
shame on this incident, but it is police chief policy and it is aggressive police training that brings this on.
you just need a sign on your forehead saying you might be the next president, leave me alone!
June 12th, 2008 10:02
This is simply beyond disturbing.
I am someone who bikes back & forth to work five days a week, and bikes home at random hours of night everyday I work.
If, at about 1 A.M. (the time I headed home "last night"), somebody wearing dark clothing yelled "Stop!" without any further identification (as seems to be the case here), I'm not doing anything other than pushin' pedal & haulin' ass out of that scene with all due haste.
Should Rev. Phil have been riding without a headlight? Obviously, if one is riding down dark corridors it can be dangerous to one's self & potentially others. So yes, it's something that should be mandated and I think the city has done a wonderful thing giving away free headlights for bikes (I bought a new headlight recently...$40). Having said that, sh*t happens. I can't tell you how many times I've had batteries die half-way home, and sadly, lights and clips for lights get stolen with alarming regularity (Did I read correctly that Rev. Phil's light was in his fannypack because his clip had been stolen that evening?).
As for the actions of the PPO's. My goodness, this is absolutely a horrific and inexcusable (though apparently already being excused by the PPD) use of excessive force under any circumstance. Did Rev. Phil pull a gun? Was Rev. Phil doing anything that could have been conceived as so threatening to the officers that tasering became necessary, much less yanking him off a moving bicycle?
It would be far too easy for me, living clear across the country in one of the great biking communities in America (Northampton, MA) to speculate and much has been said already, especially in regard to the long arm of the law that "Dubya" has stretched like those old "Plastic Man" cartoons...
...Ya' know, shoot first and don't even bother with the questions because we'll make you a criminal one way or another (Can anyone out there say "privatization of prisons"?).
Much has also been said about the two officers involved, on this I will not comment because I have never been to Portland, much less encountered either officer.
But for sh*t's sake, what the hell is going through someone's mind when they're ripping someone off a moving bike and tasering the sh*t out of that person?
I can only hope that this story and the extreme actions of these two "officers of the law" is not allowed to die or slip into the back pages and back chambers of the community conciousness.
When they come for the bikers, do not stand in silence because you are not a biker. Otherwise, who will be left to speak up when they come for you?
All My Best To Rev. Phil and all the bikers in Portland, OR, Northampton, MA and all across the world.
Keep on pedaling!
June 12th, 2008 10:07
Police antagonizer or no, the witness confirmed the violence, right?
June 12th, 2008 10:15
unreal!
speedy recovery phil. can't help but think that when the victim is a documentarian and there is a witness, this might be a winnable lawsuit. best of luck phil.
June 12th, 2008 10:23
#1. This is another (as if we need more) demonstration of the police force's source of "power". Fail to obey them and they can inflict physical harm, deprive one of dignity, and take away one's liberty by incarceration.
#2. There have been incidents of men posing/masquerading as police that have assaulted/raped women. I wouldn't trust some guy in black yelling at me either.
#3. The "punishment" in no way fits the "crime".
Protect and serve? Whose interests?
June 12th, 2008 10:23
Dear John #109,
A couple of weeks ago I watched the video of 5 of Chicago's finest, off-duty and beating a group of college students because they wanted the pool table. What made me sick was the vidoe of the students calling 911, and when the on-duty cops arrived the gave it a pass because of the invovlement of the off duty cops. This gives me a sense of the honor and professionalism exhibited by your boys in blue.
Lets bring the discussion back to Portland. Are our Police as bad as you thugs in blue. Probably not. Could they get that bad. Sure. The key is that people get involved and ask the questions and insist on the answeres. Now that the bike community has helped to get Sam eleceted, require payback. As for an inpartial review of the actions. Put Johnathan or other respectible member of the bike community on it and see what they say.
We have a great City and Police force. Let's keep it that way.
June 12th, 2008 10:26
Dear John #109,
A couple of weeks ago I watched the video of 5 of Chicago's finest, off-duty and beating a group of college students because they wanted the pool table. What made me sick was the video of the students calling 911, and when the on-duty cops arrived they gave it a pass because of the invovlement of the off duty cops. This gives me a sense of the honor and professionalism exhibited by your boys in blue.
Lets bring the discussion back to Portland. Are our Police as bad as your thugs in blue. Probably not. Could they get that bad. Sure. The key is that people get involved and ask the questions and insist on the answers.
Now that the bike community has helped to get Sam eleceted, require payback. As for an impartial review of the actions. Put Johnathan or other respectible member of the bike community on it and see what they say.
We have a gr