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Rose City Copwatch |
PRESS RELEASEFor Immediate Release
Rose City Copwatch Sponsors Contest to Bring Public Scrutiny to Scott McCollister and the Portland Police BureauRose City Copwatch is sponsoring a contest bring public scrutiny to Scott McCollister and the Portland Police Bureau. Rose City Copwatch has created a poster notifying the public that killer cop Scott McCollister is returning to work. The poster announces a contest: the first person to provide a photo of McCollister will receive a free bag of groceries, compliments of Rose City Copwatch. On May 5, 2003, Officer Scott McCollister shot and killed Kendra James, an unarmed, 21-year- old, African-American mother of two in North Portland. Despite massive public outcry, including demands that McCollister be fired from the Police Bureau and held accountable for James' death, Scott McCollister was re-armed and reassigned to work in East Precinct on February 5, 2004. The Portland Police Bureau has taken great care to keep any photos of McCollister out of public circulation. But the community has a right to know what this armed and dangerous man looks like. "The McCollister case is but one example of the lack of accountability and inordinate protections afforded police officers," said Clayton Szczech, a member of Rose City Copwatch. "Knowing what killer cops look like and what areas they patrol is a vital first step toward true police accountability. It's a reflection of broader injustices that killer cops are shielded from public scrutiny by both the City and the news media while, for example, the identities of sex offenders returning to the community are published far and wide." The posters will be distributed to businesses, agencies and public spaces in East Precinct on February 16, 2004. Rose City Copwatch expects this to be a fun, positive event that will bring police accountability advocates and the community at large into dialogue around McCollister's return to work and police violence in general. When McCollister's photo is found, Rose City Copwatch will launch a second round of public outreach to make his likeness widely recognized. "We hope that the public outcry unleashed after Kendra's murder can be focused on the lack of accountability that allows cops like McCollister to remain on the force, without having to bear responsibility for what they have done," said Szczech. -- END -- |
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