|
|
Rose City Copwatch |
STATEMENTThursday, February 19, 2004 Rose City Copwatch Statement Concerning the Scott McCollister Photo ContestMy name is Melissa. I am a member of Rose City Copwatch, a police accountability group here in Portland. On Monday of this week, Rose City Copwatch volunteers distributed over 300 posters throughout East Precinct. The posters notify the community of Scott McCollister's return to work as a Portland Police officer. McCollister was suspended for five months after killing Kendra James, an unarmed African-American mother. This is the penalty cops face when they shoot Black people: five months. The Portland Police Bureau is giving Scott McCollister a second chance. But Kendra James has no second chance. McCollister is back at work. He is armed, uniformed, and perhaps most troubling -- he is more or less anonymous. Every day in the paper, Portlanders can find photographs of people the police have arrested, suspects they are seeking, and offenders being released into the community. But when a cop murders an unarmed woman, they take care to keep his picture out of the media. Apparently, we are not supposed to know what Scott McCollister looks like. His face is a secret because what he has done is so shameful. And by hiding him in their ranks, all Portland police come to share his shame. We believe that the people of Portland have a right to know who their police are. Identification is the first step toward accountability. That's why cops wear name tags. That's why they carry business cards and sign their names on their reports. The community has a right to know who the police are. We have a right to know who Scott McCollister is. The police don't want to tell us. Mayor Katz doesn't want to tell us. So we in the community have to count on each other. Keep your eyes open for this cop. If you are the first person to provide a verifiable photograph of Scott McCollister, Rose City Copwatch will give you a free bag of groceries. If the police won't identify him, the community can. It seems like such a simple demand. We weren't really expecting any controversy. But the effort has been mischaracterized by the cops, politicians, and certain disreputable talk-radio hosts. It's been called a "bounty" and "vigilantism." It is neither of these. Let us say this clearly: We want people to know what Scott McCollister looks like. We want a photograph. We do not encourage anyone to approach him. And we are not advocating violence against him. If you have a photo of Scott McCollister, please call Rose City Copwatch at 503.715.1409. -- END -- |
|
Home | What We Want | Projects | News | Volunteer!! Rose City Copwatch
|
