Jim Lockhart's blog

Portland Oregon Press Conference
regarding police brutality and abuse of power in the September 17,
2006 killing of James Chasse. Chasse was a mentality ill person who
died in custody after being severely beaten by Portland police and
subsequently denied immediate medical attention.

The Conference was called by the
lawyers for the family, who gave evidence that it was not the beating
that killed Chasse, but the immediate attempt by the police to cover
up their actions, including, but not limited to, lying to the
arriving medical team about his injuries and condition.

James Chasse. Chasse was a mentality
ill person who died in custody after being severely beaten by
Portland police and subsequently denied immediate medical attention.

The Conference was called by the
lawyers for the family, Thomas Steenson and Thomas Schneiger, in
order to provide the public and media with evidence that it was not
the beating that killed Chasse, but the immediate attempt by the
police to cover up their actions, including, but not limited to,
lying to the arriving medical team about his injuries and
condition. 

At the Press Conference, there were
several large panels reproducing the documentation supplied in the
media packets. This documentation provides a time line for the entire
episode which culminated in the homicide of James Chasse.

The panels just behind the two
attorneys for the Chasse family gave "the stories the police
tell" on the left side and "the truth" on the right
side.

On the left side of one of the panels,
"the officers claim that Chasse runs away after Burton yells or
whistles;" on the right side, "the two closest civilian
eyewitnesses say Chasse does not run at all."

Also, on the left side, "Officer
Humphrey takes Chasse down hard to the pavement, claiming that it is
reasonable for him to do so;" yet, a "finding by the PPB
Training Division and Assistant Police Chief Berg (asserts) Humphrey
does not follow his training."

Later in this time line (three days
later), "Humphrey claims he did not tackle Chasse and instead
used the PPB approved 'knockdown' technique to take Chasse down to
the pavement." Yet, "according to what Humphrey says when
he takes Chasse to jail, he tackled Chasse." And "according
to Officer Nice, Humprey 'wrapped both arms around Chasse and just
fell forward to the ground....'" Also, "two civilian
eyewitnesses also see a tackle."

During the Press Conference, the
attorneys take us through the whole episode, outlining a series of
deliberate lies and obfuscations of facts whose sole purpose was to
justify the actions of the and escape their just
consequences.

When the AMR paramedics arrived, the
officers did not inform them that Chasse had been tasered, which,
according to Thomas Schneiger would have been an automatic trip to
the hospital. They also downplay the extent of his injuries and do
not inform the paramedics that Chase had earlier lost
consciousness. 

As stated by Thomas Schneiger, the
cover up did kill James Chasse because it kept him from getting to
the hospital...if they would have just gone to the hospital, the
officers would have been in trouble but Chasse would have
lived."

The presentation of evidence at the
Press Conference is a little over 30 minutes in length.

Because so much other information came
out during the Q & A, I've also included about 20 minutes of that
as well. 

Total length of this video is about 50
minutes.

Lauren Regan, founder of the Eugene Oregon based Civil Liberties Defense Center (www.cldc.org)speaking at the recent Roots of Resistance Conference held in Portland Oregon, organized by Jesus Radicals.(www.jesusradicals.com)

The Conference, held in Portland Oregon on the week end of August 6th and 7th, explored themes of Christian Anarchism, violent vs non violent strategies, among others.

Lauren, along with Tre Arrow, spoke Sunday morning on a panel entitled, "Navigating the Security Culture, Activism in a Posts 911 World."<BR>
According to the flyer for the event, "the aim of this session is ................to inform people about laws that criminalize dissent and that make it exceedingly difficult to work for social change."

Regan, who is a public interest attorney specializing in civil rights, criminal defense and environmental law, has successfully represented hundreds of political activists in both civil and criminal litigation.

After first discussing some of her cases, she enumerates 4 main methods used by law enforcement to infiltrate, intimidate, marginalize and discourage organizations seeking to bring about social change as well as ways that activists can evade and neutralize these methods.

Portland Oregon Demonstration protesting the illegal War and
Occupation of Iraq.

Speakers were John Grueschow of the Portland War Resisters League
and
Mireaya Media of the American Friends Service Committee. The event was
moderated by Darlene, aka Black Butterfly, who also provided the
audience with an anti war Spoken Word performance.

After a short Rally at Terry Schrunk Plaza, the
community marched a short distance to a Teach in at the First Unitarian Church.

Video is about 10 minutes in length.

Video excerpt feeaturing Tre Arrow, from a panel at the 28th Annual Environmental Land, Air and Water Conference recently held in Eugene, Oregon. Panel was
entitled "Direct Action for the Environment."

Tre spends the first half of this 12 minute talk discussing his early
activism, climbing the ledge at the Forest Service office to protest
the Eagle Creek Timber Sale, and his experiences at the Oregon coast at
the God's Valley Sale, where after free climbing a tree without gear,
support, or a platform, he was severely injured due to the use of sleep
deprivation tactics.

"I'm here today to say that we mustn't
allow the oppressors to break our spirit, that we owe it to ourselves,
to future generations, and certainly to this planet and all living
being on this planet to do what we can to help create a more a more
healthy, a more just, a more peaceful, a more eglatarian world, and
that's what I'm committed to."
"And I fully encourage everyone in
this room to do whatever they can to get educated, to get involved, to
perhaps change their diet, perhaps eliminate certain things in ones
life, purchases or activites that contribute to the greater whole."

"We all have creativity and we all have gifts that we can bring about
to create a more healthy and just planet." Tre, agreeing with a
previous speaker, encouraged using "every tool in the toolbox......I
have tried several different tactics; some have been effective, some
have been not as effective."

Arrow finishes his talk by fully
encouraging everyone "to do what they feel motivated to do, to find it
in your heart to access the passion that we all have."

Power Point presentation by Peter Spendelow of NWVeg discussing whether or not animals are conscious. A fairly wide ranging presentation, commenting on brain structure of animals and humans as well as common and extraordinary powers of both.

What is consciousness? What makes us conscious? How do you prove consciousness in others? Are animals conscious; do they feel pain? Or are they, as the mathematician Rene (I think, therefore I am) Descartes asserted, simply machines that do not feel pain?

Spendelow quotes the work of James Rose, who compares the processing of pain in humans and fish and concludes that, since fish do not have a neocortex, they do not feel pain. But following this same line of reasoning, Spendelow demonstrates that fish cannot see either, something we know cannot be true. He then demonstrates how it is that fish can feel pain, enumerating many things that fish can do without a well developed cerebral cortex.

He also brings up some of the incredible things accomplished by other animals, such as the Clarks Nutcracker, Chickadee and Plover, and the beaver, all of whom demonstrate senses and abilities far beyond humans.

Spendelow spends some time exploring instinct versus reasoning and consciousness versus intelligence.

An interesting, educational and provacative presentation, exploring areas of science which, it seems, have not caught up with the common sense of those whose daily life interfaces with animals. They do feel pain; they surely must be conscious.

Much of our blindness concerning animals lies with our dependence on definitions which often limit our ability to openly experience the natural world. There is a certain amount of ego in this; our viewpoint is human centered, anthropocentric, as our perspective of the solar system was once earth centered, geocentric.

Scientists have been threatened and even executed for articulating theories claiming that Earth and human beings were not the center of God's universe. Just one example, in 1600, the Italian scientist Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake for asserting that the sun was the center of the solar system.

Spendelow's presentation demonstrates in both scientific and common sense terms that the attribution of consciousness to only human beings is not only erroneous, but debilitating.

A video clip produced for the Portland Oregon area Public Access program, "Veterans for Peace
Forum," featuring an interview with Mike Bryant, Project Supervisor for
Laceys House, Veterans Homeless Program.

VFP Forum is produced by Kellie La Bonty and airs live on the fourth Saturday of every month at 7:00 on channel 11.

Mike is interviewed by Dan
Shea, Portland area member of Veterans for Peace, Chapter 72. Also
included in the conversation is Joseph Holness, an Oregon member of
Iraq Veterans Against the War. 

www.laceyshouse.com

Keynote presentation for the Northwest Econvergence held in Portland Oregon in October 2009.


Entitled "When Elites Fail," Chomsky talked for about one hour and 13
minutes. Due to the length of the talk, I broke it up into two parts.

He begins by asking the question, what should we do when elites fail?
His simple answer, "get rid of them", was greeted by thunderous
applause. Chomsky spends the rest of his talk describing various
historical aspects of our circumstances, connecting the dots and
providing avenues of possible redress.

As usual, Chomsky delivers a
wealth of information and connects it up to current events. He speaks
about the economic crisis, health care reform and many other topics
which affect the citizens of this country and the world. Most
interesting to me was his take on the politics surrounding the Vietnam
war, somewhere in the second half of this talk. 

Chomsky One

 read more »

John Trudell was guest speaker at the 2009 Oregon Medical Cannabis
Award dinner which took place in Portland Oregon on Saturday, December
12, 2009. This event was organized by the Oregon National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws

John Trudell spoke about medical marijuana, but also used this issue to address philosophical and poltical themes.

"Everything is about energy and I like the energy generated here. I
really relate to what you've been doing with the whole concept of
Medical Marijuana, from getting it accepted the the way of
distribution.......it's not about profiteering, it's about the
medicinal need.........I think that if the political and social
movements and groups that operate in this country today had the same
kind of energetic commitment that medical marijuana people have, many
things could change in this country."

"We go back 20 years and
this is an impossibility where everything stood, and all the other
situations were just as intense for their time and place. But in the
passage of 20 years something has been accomplished here,
energetically, consciously; you can't say that about any other aspect
of the political system."

John goes further and says, "I'd like
to see this start to expand and go into the same single minded focus is
put on hemp as Earth medicine, medicine for the Earth, under the whole
concept of the Green Economy, alternative energy and at some point that
energy could be put into the focus of hemp, not cannabis And hemp, but
as a parallel energy being put out there.......if there is such a thing
as grass roots organizing, you are it"

Trudell asserts that the
medical and hemp movement is more than just resisting and protesting,
it's about non co operation. "In some type of way, the children of the
plant aren't co operating, you're not co operating with the mind set,
with the imprinted brainwashing that has been taking place....... all
the movements, are co operating with their political and social and
economic enemy..... even when they protest, when the build their
protest around voting, they are still believing that things can change
that way."
"The children of the plant were not going to co operate
with the Lie.....Everybody else is co operating with the lie, to
however degree they believe in it, whether it was the Obama phenomena,
they wanted to believe in that."
BR> John then expands this theme
to a larger arena, "Maybe it will reach the point where we don't co
operate with the fears that they've implanted in our perception of
consciousness; when we don't co operate with their imposed low self
esteem.

This video is about 12 minutes in length

With very short notice, a couple hundred people showed up at Terry
Schrunk Park in downtown Portland this evening, December 2, 2009, to
protest President Obama's decision to escalate the Afghanistan
Occupation by 30,000 more troops

As one sign said quite clearly, "the honeymoon is over." Well, at least
it might be for those who swallowed the campaign rhetoric and convinced
themselves that this particular politician is different, that he isn't
the typical political face dancer, that he would regard their opinions
and honor his word.

Turns out he is a cut from the same
common cloth as all politicians. These elected officials who regard the
bankers and financiers on Wall Street, the Generals in the Pentagon and
they who occupy the Corporate Suites as the true America. Not the
workers whose toil built and sustains the economy; not the soldiers who
volunteer their lives and limbs to insure corporate profits; not the
people, the fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, brothers and
sisters, who in every facet of their lives provide the United States
with its common wealth.

Perhaps many are now waking from a year
of quiescence, from what was thought to be a well deserved R & R
after 8 years of constant attack by the former Administration. But, in
my opinion, the transition from the past to the present Administration
is seamless, and offers very little to celebrate.

So we now
protest the elite decisions of Barak Obama, as we protested those of
George "W" Bush. But they don't see the world as we do. These are
actually not wars, but Occupations, and though the difference might be
lost on our politicians, our Media, and even many of our people, it is
not lost to those people whose country we occupy.

And this one fact alone will doom any investment of our blood and treasure to naught.

But those who stood across from the Federal Building in Portland
tonight understand that "War is Terrorism," that "War and Occupation
Can Never Bring Liberation," to anyone, except those who lives are
sacrificed for the fancy rhetoric and grandiose ideals of the
Oppressor. As a nation we fool ourselves and drag other nations into
our folly.

A few speakers each briefly addressed the crowd.
They spoke out against, not just the escalation, but the invasion and
occupation as well. Many offered ways to step up and make a difference,
whether it was redirecting one's taxes or running for elected office.

Perhaps something began tonight, something many people falsely believed began in November of last year. 

On the Public Access "A Growing Concern," documentary film producer Courtney Scott discusses the no kill direction for public animal shelters. Courtney is currently working on a full length documentary entitled, "The War On Animals"

www.beyond-productions.com

While the no kill concept is not widely accepted or practiced at the moment, there are inroads being made at public shelters across the country. The nation's largest shelter system and city, New York, has made a commitment to be no kill by 2015 and has already reduced killing of healthy, treatable animals from 74 to 39%.

Multnomah County has just recently undergone a review via a task force. This is an opportune time to bring this subject to the table at both the county and city level.

Please contact your Mayor, City and County Commissioners to voice your support for no kill animal shelters in this area.