❏ Aims and demands

THE attempt to de-construct the narrative around the police killing of Keaton Otis cannot explain everything that happened… but it can raise sufficient doubts about the official story to demand that Oregon’s Attorney General and/or the US Department of Justice mount a rigorous and transparent investigation into the killing by a reputable and independent authority… leaving no stone unturned.

During the course of such an investigation all officers directly involved in the killing and the immediate aftermath should be suspended on full pay, pending the outcome of the investigation. If the investigation concludes charges should be laid… then those officers should have their day in court to be held to account for their actions.

This is not an attack on the Portland Police Bureau and its officers. Support for the police does not mean uncritical support no matter what. Genuine support means holding the institution and its officers to account: recognizing and applauding the good, aiding and supporting necessary change and rigorously rooting out those who besmirch the reputation of the PPB.

It is a defense of the good name of the majority of the officers of the PPB and their service to the people of Portland. They deserve to do their vital, and often dangerous work, with the full support and trust of the people of Portland, finally free of the shame inflicted on them by the actions of a minority of rogue officers who do not deserve to wear the blue uniform of the PPB.

This would be justice for Keaton Otis. He, and the countless other victims of the worst of the PPB over the years, deserve nothing less. The best of the PPB and the people of Portland also deserve nothing less.