To: Marisa Madrigal, Interim County Chair
Kim Peoples, Department of Community Services
CC: Multnomah County Commission
CC: Portland City Council
CC: Robert Babcock, Attny
I
am not addressing Michael Oswald, Director of MCAS. Mr Oswald
condones officer misconduct towards minority and homeless populations. I
am asking that you intervene in this particular case if it is not too
late and that you strongly and affirmatively address the prejudice
against Hispanics and homeless persons among MCAS officers.
Officer
Cherry's manipulation of minorities and impoverished persons is not
new, nor is it unique. Tantrum tickets are common forms of officer
abuse. It simply has not been corrected.
Case Summary
: On 11.20.13 Animal Control officer BPPST AC010 ( the name of the
officer is a letter " J": no first or last name; a problem Mr. Oswald
knows about but will not correct...most officers are not legibly
identified on Notices of Infraction) gave Onesimo Lopez Garcia three
tickets:
- NOI 89435 for Tiger, his brindle pit bull: Failure to comply Level 4 $500 (excessive fees are commonly used with the homeless and minorities as part of attempted extorted surrender). Excessive fees don't correct they simply terrify.
- NOI 89434 for Tiger , Level 1, $75, further violations will result in ownership suspension
- NOI 89436 for Chata, Level 1, $75 further villations will result in ownership suspension.
Quite
commonly MCAS officers issue disproportionate fines to
frighten vulnerable populations. They offer no help. It is part of
MCAS's culture of prejudice and bullying. Officers without
ethics training or guidance at MCAS have enormous discretion to do as
they please. That is well documented.
As of this
writing, Chata is deceased, shot by a neighbor. Mr Lopez Garcia reports
that the animal control officer; he believes it was Officer
Cherry. reported shooting a dog for killing a cat was perfectly legal.
It is not .
Officer Cherry entered the residence
and took Tiger,the family pit bull and a companion to 7 and 8 year old
children when he was not home. When he arrived home, Tiger had already
been loaded into the truck by Officer Cherry. Officer Cherry took the
family dog from minors without permission and she did so from inside
the family's home without adults present.
Mr.
Lopez Garcia speaks no English. He was crying at the time. He told me
that Officer Cherry clearly dislikes pit bulls ( His dogs are gentle
family companions, members of the family). Officer Cherry accused him
of deception, stating he knew but pretended to lack English fluency.I
have heard the same credible bullying about language
fluency reported before from other citizens. I have witnessed it as
well. Mr Lopez Garcia has no English fluency at all. Having just spent
20 minutes speaking with him in Spanish I can assure you of that.
Officer
Cherry demanded that he sign paperwork. He signed upon her demand but
had no understanding about what he was signing or why. Officer Cherry
took Tiger two days ago and stated that Tiger would be killed
automatically in 6 additional days.
Tiger is not on the December 02, 2013 inventory. Did you kill Tiger?
Obviously there were constructive solutions. MCAS just rejects them over and over again.
How
many reports of MCAS malfeasance and misconduct does it take before
this county commission stops human rights violations and officer
misconduct at this agency?
Mr. Lopez Garcia is
calling the county chair's office for assitance tomorrow. Help him. Do
not send him onto the agency that caused the problem and is the source
of so much citizen misery and wrongdoing ( the agency's not the public).
MCAS management is the problem. Have someone present at the county
commission who can commuinicate with him in his native tongue: Spanish.
Then
do something about the lawlessness at this agency unless you too
believe Hispanics, other minorities ( African Americans are in the same
position) and the homeless are disposable trash, not human beings.
Gail O'Connell-Babcock, PhD
Citizens for Humane Animal Legislation/Watchdog
Sherwood OR 97140
Telephone: 503.625.4563
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