Portland Mayor fights FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force

Portland Or is one of one hundred cities nation wide that have been selected to work with the FBI on anti terrorism. Portland would have 2-3 city police officers working with the FBI on anti terrorism issues, but the chief of police, the mayor, nor any other city official has the security clearance to monitor the activity of those officers, nor be in a position to place their activities under review.

Today, Portland Mayor Tom Potter proposed to the FBI that he, the chief of police, & the city attorney top secret Clarence so that there will be local oversight & accountability to the community.

The FBI is resisting the idea, but said they would review the issue.


Hoot-hoot!!! Score one for the citizens!!!!

...there were people who believed that Vera Katz was in bed with some entities that used Portland as a "proving ground" for various and possibly nefarious initiatives. I don't think Potter will be part of that.

Integrity.

For non-Portlanders (I now you guys know), but Potter
is former police chief of the city as well. The Feebs
don't work with him and they can say no to any cooperation
from the Portland Police Bureau.

I'm starting tho think we did the right thing electing
this guy.

And I agree. I'm always slow to accept someone, but he sure seems to be doing all he right things...so far;-)

on this. I talked to him about it last week. He feels that not only as Mayor, but also the Police Commissioner that he should always be "in the loop" (so to speak) on what's going on in Portland. So far, I'm very happy with my vote for Potter.

Please tell him how important an issue this is to us all.

I am as well very happy with my vote for him as well.

him once Spring Break is over, his grandson and my son are friends (2nd graders) so there is "family interaction", so to speak. From my interactions with him, he does really care what the citizens of Portland think about these issues. I just always hope that the "game" of politics doesn't take over his idealism. (I doubt it will)

http://www.katu.com/news/story.asp?ID=75941

Portland would stay in task force only if files are open

By ANNE M. PETERSON
Associated Press Writer
PORTLAND, Ore. - Portland's mayor has proposed a plan that would keep the city in the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force only if federal officials share certain information with local leaders.

The resolution was introduced by Mayor Tom Potter on Wednesday and goes before the full City Council next week

more at link

out of joint about this, too. I work on the fringes of that system and have had a few chances to talk with some folks over there today, and it's really got them bummed out. Could be we see other cities making the same choice.

I watched the stories on KATU, and they were long on quoting the local FBI Special Agent in Charge and man-on-the-street comments that this was just political meddling in affairs too sensitive to be divulged to mere mortals. It was nauseating.

Potter's doing precisely the right thing. After the horrible miscarriage of justice in the Brandon Mayfield affair (and the bill for that one's yet to come due for the U.S. taxpayer), not to mention the impressive track record of repressiveness racked up by the corrupt Bush administration, I'd say that some local oversight is more than warranted, and actually necessary. If the FBI can't see fit to cooperate with local elected officials, then maybe they don't need to be taking up our local constabulary's time with their wild goose chases designed to impress gullible congressmen at appropriations time.

Texas, she always asks "Why is it every time Portland is in the national news it has do with terrorist?" I'm really starting to believe that it is because Portland won't play ball with the feds on this issue, then you add in the states medical marijuana law and death with dignity law. We're just a state of "dissenters" that the Bushies are starting to hate.