Stand in line for the elephant ears if you must, but don’t block the melon booth.
By Mary Harvill
When I was living in Portland, Oregon, I saw a spill of Hermiston, Oregon-grown watermelons, splattered across a freeway on-ramp. Total tragedy. Those watermelons traveled all the way from Eastern Oregon only to meet their grim (though colorful) demise on the urban asphalt. The gaudy, juicy scene reminded me of the fate of travelers along the Oregon Trail when they drowned crossing the Columbia River.
A new dispute over Use of Force investigations highlights a growing rift between Spokane police and Ombudsman Tim Burns.
By Tim Connor
Attached to Spokane Police Ombudsman Tim Burns’s report for the month of June is a rather astounding artifact.
It’s a July 14th letter to Burns from Spokane Police Chief Frank Straub about a central issue in the now six-and-a-half year effort to reform the Spokane Police Department.
It has to do with this question: How committed and capable is the SPD in investigating Use of Force complaints against its police officers?
Despite earlier promises, the SPD and City are once again ignoring public input on police oversight.
–Tim Connor
When last we visited the Spokane City Council on the police accountability issue it was not a happy occasion, unless you were a member of the Spokane Police Guild.
