PPRC Friday rally and march again appeals to community to join struggle for police reform and accountability, promotes June 4th Salem lobbying effort

Event: PPRC Rally and March for Peace
Date: Friday, May 30th, 2003
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Place: Pioneer Courthouse Square

The Portland Peaceful Response Coalition Friday 5:00 p.m. rally and march at Pioneer Courthouse Square will again focus on the shooting death of 21-year-old Ms. Kendra James. "Last week�s march and rally for police reform and accountability was one of the largest in Portland�s history," said Mikel Clayhold, a spokesperson for the PPRC. "We must now show that we can translate that community support into legislative action and real reform." Speakers at last week�s march called on the crowd to press the Oregon State Legislature for laws that would set new limits on when police can use deadly force, and allow open grand jury hearings. State Senators Avel Gordly and Margaret Carter have said they will push for such legislation.

"We need to join in this effort by contacting our State Representatives and Senators and our new Governor," said Clayhold. "We have stand with the communities now mourning the victims of police violence, joining our voices with theirs to demand reform from our representatives in Salem." Local organizers for police accountability are urging people to lobby their representatives in Salem this coming Wednesday, June 4th.

PPRC activists will also be addressing the ongoing occupation in Iraq, news reports indicating that Iran will be the next target in the Bush Administration�s future war plans, and the ongoing crisis in Israel/Palestine. "This week Rumsfeld acknowledged that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq," said Will Seaman, another PPRC volunteer. "In the United Kingdom, that revelation is a scandal because it reveals that the pretense for this war was a lie, just as the fictionalized 'rescue' of Private Jessica Lynch was a lie." Seaman said the Friday rallies would begin to highlight the most dramatic revelations of Bush Administration lies and corruptions. "Whether it�s the �no-bid� contracts for Iraq reconstruction awarded to Bush cronies or cuts in veterans benefits to finance his tax cut to the super rich, the challenge we face today is finding ways to reach a wider public with these facts," said Seaman.

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