PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Occupy PSU is in its second week of camping out in front of the campus public safety building.
On Wednesday night, the group held another vigil for Jason Washington, the man shot and killed by campus police officers. The June shooting happened in front of the Cheerful Tortoise,a bar just outside of campus. Officers were “justified” in the shooting, a Grand Jury ruled.
The latest vigil precedes Thursday morning’s PSU Board of Trustees Meeting, an event where Occupy PSU hopes to accomplish it’s goal: to persuade the board to disarms campus police officers.
“We have to remember there is a solution that can come from this,” said Olivia Pace, a member of the Occupy PSU movement. “There is a way to stop this from happening again.”
Because of the expected attendance, and the expected amount of public speakers, PSU expanded the time for public comment to three hours and moved th the Lincoln performance Hall, a much-larger venue than the normal meeting spaces.
PSU released this statement regarding the change: “Portland State University recognizes that the officer-involved shooting death of Jason Washington has had an enormous impact on our campus community. In an effort to be responsive to the campus community and to provide sufficient time and space for public comment, PSU is changing the agenda.”
Kella Carlson plans to use that time to the fullest.
“To let the board of trustees know that the blood is on their hand,” she said of her public-speaking intentions.
After almost two weeks of camping outside the campus safety office, Alyssa Pariah understands the importance of Thursday’s meeting, even though a vote whether to disarm officers isn’t scheduled.
“I know how important it is for the pressure to stay on the people in power,” she said. “This is very much a crucial moment.
“It feels that important because it might actually save someone’s life.”
The Jason Washington shooting
Officer James Dewey and Officer Shawn McKenzie shot Washington at SW 6th Avenue and College Street near the PSU campus on June 29, 2018.
According to the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office, the grand jury ruled the use of deadly force was a lawful act of self-defense and/or defense of a third person.
Washington, 45, died at the scene after witnesses said he was trying to break up a fight outside the Cheerful Tortoise bar around 1:30 a.m. He was carrying a gun and had a concealed weapon permit. At one point, he lost his balance and fell — causing his gun to fall out of its holster, according to some witnesses.
Portland police said 17 bullet casings were found at the scene — indicating that 17 shots were fired.
The medical examiner’s report said Washington died from multiple gunshots to his torso. He was hit in the chest, lower abdomen, thighs and back. Two of the gunshots grazed his head and lower back.
The gunshot wounds damaged his heart, aorta, lungs, liver, spleen, stomach and colon. Bullets also caused fractures of his collar bone and ribs.
KOIN 6 News will be at the meeting tomorrow