Federal Power Grab – Pacific Northwest Family Circle

PNWFC has been leading the effort to hold U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams accountable for a federal power grab of the county District Attorney and for not investigating police violence in Oregon.

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Sep 10, 2020 Federal Power Grab Online Event Videos

On Sep 10, 2020, PNWFC hosted an online event to educate the public about this ongoing and alarming situation.

Madeline Carroll of Oregon DA for the People describes how the federal power grab is reducing the power of the people to make necessary change through voting. Please sign the platform as an individual and invite organizations to endorse this platform to send a message that we value the election process and the power of the district attorney. (Transcript)

“Now when Mike Schmidt, our new DA, is following through on what he said he would do during the election, following the platform that he put forth, following what the community has asked him to do, his power is being usurped by the federal government when they, along with [Governor] Kate Brown, who has gone along with this scheme, gave Oregon State Police the power to bring federal charges and take that power away from local District Attorneys.”

PNWFC Family Member Stephanie Babb (Sister of 49-year-old Loved One Captain Brian A. Babb) presents on why the powers of the district attorney must be preserved to get justice for Loved Ones killed by police. (Transcript)

“Portland is being used, I believe, as ground zero for a testing federal jurisdiction superseding the District Attorney’s impact and power as Chief prosecutor in the district they were elected in. If the federal government takes over prosecuting protesters and counter-protesters, “individual beliefs” gets categorized as organizations… like being anti-fascist or even a patriot.”

Michael German of the Brennan Center for Justice presents on the historical lack of accountability in U.S. policing systems and on the nature of arrests happening in Portland and other cities in the U.S. A former FBI agent, he is an expert in law enforcement and intelligence working to protect human rights as the government does anti-terrorism work. (Transcript)

“..this has been a persistent problem that I was aware of as an FBI agent in the 1990s when I was working domestic terrorism investigations, looking into white supremacists, violent white supremacists and far-right militants, but, it remains a problem, and yet there’s no national strategy to address it.”

Seemab Hussaini, Vice-Chair and Co-Founder of CAIR Oregon presents on CAIR Oregon’s experience with a lack of police accountability in Portland and the federal power grab of local DA powers. (Transcript)

“…our first and formal introduction to this whole thing was during the MAX train stabbings. And, at that very point, we discovered how racial bias and even what could be seen as racial animus existed within enforcement, particularly law enforcement such as Portland Police Bureau and how it played into the deaths of two heroes and almost mortally wounding a third.”

Clay Adkerson of the Portland Democratic Socialists of America, presents on what he’s witnessed protesting on the streets of Portland and the impact that police violence has had on him. (Transcript)

“They had OSP, they had the sheriffs, they had Portland Police Bureau, and each of us just received different charges, and there wasn’t any rhyme or reason to it. And, that usually happens most nights.”

Post-presentation discussion between presenters. PNWFC Family Members talk about what can be done to stem the tide of police violence. Michael German comments on how the police use a “good protestor/bad protester” to ensure no police accountability, and garner public support for violence against protesters. (Transcript)

“I personally am not going to any of the protests. I’m absolutely afraid of the police and even just getting pulled over… I’m just deathly afraid of what an officer might think, and I might die, you know.”

— April Sabbe, Wife of 45-year-old Loved One Remi Sabbe

“I know personally that the Black Unity, Black Lives Matter, the organizations here in Eugene, have done an amazing job putting money together and cards and going to the Red Cross Center and helping these people that have to be evacuated and I just my appreciation… that’s… that’s where our activism comes in. It’s not just protesting. It’s really helping the community and that’s what I find is so important, and that’s why when we show up to a platform like this and talk about what’s really going on.

— PNWFC Family Member Stephanie Babb
Sister of 49-year-old Loved One Captain Brian A. Babb

“And just totally abolish qualified immunity, because that’s that’s what they use as their escape cover. They use that as the reason, you know that they fear for their lives. They’re trained to kill, and that needs to change.”

— PNWFC Mary Barbee
Cousin of 29-year-old Wesley Allen Barbee and Mother of Melvin Lewis Dillon (survived police attempting to kill him)

“What makes you think you have to be militarized to go in communities of civilians and act according to a military stance? You’re not at war. This is not a war zone you’re in, but when you go out you create these.”
— PNWFC Mary Barbee
Cousin of 29-year-old Wesley Allen Barbee and Mother of Melvin Lewis Dillon (survived police attempting to kill him)

“Look up Killology. You want to see what they believe, that’s what they believe. That’s how they have no hesitation to kill you, because that plays in qualified immunity.”
— PNWFC Family Member Stephanie Babb
Sister of 49-year-old Loved One Captain Brian A. Babb