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The Oregon Anti-Crime Alliance is uniquely positioned to move a public safety agenda forward and help make Oregon one of the five safest states in the nation. The OAA Board of Directors is composed of two former, experienced legislators, who understand how to change the law, as well as a retired sheriff’s department sergeant, who has extensive “on the ground” experience.  The professional staff of the OAA includes Tara Lawrence, a former District Attorney as the Executive Director.  The Senior Policy Advisor is a retired District Attorney, Doug Harcleroad, who served for 24 years in Lane County. 

OAA is currently working on projects in four issue areas: Intoxicated Driving, Domestic Violence, Human Trafficking, and Prisoner Reentry. Progress in each of these areas will help improve public safety in Oregon.

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The Secretary of State announced that Initiative Petition 13, known as the Oregon Crime Fighting Act, has gathered enough valid signatures to be on the November 2010 ballot.

The explanatory statement committee composed of Kevin Mannix, Mark Wiener, Jennifer Williamson, and Greg Chaimov completed the explanatory statement with everyone agreeing on the final language.  This statement will appear in the voters’ pamphlet which is mailed to voters before the election. [ Click here for  more information and to read the statement. ]

By:  Steve Doell, President, Crime Victims United

The first responsibility of government is to protect its citizens from harm. When, according to the National Institute for Justice and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately one in six American women will be a victim of a sexual assault in their lifetime,[1]  government is clearly not doing enough to protect against the harm of sexual violence.  According to the American Journal of Public Health every year, an estimated 300,000 women are raped and 3.7 million are confronted with unwanted sexual activity.[2]  Approximately 15% to 25% of women and 5% to 15% of men were sexually abused when they were children.[3]  Oregon in particular can do more to protect Oregonians from sexual predators.  In 2008 there were 1,156 reported rapes in Oregon.  That number is significantly higher than states with comparable populations such as Utah, Iowa, and Connecticut. [ Read More ]

By Janine Robben, Director of Oregon Crime Victims Law Center

Recently, I read an article that referred to the “horror of crime.”

The phrase gave me pause, even though I was a prosecutor for more than 20 years and tried many horrific cases.

That’s because as a prosecutor, I was focused on the provability and usefulness of facts, not on their nature.

I vividly remember one weekend when I went to my office in the Clackamas District Attorney’s Office, down a long, dimly lit corridor and then into the basement portion of the courthouse’s daylight basement.

 The building was deserted.

When I got to my office, there was an unfamiliar file on my desk. I opened it, and the account of the crimes that it contained – two serial killers’ attack on a family at night in their own home – was so horrific that I literally backed out of my office, hurried down that dimly lit corridor and left the building. But on Monday, when I learned that the file was on my desk because it had been assigned to me, my analytical lawyer’s brain saw the facts in a completely different light. [ Read More ]

Oregon Anti-Crime Alliance and Crime Victim’s United Fight Proposal

By:  Howard Rodstein, Crime Victims United Board Member and Senior Policy Analyst

In his June 25th speech1on "resetting" state government, Governor Kulongoski painted a misleading picture of criminal justice in Oregon.  The picture comes from the playbook of criminal advocacy groups under the "smart on crime" slogan.

 “Smart on crime” boils down to slashing sentences for large numbers of violent criminals, serious sex offenders, and repeat-repeat-repeat drug and property criminals while promising to keep crime under control through "proven" treatment programs.  This is a hard sell to a skeptical public, but they are counting on a clever marketing plan:

             • Exaggerate the degree to which Oregon relies on incarceration

             • Dismiss or minimize the successes of the tough approach to crime

             • Overstate the effectiveness of treatment programs

             • Convince voters that more criminals on the streets will not lead to more crime [ Read More ]

Click Here to Bring Fairness to Oregon Elections Petitions Must be Submitted by July 2nd!

A REMINDER – We need your help!  If you have not yet signed the initiative petition to establish an independent commission for legislative redistricting, here is another chance:  go to www.petition50.com.  At this web site, click “print,” and you will print out a one-page petition.  Sign it, fold it, and place it in the mail.  It is a self-mailer.

Don't Delay- Send in Your Petition Today!

This will only take a couple of minutes, but it is very important!  We still need several thousand Oregon-voter signatures to get this initiative on the ballot.

Thank you for going to www.petition50.com.

Help Collect More Petitions- Please Share This With Your Friends

Last week, an Oregon jury sentenced Randy Guzek to death for murdering Rod and Lois Houser in their home. It is the fourth jury to send Guzek to death row; Guzek has successfully appealed previous death sentences on procedural and technical grounds.

On June 16 and 17, Former Sherman County District Attorney, and OAA Executive Director, Tara Lawrence was in Bend, Oregon, for the closing and verdict.  Lawrence was present to show support for the victims' surviving family members.  “I feel it is important to ensure that Oregonians better understand the death penalty and the importance of supporting survivors of crime. Support for members of the law enforcement team that investigate and prosecute these difficult cases is important as well,” said Lawrence. [ Read More ]

June 20, 2010 | Steve Duin |  www.oregonlive.com

As I noted in its final installment, my 2005 series on the murders of Rod and Lois Houser was largely inspired by a letter from Sam Bracamonte, the Housers' grandson, in which he assured me I had no understanding of the impact of their deaths.

During the fourth death-penalty trial of Randy Guzek, Bracamonte, now 29, wrote an essay, describing that impact, which he asked to deliver in court after the jury returned with its verdict.

Judge Jack Billings refused that request.  But because special prosecutor Josh Marquis -- with no objection from Guzek's defense attorneys -- entered Bracamonte's statement in the public record, I can replay it here: [ Read More ]

June 17, 2010 | By Elizabeth Hovde | www.oregonlive.com

Initiatives aren’t always the best way to create new laws. But when lawmakers fail to act on a good idea and a measure is well written, sign me up.

You should sign yourself up with Petition 50 if you want someone other than self-interested politicians deciding which batch of people gets to vote for or against them in future elections. Oregon needs a redistricting panel committed to creating compact, contiguous districts that do not consider the addresses of current lawmakers. That's not the case today. [ Read More ]

Click Here to Download the Petition NOW!
Petitions Must be Submitted by July 2nd!

The best way we can continue to fight for our cause is to have balanced and fair representation in the legislature.  One way to achieve this is to change the redistricting system after the census, so that any legislative lines are drawn by an independent commission, rather than the legislators themselves.  The constitution requires that the lines be redrawn after the census to re-balance the districts based on population.  But, the incumbent politicians draw these lines to favor themselves and their party. 

Bringing Fairness to Oregon's Elections Starts with You!

We ask you to go to the petition's website to print a one-page petition sheet for IP 50, sign this, and mail it in, immediately.  It only takes a couple of minutes, and we only have two weeks left.  This petition will put a constitutional amendment on the ballot to have an independent commission carry out redistricting.

Don't Delay: Send in Your Petitions Today!

This petition is endorsed by the Oregon Republican Party and supported by the leaders of the Independent Party.  All they want is a fair and balanced system.  Please join with us in supporting this petition.  If we don’t get this done now, we will have to wait another 10 years for a balanced redistricting system (after the 2020 census).  Please send in your petition right away. 

Help Collect Petitions: Share This Email with Friends