Spring Break is here for many Portland students and the police say they will be conducting extensive missions to enforce curfew laws and other problems that arise in areas where large numbers of youths gather.
In previous years, police have specifically targeted so-called "flash mobs" that occur when teenagers and other young adults arrange to meet-up in public places using texts and other technological tools. Curfew hours are 10:15 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. for youth under 14 years of age and midnight to 6:00 a.m. for juveniles 14 years old and over.
The bureau says they will concentrate in transit areas, traffic missions and "areas in the city where juveniles consistently congregate in large groups or where there have been ongoing prolems with speed racing, vandalism and property crime."
To help all people know their rights during a police encounter, the group Flex Your Rights has released their long-awaited film "10 Rules for Dealing with Police." The video features trial lawyer William "Billy" Murphy of HBO's "The Wire" helping people assert their constitutional rights in day-to-day police encounters.
The film presents dramatizations of typical police encounters – from police trying to gain entry into your home, to trying to gain entry to your automobile – and how to make sure the system works in your best interests. The video puts strong emphasis on those who are more often targeted by police – youth of color, low-income people, and members of subculture groups.
It highlights the most tips to avoid contact with the criminal justice system: the right to say no to a search; avoiding common police tricks; and limiting your personal liability before a police encounter occurs.
The video was produced by the same people who created "Busted: The Citizen's Guide to Surviving Police Encounters." Visit their website at http://flexyourrights.org/10rules.
