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RACE RELATIONS Ashland police work on collaborative response Comment By Julie Akins For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Julie Akins For the Tidings Posted Jul. 13, 2016 at 2:00 AM By Julie Akins For the Tidings Posted Jul. 13, 2016 at 2:00 AM » Social News In the wake of the Dallas shootings on Thursday night which took the lives of five police officers during a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest following the deaths of two African Americans shot dead by police officers in Louisiana and Minnesota, Ashland Police Chief Tighe O’Meara is urging police agencies to find a more effective collaborative approach in working with all members of their communities, but most notably the African American community. “I am appreciating more and more the trauma and the perspectives that members of the African American community bring to interactions with the police department,” O'Meara said. Chief O’Meara recently met with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival about two incidents of violent speech toward black actors in which a white male is said to have approached the women and told them he could kill them. Both incidents were reported but no charges were filed. The man, who has not been identified, was not charged due to his lack of a direct threat according to the police and the Jackson County District Attorney’s office. He is also said to have cognitive issues which is a mitigating factor, according to police. Members of the black community said the lack of charges may have been race based. O’Meara met with OSF officials who specialize in diversity and inclusion to discuss the incidents and gain a greater understanding. “We talked about the incident and about how the police department can be better in responding with the African American community. I’m learning, I know the police department is learning,” O'Meara said. The chief also spoke about flowers brought into the police department by activists from the Black Lives Matter campaign on Saturday after the Dallas shootings late Thursday night. “I was really moved,” he said while pointing to the need across the nation to collaborate more effectively. “The Dallas incident brought us together, hopefully not temporarily. We have to work together.” Meantime, Ashland resident and activist Kathleen Hering is suggesting that black community members need an entire unified Ashland working toward equity. While the response to the verbal attacks were good, she said it’s due in large measure to the power of the actors and their status in the community. Hering said had these attacks happened to a person of color with less status it would be different. “I think the black homeless here, for the most part, try to be invisible because they know they’d be dead," she said. "I see them at different gatherings but you don’t see them downtown.” She says Ashland has a bias toward the homeless and claims being poor or homeless in this community makes you a target. She suggests three things: police ridealongs with citizens on board, a review of police camera footage and a “hot team” which would be two uniformed officers and a plainclothes person responding to issues involving the homeless and people of color in the community. Chief O’Meara said they have a long-established ridealong policy and any citizen is welcome for a two-hour ride along upon request. O’Meara also said a citizen can request to see police video from body cameras without giving prior notice as to what footage they wish to see so they can be sure it’s authentic. As to “hot teams,” Ashland police typically go in pairs and have a therapist from Jackson County Mental Health embedded to assist officers. Hering says the current atmosphere requires more diligence. “The homeless are being run out of town. There is an undercurrent and it’s nasty. If you’re homeless and black, God help you.” Chief O’Meara said he looks at all complaints and takes them seriously, but he can’t do anything without names, dates and verifiable information. “If there is a specific complaint, I need to hear about it. I can’t do anything with vague complaints but if any citizen is concerned about a specific officer's behavior or an incident, I want to know about it. There are a lot of ways complaints can get to my desk. It can be anonymous, but if it’s specific, I will look into it.” Email Ashland freelance writer Julie Akins at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/ @julieakins. By Julie Akins For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Julie Akins For the Tidings Posted Jul. 13, 2016 at 2:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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