Terry Timeus, former Portland, OR police chief, was the definition of “bad cop.” Reports abounded of drunk driving, racism, sexism, and more - including corruption.
His “fishing buddy,” a towing company owner, was worried about a possible racial discrimination lawsuit by a Black man named Michael Fesser. So Timeus hatched a cruel plan.
Timeus went outside his own jurisdiction to falsely arrest Fesser for theft! The truth was that Fesser’s boss wanted him arrested, so he couldn’t file a report about the N-word usage and Confederate flag flying he experienced.
Then it got even more complicated.
Current Police Chief Terry Kruger is now on leave and under investigation, as he defended Timeus’ actions.
Fesser sued and won a settlement worth nearly a million dollars after his wrongful arrest was exposed, but one victory doesn’t mean this is over.
The public is outraged and called for the chief’s firing, as well as that of other involved officers. That’s why an outside investigator is looking into things while Kruger is on leave.
Chief Kruger has denied wrongdoing - of course - but that doesn’t mean things are safe for Black people under his jurisdiction.
This case shows just how racism is built into the system, and can even be utilized by ordinary white citizens to keep us down. The entire system has to change!