James Chasse

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James Chasse from his memorial
James Chasse from his memorial

James Philip Chasse Jr. (1963 – September 17, 2006; last name pronounced "cha-see") was an American singer and writer who was notable for having died in custody of Oregon law enforcement officials, causing an outcry over civil rights and an examination of the lack of crisis management training given Portland law enforcement.[1]

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[edit] Life

Chasse had schizophrenia, and by accounts lived a quiet and peaceful life.[2]

Chasse was the inspiration for "Alien Boy", from The Wipers' first album, Is This Real?[3] He was singer for the jazz-punk group Opossum Society, and editor/writer for the punk zine Organizm.[citation needed]

[edit] Death

James Chasse, surrounded by police and medical personnel. He would later die of the injuries sustained during his arrest.
James Chasse, surrounded by police and medical personnel. He would later die of the injuries sustained during his arrest.

Chasse died after a physical confrontation with three Portland and Multnomah County police officers on September 17, 2006. Officers at the scene described Chasse as a homeless person, and said that he ran away from them and fought with them.[1]

The Multnomah County Medical Examiner ruled the cause of death to be "accidental" though Chasse suffered 16 broken ribs, a broken shoulder and sternum, and massive internal injuries. He was shot with a Taser mulitple times. After the fight, Chasse was cleared medically by fire and ambulance personnel. He was then restrained and driven to jail where nursing staff refused to admit him because of his obvious injuries. The officers were told by jail staff to drive him to a hospital across town. He died en route.

Over 500 friends and family members remembered James at a candlelight vigil and memorial on October 14, 2006.

[edit] Public outcry

The death of Chasse produced an outcry in the Oregon media with hundreds of news stories, editorials and front page articles following the case, and from civil rights and health advocates. Although Multnomah County District Attorney Michael Schrunk failed to bring an indictment against the officers, he did release all testimony presented to the grand jury. Portland mayor Tom Potter apologized to the Chasse family, convened a Mental Health Task Force to review the city's policies, and implemented a Crisis Intervention Training program to improve the way in which city and county police respond to situations involving mental illness.

A documentary film, Alien Boy, is being made about James Chasse by Oregon filmmaker Brian Lindstrom.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Why Did James Chasse Jr. Die?. Willamette Week (2006-11-01). Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
  2. ^ James Chasse Jr., artist and model. PortlandArt.net (2006-11-12). Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
  3. ^ Jim Jim "James Chasse". Zeno Records (2006-11-12). Retrieved on 2008-03-18.

[edit] External links