police violence

Take action to end police violence against Vancouver and Clark County communities.

I urge you to request that the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) open one or more pattern or practice investigations into excessive force, discriminatory policing harming Vancouver and Clark County area communities, and discriminatory policing arising from favoritism toward known white supremacist extremist groups.

The law enforcement agencies that should be investigated are the Vancouver Police Department (VPD), the Clark County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO), and a joint drug task force of both agencies (Task Force). Specifically, we request the DOJ investigate their disparate treatment of those who are Black, Indigenous, persons of color, unhoused, and/or people living with disabilities. Over a 2.5-year period, these agencies have killed eight people. Five of the victims were men of color, including three Black men and two men of Pacific Islander heritage – in a county where Black people and Pacific Islanders together account for about 3% of the population. The other three people who were killed were in crisis. The shootings show a pattern of failing to deescalate and blaming the victim by claiming that they failed to comply. The harm to impacted family and community members continues as we write this letter.

On October 17, 2021, CCSO deputies took the life of a Pacific Islander man and put an entire neighborhood’s safety at risk when deputies pursued the man inside a mobile home park in the middle of the night, firing their guns into people’s homes. One home had eleven bullet holes in the bathroom alone, indicating the magnitude of force being used. This police violence put elders and children in shock and at risk of deadly injury, and left them feeling unsafe in their own homes.

The need for a DOJ investigation to stop the deadly pattern has never been greater. The DOJ has the authority and tools to investigate these tragic incidents; to evaluate VPD and CCSO’s policies, practices, training, and supervision; and to enter agreements with the City of Vancouver and Clark County. Through such an investigation, the DOJ can improve equality, fairness, and public safety throughout Vancouver and Clark County.

We urge you to join us in calling on DOJ to investigate.