Partnership for Safety and Justice director David Rogers raised concerns about racial profiling and racial disparities in Portland's drug-free exclusion zones at a city meeting last week.

Last Thursday, March 22, the newly formed oversight committee met for only the second time, and ran into a major obstacle. Because the committee wasn't created by city council, no one is exactly sure what it's supposed to accomplish—or even what information they should look at.

The ambiguity led to multiple heated exchanges, pushed by critics of the zones.

David Rogers, executive director of Partnership for Safety and Justice, argued that the committee needs to examine whether "probable cause" of drug use or dealing is enough to get someone excluded.

"Because there's a racial disproportion in the exclusions, there needs to be more than probable cause," he said.

You can read the whole Portland Mercury article on the conflicts over the drug-free exclusions [1].