Murmurs: Video Shows Portland Police Fatally Shot a Man From a Room’s Length Away

In other news: Portland influence in downstate House race rankles Oregon Coast.

Mourners embrace at a memorial to John Elifritz, killed by Portland police on April 7, 2018. (Walker Stockly)

Portland Police Shoot Man in Homeless Shelter: Portland police shot and killed a 48-year-old shipyard worker April 7 in a homeless shelter after he burst into an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting and began cutting himself with a knife. Social media posts suggest the man was suffering a mental health crisis. Portland police had encountered him threatening to harm himself hours before the shooting but did not pursue him then. Graphic video taken by bystanders shows John Elifritz was a room's length away when seven Portland police officers and one Multnomah County sheriff's deputy fired their guns, less than a minute after entering the shelter. Seven officers and the sheriff's deputy are on paid leave while the law enforcement agencies investigate the shooting. Some of those officers have been investigated for excessive use of force in the past, and one had fired shots in the killing of Keaton Otis in 2010.

Wyden Pledges Facebook Regulation: In the midst of a worldwide scandal over Facebook's failure to protect user data from a Russian-connected consulting firm, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) says he will introduce new federal regulations to protect personal information on the social media site. He wants to a require a clear opt-in option for users of social media to consent to the use of their personal information by platforms or third parties. "I'm going to bring the hammer down on companies responsible for data breaches," Wyden said April 6 at TechfestNW, an event presented by WW. On April 11, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to appear before the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which is chaired by U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.).

Portland Influence on Coastal Race Rankles: As the May primary approaches, much of the heat is between Democrats. On April 16, three House D's from Portland—Reps. Alissa Keny-Guyer, Tawna Sanchez and Rob Nosse—and public employee union reps will host a fundraiser in Portland for Tiffiny Mitchell, a state employee who entered the race to replace state Rep. Deborah Boone (D-Cannon Beach) on filing deadline day. John Orr, a retired lawyer, and Tim Josi, a Tillamook county commissioner and former state rep, were already in the race. Boone is a moderate, as is Josi. Mitchell, a Service Employees International Union member, would allow Portland progressives to move their caucus to the left. The Portlanders' attempt to influence the primary is generating grumbling on the coast. Aaron Fiedler, a spokesman for FuturePAC, the House Democrats' campaign arm, says lawmakers from all over the state are weighing in. "It is not uncommon for individual legislators, acting on their own behalf, to take sides in a primary race," Fiedler says.

Nut Milk Startup Wins PitchFestNW: Goodnuss, a Portland startup that creates "the world's first reusable mess-free nut milk bag," took home the 2018 PitchfestNW award at TechfestNW on April 6. Goodnuss was chosen out of 75 startups pitching their products to investors at the event sponsored by WW. The four other finalists were Hooke Audio, BladeRunner, Cirkled In and Allgo. Goodnuss founder Lizz Hampton accepted the award in a shirt with the printed slogan "Professional Nut Milker." Winking aside, Hampton's product promises convenient, fresh-pressed milk from the pulp of almonds, cashews and hazelnuts.

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