Portland commissioner who backs defunding police runs racial justice bureau with 'longstanding dysfunction'

Portland Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, who spearheaded the local defund police movement, is in hot water after attempting to block the public release of records about her "equity" bureau, which was found to be riddled with ethics and abuse of power issues permeating its bureaucratic ranks.

Last year, the Portland Bureau of Human Resources and city ombudsman Margie Sollinger both received a mass of complaints from Civic Life employees. The City Attorney's Office then contracted the consulting firm ASCETA to conduct a review into the department and provide recommendations on work culture.  The 65-page review made public last week found "longstanding dysfunction" passed down from previous management that has festered and developed untreated into systemic distrust. Leadership and management style were described as "hierarchical" and "punitive" in the review, which was based on interviews with about two-thirds of current Civic Life employees and a dozen former employees.