Woke Oregon city hires convicted murderer who shot teen girl to police review board: ‘Brings a perspective that most of us don’t have’
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
A convicted murderer who executed a teenage girl has been voted onto the police review board of a woke Oregon city — because of the unique “perspective” he brings.
Kyle Hedquist, 47, was reappointed by the City Council in Salem, Ore., to serve on the board that reviews police complaints by a five-to-four vote, despite serving 27 years in prison for murder, the Statesman Journal reported .
The Oregon native was sentenced to life behind bars without parole in 1994 for the killing of 19-year-old Nikki Thrasher, after he led the victim down a remote road and shot her in the back of the head to prevent her from telling people about a recent burglary spree.
But in 2022, he was released, after Oregon’s then-governor, Kate Brown, a Democrat, argued Hedquist “shouldn’t be locked up for life” due to the fact he was 17 when he carried out his brutal crime.
Defending his reappointment to the board — whose members train with police and take part in ride-alongs — a Salem councillor praised Hedquist for the “perspective” he brings.
Hedquist “brings a perspective that most of us don’t have,” Ward 6 City Councilor Mai Vang said in a video shared on Facebook following the Dec. 8 vote.
“As someone who’s been through the criminal justice system, he understands community safety from a different angle. He’s one voice among nine — he’s not running the show, but his experience matters,” she added.
She added that since Hedquist is ineligible for ride-alongs due to his felony conviction, the city will waive the rule that applies to other board members.
“Kyle’s recent work shows he’s genuine about turning his life around and using his experience to help others. And honestly? If any of us needed a second chance, we’d want the same consideration,” Vang said.
Backlash to Hedquist’s reappointment has been swift in the Democrat-led city, with the Salem Police Employees’ Union and other council members among those condemning the move.
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What do you even say at this point? People who support this are either fundamentally brain damaged or just hate other people so much they want to see the world burn.
And yet such people have power in the media and the lower courts.
We must go after them.
People who have more sympathy for violent criminals than their victims.... A perversion of empathy.
Hedquist’s 2022 release came as a sickening blow to Nikki’s mother, Holly Thrasher.
“I am upset. I wasn’t even told,” she said in an interview with KOIN 6 at the time.
“He took the life of my daughter in cold blood. It was a cold-blooded murder. He planned it,” she said.
The decision to release a convicted killer was also branded “shocking and irresponsible” by local police officers at the time.
Hiring a fox to guard the henhouse?
Maybe. If we are casting the police as predators.
Most Police oversight is done by senior Police Officers and that hasn't worked out very well. Now this Murderer isn't the right choice either, but they do need to put people in these positions who aren't the Cops Buddies or Brothers in Blue. I'd like to see the Police prosecuted as aggressively as ordinary Folks when they break the law but that's not what happens and it's a problem.
Well, there’s no way this wasn’t going to be controversial to some degree. Was no one else available? Maybe not a murderer? It seems to me you can have a perspective on the criminal justice system and commit much less dramatic crimes.
Yeah that’s a pretty long time. If you support the concept of rehabilitation, that’s a strong starting point.
Not an unheard of point of view.
It might be helpful to know more about that.
If he is going to be released, at least he has something productive to do that involves close contact with government, so there is some public scrutiny.
People are allowed to have regrets and remorse and want to change their lives for the better
Yeah, we say we believe in doing your time, making amends, rehabilitation, and so on. But then we endlessly condemn anyone who goes through that process.
I'll take "Stupid shit the woke morons do" for $200 Alex.
You can make the entire board that category...and have plenty of clues left over.
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The WHOLE thing could be based from that nonsense.