90-day license suspension is light consequence for repeated, shameless, reckless driving – BikePortland

Back in March, 33-year-old Oscar Burell posted dozens of videos he took while driving his large, lifted pick-up truck through the streets Portland.

These weren’t just ordinary videos of him driving; he would be sitting half-way out of the drivers’-side window while steering with his leg and singing, he’d go painfully long stretches without even looking at the road ahead, and in one video he filmed himself while speeding and doing donuts in the grass at a public park on a sunny day.

It’s hard to convey in words what his videos were like. They demonstrated a shocking level of recklessness and total disregard for others — all while operating a multi-ton steel vehicle on public streets.

This morning KATU reported that Burell got his day in court. Here’s the consequence handed out by the judge:

Oscar Burell Jr., 33, got a 90-day license suspension and 18 months of probation.

He’s also getting 80 hours of community service, which can be reduced if he makes a video telling people not to do what he did.

I was hesitant to post anything about this case because I haven’t read the court documents and/or any supporting evidence from the prosecution or Burell’s defense (he represented himself and pled not guilty to the charges). I wasn’t in the courtroom and I have not heard why the judge made this decision.

That being said, this feels like a completely inappropriate consequence for what this man did. I worry that, once again, our justice system is sending a message that crimes and violence committed while using a car are just not that big of a deal. This case seems like a good example of how our car-centric culture isn’t willing to levy significant consequences on drivers until someone is seriously injured or killed by their actions — and even then they’re often not brought to justice. I also wonder if Portland’s lack of good alternatives to driving figured into the judge’s thinking. The inconvenient truth is that having to live without a car in a transportation system where cars are the most viable mobility option for most people, leads to judges who are reluctant to take away that privilege. What that leads to however, is that we trade community safety for one individual’s mobility needs.

I can appreciate that Burell might have been going through a rough patch in life and that perhaps he’s a different person now after this experience. I also don’t think his life should be ruined because of something he did in the past and that he might fully regret and want to move on from. Everyone deserves a second chance.

But I can’t stop thinking about how light of a sentence this is and the message it sends to others.

I watched a lot of Burell’s videos (before his account was taken down) and I can say we are very, very lucky that he never hurt or killed anyone — especially after speeding through a public park! To think that he’ll be driving again in a few months — after doing all that stuff I saw in those videos — is wild to me.

I hope Burell will drive safely in the future. I also hope he takes up the offer to make a video telling folks why it’s important to drive with respect and care for others. We can use all the help we can get spreading that message.