A city council member objected that the settlement seemed to reward someone who was already financially secure. Simone heard the argument in a recording of the public meeting and understood why people asked it. That was why she and Gloria had insisted on funding that would outlast her case. The agreement also provided for a review of previous complaints and a framework for monitoring the city's compliance with new procedures.
"A payment isn't a substitute for changed behavior," she told the council at a later hearing. "And the public should be able to measure what happens, not simply trust that a press release means the work is finished."
Chief Winters attended the hearing. She listened as Jamal described his old arrest, Maria described the damage to her car, and David Carter described the birthday celebration he missed. All three spoke before Simone. When the chief rose to address the room, she set aside the statement her press staff had prepared.
"We failed people who asked us to listen," she said. "Some officers tried to raise concerns internally and were discouraged. Some residents brought evidence we did not examine. If we are serious about improvement, we have to invite independent scrutiny even when it embarrasses this department."
Daniel Carter watched from the back row and later told Simone that the speech was better than he expected. She replied that speeches did not yet count as improvement. They agreed to attend the first oversight board meeting together. Eleanor insisted on coming too, and Marcus asked if he could record the public proceedings for a school project.
Meanwhile, Whitmore's state trial approached. Jury selection lasted longer than the lawyers anticipated because nearly everyone had seen some version of the viral footage. The court questioned prospective jurors about what they remembered, what opinions they had formed, and whether they could decide the case on admissible evidence rather than headlines. Some candidly said they could not be fair. Others said the video disturbed them but they understood that the trial still mattered.
The judge presiding over the state case, Robert Carter, was unrelated to either Daniel or David Carter. He had served on the bench for nearly twenty years and had little patience for arguments designed solely for television. He restricted unnecessary commentary about Simone's office, allowed evidence of the incident's circumstances under ordinary rules, and reminded both sides that the criminal case was not a referendum on every policing dispute in Portland.
On the first morning of trial, demonstrators gathered outside the Multnomah County courthouse. Some carried signs bearing Simone's name. Others carried photographs of people who had died during encounters with police or names of relatives who had never received an explanation for what happened to them. A smaller group held signs saying Whitmore deserved a fair trial. The two groups sometimes shouted at one another, but police kept a path open to the courthouse doors.