Four candidates for Portland city council urged city officials Thursday to quickly resolve a lawsuit filed by the family of a black teen killed by police and to stop arguing that negligent acts by the boy and his mother led to his 2017 death.

In a joint letter addressed to city council, mayoral candidate Sarah Iannarone and city commissioner candidates Carmen Rubio, Loretta Smith and Sam Adams called the city’s defense against the estate of Quanice Hayes “disgusting” and “oppressive.” They said the city’s defense strategy deepens rifts between the city and vulnerable communities it serves.

The letter arrived one day after a city attorney defended the negligence claims at a federal court hearing.

The candidates wrote that 17-year-old Quanice Hayes and his mother Venus Hayes are representative of many parents and kids trying to survive in Portland.

“The ugly history of state-sponsored racism, discrimination, and violence against communities of color in this city can’t be erased, but we can start doing better today,” the letter said.

“The City Attorney was not elected by the voters of Portland — you were. You all are empowered to stop this attack on a mother who is still, and always will be, mourning the tragic loss of her son.”

[Read the letter]

The mayor’s office has declined to comment, citing the ongoing case.

Police had stopped Hayes in February 2017 because they believed he was the suspect in an armed robbery and attempted carjacking earlier in the day, police have said.

Officer Andrew Hearst testified to a grand jury that he saw Hayes reaching toward his waist and shot him outside a Northeast Portland home. Police said a replica gun was found nearby, but Hearst said he never saw it before he shot the teen.

A Multnomah County grand jury found Hearst legally justified in the shooting one month after the boy was killed.

Hayes’ family sued the city and Hearst in 2018. The lawsuit contends the officer acted with excessive force when he shot the teen three times. The lawsuit also alleges Hearst and another officer shouted contradictory commands before Hayes was shot.

In its defense against the lawsuit, the city alleged in court papers that Venus Hayes failed to supervise and monitor Quanice Hayes and failed to ensure other family members were supervising the teenager.

On Wednesday, lawyers representing Hayes’ family asked the federal judge overseeing the lawsuit to strike the part of the city’s defense that alleged negligence on the boy and his mom.

Senior Deputy City Attorney William Manlove argued in response that the teen's consumption of drugs and failure to sleep had affected his judgment. U.S. Magistrate Judge John Acosta questioned why the city was equating lack of sleep with negligence.

Acosta has not yet issued a ruling on the Hayes’ family’s attorneys request.

The authors of the letter to the city are all in contested May primary races for seats on the five-member council.

Iannarone is campaigning for the second time for mayor, Rubio seeks to win a seat being vacated by retiring Commissioner Amanda Fritz, former Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith is running to complete the term of late Commissioner Nick Fish, and former mayor Sam Adams is challenging incumbent Commissioner Chloe Eudaly.

-- Everton Bailey Jr; ebailey@oregonian.com | 503-221-8343 | @EvertonBailey

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.