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Blecht

(3,803 posts)
Sun Jul 26, 2020, 01:33 PM Jul 2020

Portland cops and the public trust: Steve Duin column

There have been many posts about Portland that show a large amount of ignorance about what exactly is happening here. The ignorance is understandable -- I have not seen members of the national media anywhere near the protests.

Some posts that I have seen on DU have asked about when the Portland police would stand up to the feds.

There are a couple of columns that from The Oregonian that describe things well. Steve Duin's column is one.

https://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/2020/07/opinion-protesting-an-authoritarian-police-state-is-terrifying.html

Excerpt:

Even as smoke gets in our eyes, the Portland police are coming into focus for those previously beyond the reach of their batons.

When President Trump’s militia first parachuted into the city, the local cops celebrated, cheered that someone could finally confront protesters downtown with hands and clubs unbound.

When a half dozen federal goons battered Christopher David, a stoic 53-year-old Navy vet, with batons and pepper spray, the Portland cops stood silently by, despite an explicit duty to intervene when they witness excessive force.

And when Mayor Ted Wheeler finally left his glass house Wednesday and made his way to the courthouse at the heart of the city, his Portland police came out of hiding and threatened to add their own CS gas to the volleys laid down by the feds.


Read the piece.
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Portland cops and the public trust: Steve Duin column (Original Post) Blecht Jul 2020 OP
Good read. Nevilledog Jul 2020 #1
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