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Got back from the protest against illegitimate pResident George W. Bush about 4 PM. I was part of a video crew with a former Portland cop who left the force because of sexual harassment.
Got to his house with my equipment, including Clif Bars, water, sunscreen, chemical splash goggles, and organic vapors respirator. He had two cameras, a small handheld that I used, and a larger shoulder-mounted camera - both with digital video.
About 10:30, the marchers left Columbia Park in Portland. Damon followed the front of the march, while I brought up the rear. Peaceful march, with little police presence except for an occasional Gestapo SUV full of black-clad jackbooted thug police. The whole area around the north side of the University of Portland was cordoned off for protesters.
The area quickly filled up with people, and the protest was spirited, and both the presidential motorcade and Sgt Mark Kruger (notorious Portland cop who sprayed a TV camerawoman point-blank last year) got booed roundly.
I was surprised that the Portland police had three officers who were defendants in the lawsuit from last year's protest in their RRT Alpha riot squad, including Officer Brian Kelly, who pepper-sprayed a 10-month old baby. I would have thought that the city might not want officers on the front lines who exposed them to liability.
Other agencies involved at the UP campus were the Clackamas County Sheriff, an unidentified agency's CERT team, the Oregon State Police MRT, and an unidentified police department who I will assume was Beaverton. One person was arrested for crossing the barricade, but I saw very little violent actions on either side - one water bottle and a couple walnuts thrown over the police line, but none came close to hitting an officer. (And if they did, the cops were invulnerable, anyway.) I was spooked when some idiot decided to set off a bunch of bottle rockets far back in the crowd, but the police didn't use that as an excuse to club and pepper-spray the whole crowd - which is to their credit.
No liability for these agencies today.
After the protest broke up, I heard of a disturbance at Columbia Park Annex, at Lombard and Woolsley. Damon and I rushed over there and got some shots of the last police leaving and interviewed some witnesses.
This is sketchy, but apparently two people sat down in the street in front of the Bribe Bus (one of the buses carrying donors away from the event). They were arrested, and one woman stepped one foot out into the street. The police dragged her out, slammed her head into the pavement, and dragged her off to the paddy wagon. Later on, police ordered people into the park, then attacked them with batons and pepper spray when they didn't move fast enough. (Agencies involved: Portland Charlie RRT, Vancouver, Salem).
Waiting for the video from this event for possible lawsuits. The police will only be deterred from this sort of thuggery and terrorism if it costs them, both in money from the city treasury and in officers fired and sent to prison for criminal civil rights violations.
UPDATE: There's video of the more egregious police actions from the Columbia Park Annex incident. Two officers, including our friend Sgt. Kruger, performed a violent arrest on a woman who didn't appear to have done anything wrong, but was at the Peace Encampment downtown in the past.
In addition, a contractor who was just passing through the park was tackled by one police officer, then pinned by two others. One officer elbowed him in the back, shoulder, or back of the neck. No indication as to what he did, either.
A female police officer from another jurisdiction (not Portland) started to draw her gun at a protester who was taking photos of the police, then re-holstered it. No damage done, but she may have been thinking Kent State.
The two people arrested have already contacted Alan Graf, and there may be lawsuits coming out of this protest as well.
Got to his house with my equipment, including Clif Bars, water, sunscreen, chemical splash goggles, and organic vapors respirator. He had two cameras, a small handheld that I used, and a larger shoulder-mounted camera - both with digital video.
About 10:30, the marchers left Columbia Park in Portland. Damon followed the front of the march, while I brought up the rear. Peaceful march, with little police presence except for an occasional Gestapo SUV full of black-clad jackbooted thug police. The whole area around the north side of the University of Portland was cordoned off for protesters.
The area quickly filled up with people, and the protest was spirited, and both the presidential motorcade and Sgt Mark Kruger (notorious Portland cop who sprayed a TV camerawoman point-blank last year) got booed roundly.
I was surprised that the Portland police had three officers who were defendants in the lawsuit from last year's protest in their RRT Alpha riot squad, including Officer Brian Kelly, who pepper-sprayed a 10-month old baby. I would have thought that the city might not want officers on the front lines who exposed them to liability.
Other agencies involved at the UP campus were the Clackamas County Sheriff, an unidentified agency's CERT team, the Oregon State Police MRT, and an unidentified police department who I will assume was Beaverton. One person was arrested for crossing the barricade, but I saw very little violent actions on either side - one water bottle and a couple walnuts thrown over the police line, but none came close to hitting an officer. (And if they did, the cops were invulnerable, anyway.) I was spooked when some idiot decided to set off a bunch of bottle rockets far back in the crowd, but the police didn't use that as an excuse to club and pepper-spray the whole crowd - which is to their credit.
No liability for these agencies today.
After the protest broke up, I heard of a disturbance at Columbia Park Annex, at Lombard and Woolsley. Damon and I rushed over there and got some shots of the last police leaving and interviewed some witnesses.
This is sketchy, but apparently two people sat down in the street in front of the Bribe Bus (one of the buses carrying donors away from the event). They were arrested, and one woman stepped one foot out into the street. The police dragged her out, slammed her head into the pavement, and dragged her off to the paddy wagon. Later on, police ordered people into the park, then attacked them with batons and pepper spray when they didn't move fast enough. (Agencies involved: Portland Charlie RRT, Vancouver, Salem).
Waiting for the video from this event for possible lawsuits. The police will only be deterred from this sort of thuggery and terrorism if it costs them, both in money from the city treasury and in officers fired and sent to prison for criminal civil rights violations.
UPDATE: There's video of the more egregious police actions from the Columbia Park Annex incident. Two officers, including our friend Sgt. Kruger, performed a violent arrest on a woman who didn't appear to have done anything wrong, but was at the Peace Encampment downtown in the past.
In addition, a contractor who was just passing through the park was tackled by one police officer, then pinned by two others. One officer elbowed him in the back, shoulder, or back of the neck. No indication as to what he did, either.
A female police officer from another jurisdiction (not Portland) started to draw her gun at a protester who was taking photos of the police, then re-holstered it. No damage done, but she may have been thinking Kent State.
The two people arrested have already contacted Alan Graf, and there may be lawsuits coming out of this protest as well.