Officials urge peaceful Floyd protests, say police are ready
National Guard, Oregon State Police, others stand ready to assist Portland police. On the eve of the jury verdict finding former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty in the murder of George Floyd, former current and former officials on Tuesday urged Portlanders to keep protests peaceful.
The announcement came after nearly a year of protests of the killing of Floyd, sparked by video of Chauvin kneeling on his neck as the Black man died, pleading for breath.
Issued before the verdict was announced, officials pleas at the online press conference were interspersed with warnings from law enforcement officials that police stood ready to arrest people committing crimes such as arson or vandalism.
Editorial: Portland’s gun violence surge needs dedicated police team
Updated 6:15 AM;
Today 6:15 AM
An investigation is underway after one person was fatally shot in March near a North Portland park, police say.Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian
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Contemplating the 266 shootings and 25 homicides in just the first three months of this year, Antoinette Edwards was struggling to understand how Portland city commissioners could oppose the mayor’s proposal to restart a Portland Police gun-violence team.
What more do commissioners need to know to understand the trauma neighbors feel about repeated shootings on their street, Edwards, who headed the city’s office of violence prevention for 10 years, asked at a Thursday press conference. What daily data report can bring the reality of the threat home to commissioners? How many more loved ones need to die before commissioners match the urgency of this crisis with courageous action of their own?
Notable Portland community members join chorus for end to downtown destruction
At the mayor s news conference, some community members put the focus and responsibility on the people causing the damage. Author: Tim Gordon Updated: 9:36 PM PDT March 16, 2021
PORTLAND, Ore. Monday s virtual briefing on recent rioting and destruction started with Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, followed by the acting U.S. attorney for Oregon, the Multnomah County sheriff and Portland deputy police chief, who are all, notably, white men.
But they were joined by three notable community leaders who had powerful things to say about their city. Those leaders included Portland basketball icon Terry Porter.
Portland Leaders Condemn Ongoing Violence by ‘Anarchists’ By Sara Cline | March 17, 2021
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Leaders and elected officials in Portland, Oregon, came together Monday to demand an end to violence, criminal destruction and intimidation by “anarchists” as destructive protests continue in the city.
For nearly nine months protesters have called for police reform and an end to systemic racism in Portland, which has become a key city in the country’s racial reckoning. While officials say many events have been peaceful, there continues to be small groups smashing windows of businesses, threatening community members and assaulting police.
“The community is sick and tired of people engaging in criminal destruction and violence and doing it under the guise of some noble cause,” Mayor Ted Wheeler said during a news conference.