PORTLAND, OR – Reportedly, the Portland City Council held a vote on October 28th regarding a resolution declaring that they no longer want officers from the Portland Police Bureau to be federally deputized.
As it currently stands, 56 police officers from the PPB have already been deputized and officials within Portland are scrambling to figure out how to circumnavigate their federally endowed powers.
Portland City Council votes to block deputized PPB officers from working with feds. https://t.co/hh5N0xOW53 pic.twitter.com/rP8nL1x5Jn
— Fox12Oregon (@fox12oregon) October 29, 2020
This effort not only aims to halt deputizing PPB officers moving forward, but also contains language that attempts to make it so that PPB officers cannot act in a manner as though their current deputization exists.
Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty was the individual that presented the resolution that passed unanimously within the City Council.
Furthermore, Hardesty mentioned how she wished she could’ve made it so all current deputized PPB officers were placed on desk duty until their period of deputization was over:
“I wish we could in fact put those officers on desk duty until their deputation was done then that would be my preference. I also wish we could have made this resolution stronger but again due to legal advice we tried to walk a very fine line.”
Mayor Ted Wheeler, who supported the resolution passed, noted that while the passing doesn’t really change how local police will be handling protests, it still reiterates that officials in Portland feel like only they should make decision regarding policing:
“I’m not sure that this resolution necessarily adds anything of import to the discussion except that I will absolutely support it because I believe the more we say uniformly that it’s a decision that we need to make here locally. It’s a decision that needs to be made with elected officials being in the loop.”
Likely, one of the reasons Mayor Wheeler mentioned that the resolution doesn’t bring much more to the table than already done in recent weeks, is because the mayor’s office has already tried to nullify the granted federal deputization.
TRENDING – Mayor Ted Wheeler asks federal government to de-deputize Portland police – OPB https://t.co/Q9tvxTR2ky, see more https://t.co/6qgnYi40IF
— Portland Protest Updates (@GroundWatchNews) September 30, 2020
For those oblivious as to what the federal deputization afforded to PPB officers and why it seems controversial to the left-leaning proponents in Portland, it allows PPB officers to make arrests for federal offenses or for the Department of Justice to apply federal charges to those to attack these deputized officers.
And despite the mayor’s previous efforts from weeks earlier, the DOJ insists that the federally endowed deputizations were still in effect regardless of what any local official claims.
@JoAnnPDX & @tedwheeler’s Paper Tiger carries ZERO weight. Meaningless. Decisions to file federal charges rests w/the @USAO_OR who will hold offenders accountable when @DAMikeSchmidt won’t. https://t.co/3lyXgBwpFD @ChiefCLovell @PeteFerryman @LarsLarsonShow @PortlandPolice
— Chief Jim Ferraris (@chiefferraris) October 29, 2020
This notion was further reiterated when U.S. attorney’s office for Oregon announced on October 26th that federal charges were being brought forth against a suspect who allegedly assaulted a federally deputized PPB officer.
Hillsboro Oregon Resident Charged with Assaulting a Deputized Portland Police Officer: Skyler Roy Rider has been charged with assaulting a federally deputized Portland Police officer and interfering with law enforcement officers performing official duti… https://t.co/E3DPBZgqNZ
— FBI Portland (@FBIPortland) October 27, 2020
In that case, federal prosecutors allege that 18-year-old Skyler Roy Rider assaulted a PPB officer with the “pointed end of an umbrella” while the officer was attempting to place Rider was trying to enact an arrest for “disorderly conduct and interfering with a peace officer.”
Reportedly, Rider had already made his first appearance in federal court under charges of civil disorder and assaulting a federal officer.
Under federal law, Rider could face up to five years in prison for the civil disorder charge and up to three years in prison for the assaulting a federal officer charge.
Currently, Rider has been scheduled for a two-day jury trial that will begin on December 29th of this year.
So while individuals like Mayor Wheeler and Commissioner Hardesty are engaging in the likes of passing resolutions and the ilk, those efforts may only carry as much weight as the respective papers they’re drafted on.
But there’s more to this DOJ and Portland clashing than just resolutions.
Apparently, the city of Portland is embroiled in a lawsuit against the federal government.
Here’s the details on that developing matter.
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PORTLAND, OR- Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler has issued invitations and made it clear that he’d appreciate some RSVPs in the next couple of days.
Wheeler told area law enforcement agencies, including the Oregon State Police (OSP), that the city will require their help for riots expected to take place on Election Day.
The irony here? Wheeler’s demands for assistance come less than two weeks after the cities of Portland and Oakland filed a federal lawsuit accusing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) of illegally taking over law enforcement duties in both cities back in June.
The suit claims the cities did not “consent” to the much-needed federal help.
Now apparently, Mayor Wheeler is inviting, or rather expecting, other law enforcement agencies to come rushing to aid his city. Unfortunately, the invite doesn’t sit well with law enforcement agencies, hence their reluctance to graciously offer their assistance.
Let us travel back to early summer and the chaos that consumed the city of Portland and take a look at how Mayor Wheeler and the city commissioners handled this. It will allow a better understanding as to the somewhat bitter attitude toward Wheeler’s request.
Over 100 consecutive nights of rioting ensued this summer in Portland. Portland Police Bureau(PPB) officers were left to deal with angry rioters who created dangerous situations on a daily basis. Mayor Wheeler and city officials banned PPB from using CS gas as a means to aid in dispersing the large violent crowds.
Wheeler was outspoken about the need to arrest the violent protestors, yet condemned police for using CS gas as a way to gain control and allow officers to apprehend suspects.
For weeks Mayor Wheeler spoke out on several news and social media outlets against Federal officers coming to the aid of the city of Portland.
In a “listening session” in the middle of the crowd, Wheeler says he is doing everything possible to get federal officers out of Portland. pic.twitter.com/kiT2hpaev7
— Mike Baker (@ByMikeBaker) July 23, 2020
The illogical actions didn’t end there. City commissioners also defunded the department by $15 million, eliminated three specialty police units, and repeatedly accosting officers for the ongoing violence.
Portland city commissioners are considering a new proposal that would eliminate 42 sworn officer positions and cut the understaffed PPB’s budget by another $18 million.
During the many months of rioting, countless law enforcement officers were attacked with fireworks, rocks, bricks, and various other projectiles during the nightly riots. This led to many LEO sustaining injuries.
Several law enforcement agencies have repeatedly refused to send their officers into harm’s way to help PPB unless Mayor Wheeler agrees to reverse the CS gas ban. Still, the mayor has refused to lift the ban.
During a press conference on Monday, Wheeler unveiled a program to dole out $500 Visa gift cards to residents affected by COVID-19. He then addressed the need to be prepared for potential violence in the wake of the Nov. 3 election.
Mayor Wheeler had this to say:
“So, several weeks ago, I stood here at this podium and I said that what we need to be fully prepared for any potential violence or other disruptions on election night is strong mutual aid agreements in place with our federal, our state, and our local law enforcement partners.
“We’re in discussions about what that template mutual aid agreement would look like. The goal is…for all of us to compromise a little bit so that we can have a solid mutual aid agreement that we all agree to in advance.”
Now, in his time of need, the mayor is willing to move on as if nothing happened between local government and law enforcement agencies. For the local law enforcement agencies, it isn’t quite that simple.
Law enforcement has seen the 48-page lawsuit filed in California on Oct. 14. In it, the cities of Oakland, CA and Portland claim that when federal agencies took over police duties, after President Donald Trump signed off on an executive order to protect federal monuments, it was in violation of the U.S. Constitution.
The lawsuit also named U.S. Attorney General William Barr and Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf, citing that they never asked for Portland’s “consent” before they sent federal officers in to protect a federal building in early July.
The suit complains that once federal officers arrived, they did not act at the direction of PPB command. There were also complaints about the 56 members of the PPB’s Rapid Response Team, which were deputized as federal marshals ahead of a planned rally and counter-protest in September.
The suit also alleges that, by the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Attorney for Oregon leaving the deputizations in place until Dec. 31, it’s further evidence that the federal government is commandeering local law enforcement.
The list of ridiculous complaints in this lawsuit continues! It also accuses federal officials of illegally erecting a fence outside the federal courthouse, thereby blocking a city sidewalk.
It doesn’t even matter that the temporary barrier was installed after rioters repeatedly attacked federal officers while attempting to vandalize and burn down the courthouse building every night for months.
But now may be the time that Mayor Wheeler has to give in order to get. Wheeler says that he has been meeting with other agencies since that time, which include speaking with Oregon Governor Kate Brown on Sunday.
The mayor noted that:
“Governor Brown and the Oregon State Police (OSP) are not willing to participate in mutual aid if CS gas isn’t on the table as a viable option.”
Wheeler also said:
“Everything is on the table with regards to the issues being discussed, including crowd dispersal techniques, potential federal deputization, indemnification, and economic reimbursement for costs incurred while responding to the city’s riots.”
He told reporters:
“My expectation is that we’ll be making an announcement in the next day or two about specifically what the plan is and what the agreement is with regard to interagency cooperation.”
Governor Brown’s office said on Monday that she has instructed the OSP to collaborate with the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) and the PPB to determine what resources they might need in order to handle potential uprisings.
While the OSP confirmed that plans are being discussed, they said no solutions have been agreed upon.
Although Wheeler referenced “including federal law enforcement in the mutual aid agreement,” it is unclear what role, if any, federal officials have had in recent discussions with Portland city officials.
For now, it looks like Mayor Wheeler is in a waiting game, one that hopefully will be finished before Election Day.
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