Portland police chief apologizes to Occupy Wall Streeters
By TIM RILEY
PORTLAND – Portland Police cracked down in a renewed attempt by Occupy protesters to set up a new camp Saturday, while their chief offered a mea culpa to what many considered an inflammatory statement that triggered outrage nationwide.
It began early yesterday morning when 40 members of Occupy Portland attempted to set up a new camp near the park blocks of Portland State University. Police quickly issued warnings and removed tarps. By noontime, the park was clear as many of the demonstrators abandoned the effort to join a rally for healthcare on the waterfront. The incident wasn’t the biggest news of the day concerning the Occupy group.
Later in the evening, Police Chief Paul Reese responded to what has become unwanted national scrutiny of his department resulting from a statement he issued during the heat of the drama of the pepper spraying of demonstrators Thursday during the N-17 bank protests. At that time Reese repeated an accusation blaming response time to a rape victim on Occupy Portland in two TV interviews.
Not only did he apologize, the chief even went as far as to commend the protesters. Reese, who is also considering a run for mayor issued a statement last night that says in part:
“I stated that a call involving a rape victim had not been handled by officers for three hours due to police resources being tied up with Occupy Portland. The reality was more complex. I subsequently learned that the call I referred to occurred on November 6, and there were a variety of factors impacting police resources that day, including Occupy Portland. It was not my intention to mislead people, especially around an incident as serious and sensitive as a reported sexual assault. I spoke about the incident without knowing all of the details and made assumptions that were not correct. I apologize; I should have gathered all of the information before discussing it publicly.”
The past six weeks have strained police resources. During this time many officers, sergeants, detectives, and command staff have worked long hours with little time off. We are working hard to provide the quality service the public has come to expect, but it is sometimes a struggle. I also know from talking personally to many of the protestors, that they too are tired from the unique challenges of this unprecedented movement.
This may be an opportunity for us to collectively take a pause and reassess the way the police and protesters have been approaching this situation, to find a uniquely Portland solution. This is a model of cooperation that we could build upon for future events, and I want to thank today’s marchers for making this possible. We all share a responsibility for public safety and respecting the rights of everyone in our community. I look forward to further dialogue with Mayor Sam Adams and Occupy Portland protestors about how we can maintain a safe and welcoming community, while respecting the right to free speech.
The downtown area is been considerable quiet since Thursday’s crackdown. There have been incidents of vandalism to bank ATM machines. Wells Fargo reports three ATMs were Superglued. Bank of America had two machines hit in a similar fashion.
