Today, the ACLU of Oregon, joined by the Portland Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild and Oregon Lawyers for Good Government, submitted another round of comments to Portland Police Bureau’s directive 635.10 – Crowd Control / Crowd Management.
These comments continue the call for a more sensible approach to policing protest in an attempt to avoid clashes seen in Portland in recent months.
We call for:
1. De-escalation tactics over force;
2. Demilitarization of the police; and,
3. The prohibition of dangerous projectile and chemical weapons.
We believe a change in policy is needed in order to support Portland’s rich history of First Amendment activity. Our comments provide an important roadmap for constructive engagement between PPB and the public involved in constitutionally-protected protest activity.
Our first round of comments were submitted on February 15, 2017.
