PORTLAND, Ore. — Today the federal court refused to grant protections to the medics who have been providing care to people injured by law enforcement at Black Lives Matter protests in Portland. Judge Immergut denied the ACLU of Oregon’s motion for a temporary restraining order in a lawsuit against police in Portland and the federal government, who have repeatedly targeted and attacked volunteer protest medics.
Attorney Rian Peck of Perkins Coie LLP, counsel for the ACLU of Oregon, had the following comment:
“Deliberately attacking a medic is usually considered a war crime. Our clients have been shot, arrested, pepper sprayed, maced, tackled, and beaten while they were clearly marked as volunteer medics. Just like our clients continue to fight in support of Black lives, this is just the beginning of our fight for protest medics in Portland.”