Media Contact

Sarah Armstrong, sarmstrong@aclu-or.org

August 5, 2018

PORTLAND, Ore. -- After the violence against protesters and observers yesterday in Portland, david rogers, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon, had the following comment:

"The Portland Police Bureau’s response to protest is completely unacceptable in a free society. The repeated use of excessive force, and the targeting of demonstrators based on political beliefs are a danger to the First Amendment rights of all people. We call on the Portland Police Bureau, Mayor Wheeler, and Chief Outlaw to immediately end the use of weapons, munitions, and explosives against protesters."

For more information about the effects of so-called "less lethal" weapons and munitions, please see the ACLU's report, “Lethal in Disguise: The Health Consequences of Crowd-Control Weapons.”