Sheriffs are rebuffing Oregon Gov. Kate Brown’s call on local departments to send deputies to help quell protests in Portland.
The sheriffs of Washington and Clackamas Counties, which were both mentioned by name in Brown’s plan, said they will not send deputies to work in Portland.
Washington County Sheriff Pat Garrett said in a statement that although he was sympathetic to the situation that Portland police face and will support Portland police indirectly, the political landscape was a contributing factor in his decision to rebuff the governor’s plan.
“[Portland Police Bureau] is a terrific partner and I am very sympathetic to what they are enduring. However, the lack of political support for public safety, the uncertain legal landscape, the current volatility combined with intense scrutiny on use of force presents an unacceptable risk if deputies were deployed directly,” Garrett’s statement read.
Clackamas County Sheriff Greg Roberts said he was surprised by the governor’s plan because Brown’s office did not contact him. He said the only way to quell the violence gripping Portland was to change policies, including prosecutors charging offenders “appropriately,” and the Multnomah County judge to require bail instead of releasing suspects on their own recognizance.
He argued that the “same offenders are arrested night after night, only to be released by the court and not charged with a crime.”
Strong statement from @ClackCoSheriff Roberts who says they will not send deputies to Portland after @OregonGovBrown released a plan saying they would.
Instead, he says “the criminal justice system will need to do its part and hold offenders accountable.”#LiveOnK2 pic.twitter.com/DETlaPzTCN
— Kellee Azar (@KelleeAzar) August 31, 2020
Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt said his office would not pursue charges against those arrested for protesting unless cases involve “deliberate property damage, theft, or threat of force against another person.”
Federal agents stationed in the city to protect a federal building in July used tear gas and rubber bullets against protesters, an act Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said was a political strategy used by the president to “further his political agenda, igniting his base to cause further divisiveness.” Wheeler argued the presence of federal agents was inflaming the situation in Portland.
Trump offered federal assistance to the city in August, an act that was curtly rebuffed by the mayor, again suggesting Trump had ulterior motives for offering assistance.
“We don’t need your politics of division and demagoguery. Portlanders are onto you,” he wrote in a letter to the president. “We know you’ve reached the conclusion that images of violence or vandalism are your only ticket to reelection.”
Aaron Danielson, a counterprotester associated with the right-wing group Patriot Prayer, was shot and killed on Saturday. Police are investigating a man who claimed to be “100% ANTIFA” in connection with the killing.
Brown released a plan to “stop the cycle of violence” on Sunday, which included provisions for sheriffs’ departments from counties near Portland sending deputies to help the local police. Portland has experienced three months of protests and riots, stemming from the death of George Floyd in late May.
