Portland, Oregon’s, chief of police demanded to see evidence from the city commissioner who accused officers of committing arson and blaming it on protesters.
Chief Chuck Lovell questioned Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty after she told Marie Claire that she believed officers were “starting the fires themselves” as a justification for deeming the protests riots. He said Hardesty’s claim “strains credulity.”
“Commissioner Hardesty’s statement that police officers would commit the crime of arson in order to precipitate their violation of people’s civil rights strains credulity. I am interested in seeing what evidence she has to support her accusations,” he tweeted on Wednesday.
“I’m disappointed that an elected official would make a statement like this without providing specific facts to support it. This allegation is completely false,” he added.
Commissioner Hardesty’s statement that police officers would commit the crime of arson in order to precipitate their violation of people’s civil rights strains credulity. I am interested in seeing what evidence she has to support her accusations.
— Chief Chuck Lovell (@ChiefCLovell) July 22, 2020
Hardesty issued an apology for her remarks on Wednesday night. She said that she “let [her] emotions get the most” of her because she was “angry, frustrated, and horrified” by the weeks of clashes between protesters, local police, and federal law enforcement.
“As a child of the Civil Rights movement, it is my experience — and those who studied history know this too — that injustice movements and mass protests, people have been sent to infiltrate these spaces to create incidents that justify enhance police actions,” she said. “Using unfounded claims and misinformation is something no one in any position of power should do, and you deserve better.”
