Oregon ACLU Confirms Portland Police Violated Protester Rights In 2020

Mayor Ted Wheeler has called a report damming that looked into the Portland Police Bureau’s surveillance practices. The mayor is the City Commissioner in charge of managing the Portland Police Bureau. The ACLU of Oregon says the information proves it’s longstanding belief about the organization. The mayor said that he would take swift action to ensure accountability.

Wheeler stated that accountability will come from those at PPB who allowed these unlawful actions to occur. He also stated the goal is to provide a pathway for the vindication of those whose rights PPB violated, and to prevent it from happening again.”

The ACLU said that police violated citizen’s first-amendment rights during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. The ACLU of Oregon strongly encouraged those who protested in 2020 to inquire with the City of Portland for records to determine whether they were subject to the “intrusive practices,” outlined within the report and further demand accountability.

ACLU of Oregon Staff Attorney Rachel Dallal Gale said. “These Cointelpro-like tactics have a long, abusive history and plainly violate Oregon law.” “We have already successfully taken PPB to court over their illegal surveillance activities during the 2020 racial justice demonstrations – but the audit reveals that the extent of their surveillance goes even further than we understood,” Gale stated. “We agree with the City Auditor’s conclusion that ‘officers need clear direction from the Bureau to ensure they comply with the law.'”

The audit found Portland Police collected personally identifiable information on protesters without suspecting them of any crimes and had no firm procedures on what information they could collect, leading some officers to take and store images and videos of protesters without legal reason — and for much longer than necessary.

The city auditor issued five recommendations to Portland Police to help them rebuild the trust of Portlanders, including:

-Giving guidance on how to collect information without infringing on the 1st Amendment.

-Limit access to political and social information not associated with criminal activity.

-Adopt a directive on how to use surveillance technology.

-Add more guidance on how to investigate social media posts.

-Publish how the bureau is gathering surveillance.

Mayor Ted Wheeler stated, “My team and I will work with PPB to enact all 5 of the audit recommendations, four in full and one in part.”