Portland police stop people taking food thrown in grocery store dumpster after winter storm

A group of Portland police clashed with people trying to retrieve food thrown at a local grocery store after the store lost power. Witnesses said the officers acted aggressively and did not allow people to enter the store.

On Tuesday, photos were shared widely from the Hollywood West Fred Meyer grocery store in Portland, Oregon, showing police officers guarding dumpsters as people attempted to grab discarded food. According to police, the grocery store lost power due to recent winter harsh weather that affected much of the United States, and staff were forced to dispose of food.

Police said they reported to Fred Meyer after an employee called twice to report “a group of people arguing with employees and refusing to leave the property.” Employees at the store told police the food could not be donated or consumed due to lack of refrigeration and said they tried to explain to the crowd. Police reported that the crowd had grown to nearly 50 people.

According to Portland resident Juniper Leona Simonis, who was at the scene during the standoff, nearly a dozen officers were blocking a crowd of ten from two dumpsters full of discarded food and not not allow them to enter the store. Simonis said they were taking police photos when officers “called a manager” and threatened to arrest them.

“[The manager told] I was in violation and they could stop me if I didn’t stop, ”Simonis told NowThis on Wednesday. “I had to leave the property and move my car a block. By the time I did, the police had started to leave.

Simonis said after the police left, a group of people returned to the trash to collect food for themselves or to donate. The crowd grew to over 20 in an hour, Simonis said. Several photos showed that the dumpsters were full of packages of meat, cheese, drinks, vegetables and more.

Simonis also said the city was “spending its precious resources” on several police officers to “threaten a crowd of less than 10” instead of spending that money on food, shelter and essential supplies. Portland was hit by a winter storm over the weekend, causing extreme damage, especially to power lines, cutting off electricity for thousands of people.

“The store should have worked with the aid organizations that have contacted them throughout this crisis to deliver food to those who have the capacity to distribute it to those in need,” said Simonis. “The cops were smiling, [laughing]and chat. “

On Tuesday, Fred Meyer responded to people on Twitter saying that “some perishables were no longer safe for donation to local hunger relief agencies.”

“The team at our store were concerned that area residents would consume food and risk foodborne illness, and they engaged local law enforcement as a precaution,” the company wrote. “We apologize for the confusion.”