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Governor Kate Brown said on Sunday that she had overturned an executive order that called on Oregon State Police and the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office to order any police response to potentially violent protests that were planned in Portland in the days following Tuesday’s presidential election.
Brown said her executive order was due to expire at 5 p.m. Sunday, but announced its end more than five hours in advance because the presidential election response – Joe Biden’s victory – was extremely festive in Portland. .
“I want to thank Oregonians for expressing their rights to free speech largely through happy celebrations yesterday,” Brown said in a statement Sunday. “I also want to thank city, county and state law enforcement officials, as well as Oregon National Guard volunteers, who have worked these past days and nights to maintain the peace and protect freedom of speech in Portland. ”
Brown admitted there were clashes at a rally of Trump supporters in Salem on Saturday. The governor’s decree, however, did not cover Salem. Local police declared the rally an illegal gathering.
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“Whether you voted for the current president or the president-elect, we are all Americans,” Brown said. “As the election draws to a close, the hard work begins. In Oregon, we talk about our differences and we overcome them.”
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler thanked the mayor and outside police for their support.
“It’s wonderful to see the Portlanders celebrate the presidential election results in a largely peaceful and joyful way,” Wheeler said in a statement. “As we close the door on this dangerous and chaotic chapter in our country’s history and look to a brighter future, I ask the Portlanders to use their voices in safety.”
Wheeler said he will continue to work with Brown and others to make sure the city has help when it is needed and that the police “will continue to hold people accountable for criminal actions so that we all can. stay safe. “
The governor’s order in Portland had been in effect since Monday, the day before the election. He allowed the sheriff’s office and the state police to form a joint command and allowed the use of tear gas if necessary. He also kept the Oregon National Guard on hold.
Although largely uneventful, the final days of post-election protests were reportedly not tear gas free. Some observers said federal agents used tear gas to disperse a small number of protesters near the Southwest Portland headquarters of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a short walk from the high towers of the South Waterfront.
Representatives of ICE and the US Department of Homeland Security did not respond to an Oregonian / OregonLive request for information on Sunday morning or early afternoon. Chris Liedle, spokesperson for the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, said no local police – including Portland Police – had used tear gas on protesters at any time during the past week.
A few videos on Twitter showed a canister of tear gas or some other sort of chemical irritant unleashed in the air. Freelance reporter Justin Yau, who took one of the videos, wrote that an agent deployed gas to disperse five to ten remaining protesters.
– Aimee Green; [email protected]; @o_aimee
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