Portland Riot Squad Quits, And Many Are Not Surprised

OPINION | The opinions expressed in this article are that of the writer, and may not necessarily reflect those of Tatum Report LLC

It comes as no surprise that every Portland Police Bureau’s (PPB) Rapid Response Team (RRT) has resigned from the unit. What is surprising is how it didn’t happen sooner? The quick answer is because these officers are dedicated men and women who hung on as long as they possibly could. And how long was that? Until Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt charged and got a grand jury to indict one of their own for using authorized force against a rioter.

First, it helps nothing when a news anchor at News Nation Prime (NNP) refers to the 50-officer unit as “controversial.” It shouldn’t be, and without the coordinated vilification of the radical left, it wouldn’t be. Still, it leaves many viewers wondering, why “controversial?” The anchor has tainted the story from that moment on, which is a standard tactic of leftist media.

The barely-there Mayor Ted Wheeler (tied for second-worst mayor in America) has assured Portlanders they shouldn’t worry. He has arranged for the Oregon State Police to remain on standby to augment city officers—when, not if, another riot occurs. How excited do you think troopers are going to be to put themselves at similar risk of prosecution? Not very is a good guess.

Another factor to consider is with all the fake calls for more and better police training, that’s what Portland had with the RRT, which culls interested, qualified officers from patrol and detective squads. They receive more and better training to deal with protests, especially those that deteriorate into riots. Due to the resignations, those specially trained officers will not work as a collective but as individuals assigned to riot duty with their patrol units. This is the exact opposite of what police critics say they want.

Portland residents and business owners can lay this disaster directly at the feet of the unconscionable “leadership” of Wheeler and the insurrectionist city council. We can trace their culpability as Portland institutions and as elected individuals back many years.

PPB Deputy Police Chief Chris Davis told NNP, “Have I ever seen anything like this in my career? No. They’re not feeling like that sacrifice they have made necessarily had been understood very well.” Never mind understood, how about appreciated? NNP added, “The bureau is drastically understaffed and city hall has cut funding for Portland police.”

The mass resignations followed the indictment of an officer for his use of force during one of Portland’s many declared riots. He used his baton (like a cross-check in hockey) to shove a rioter back away from a column of police marching by. The rioter landed on the ground. Oh well, it sucks when you don’t leave when the cops tell you to. Then the rioter tried to get up and was similarly struck again. Pretty standard tactic for a riot if you ask any cop who’s worked riots.

Every officer knows he or she could be the next to be sacrificed to the city’s gods of leftist anarchy. Let’s pause to explain a riot, once again: It doesn’t matter if you agree or not. This is how it works. After the police declare a riot, anyone—anyone—who remains with the gathering or even in the exclusion area must be treated as a rioter, regardless of what some anti-cop judge says.

Officers cannot, during the heightened tensions, increased chaos, inclement weather, and nighttime darkness, distinguish between the “peaceful” and the violent. This is especially true when you consider a person standing there “doing nothing” may have just thrown a Molotov cocktail or maybe about to shine an industrial laser into a cop’s eyes.

Wearing a badge or vest that reads “press” or “legal observer” means nothing. As reported at legalinsurrection.com, “A few of the arrestees are claiming they were ‘acting as medics.’ Taking a page from the Portland ANTIFA tactics of having people with ‘Medic,’ ‘Legal Observer,’ or ‘Press’ vests – to provide cover for rioters.”

When asked if it was just the indictment that caused the resignations, DC Davis said, “They brought up that [the indictment] among a lot of other things. The way I would characterize this… this is the culmination of a very long process, and it’s not just an indictment that caused this to happen.” No, indeed. The list of issues causing officer discontent and disgust is as long as many Antifa/BLM criminal’s rap sheets.

When asked if this mass unit resignation might lead to more police officers leaving the department and making it harder to recruit new officers, Daryl Turner, the Portland Police Association’s (union) Executive Director, said, “Well, of course… and about the attitude of the… residents of Portland… how they feel; there’s a feeling of hopelessness out there.”

Okay, I’ll add the answer: because of the lack of leadership from Mayor Wheeler and that ‘gawdawful’ city council (yes, they deserve to be described with a fake word, since they are supposed to protect residents, and they don’t, they are a fake city council). One officer, during his exit interview, concurred, writing, “The city council are raging idiots.”

And we can close with another example of the media bias we opened with. OPB.org (Oregon Public Broadcasting) commented, “The resignations from the unit came after news this week that one member of the team, [redacted], would face criminal charges for excessive force used during a racial justice protest last year, and that a second Rapid Response Team member, Det. Erik Kammerer, is being investigated by the Oregon Department of Justice on similar allegations.”

Did you catch it? “during a racial justice protests….” Correction: during one of numerous Antifa/BLM riots. And, speaking of Antifa/BLM, their ally, the Multnomah County DA, Mike Schmidt, promises more police officer misconduct investigations are on the way.

Remember, DA Schmidt is the same “prosecutor” who wouldn’t prosecute an Antifa/BLM rioter even if that rioter had knocked him down, sat on his face, and farted out the John Lennon song, Imagine. A song with which Marxists want to replace the Star-Spangled Banner as America’s national anthem.

 

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