This this image has been called the "Prayer of the Alt-Knight" and is attributed to a far-right activist who founded a group called the Fraternal Order of Alt-Knights, described as the “tactical defense arm” of the Proud Boys. portlandmercury.com/blogtown/2022/… From the same presentation, a slide about activists "training camps" (???)

It's time for the first Portland City Council hearing on where it wants to spend unaccounted for budget $$! The "fall budget monitoring process"—or fall BMP— is when council makes adjustments to the city's annual budget passed in June based on need/use. Commissioners will vote on a fall BMP proposal introduced by the mayor next week. Today, council will introduce and vote on amendments to the mayor's BMP proposal—and then hear hours of public testimony on where these dollars should go.

Multiple sources in city hall have confirmed that Mayor Wheeler’s new communication director, reality TV show produced Lennox Wiseley, has quit a week after starting the job. More to come. A statement from the mayors office: “Lennox Wiseley has made the difficult decision to step down from her role as Communications Director and focus on her family. She leaves with the upmost respect for the Mayor and City of Portland employees.”

In Texas, a new law has made abortion illegal for anyone after six weeks (before many people know they're pregnant) — and allows citizens to sue those for "aiding and abetting" in an abortion. 19thnews.org/2021/08/texas-… Not only does this shutter clinics that offer safe abortions (forcing people to seek illegal/dangerous alternatives), but it seeks to extinguish abortion funds and other support services for those seeking the procedure.

Multnomah County has released a report on the 54 people who died from overheating during the late June heat wave. Some takeaways: The average age of those who died was 70. All but 4 were white. Majority of people died at home, and majority of those homes were apartments—many located on upper-level floors. Three died in apts managed by Home Forward (Portland's housing authority), one died in an apt managed by Central City Concern (another low-income housing provider).

In response to another police killing of an individual in mental distress in Portland, we're going to hear calls for accountability, oversight, analysis.

I think it's important to remember that all of these things are already in place in Portland. A refresher: Portland police have been under scrutiny of the US Department of Justice via a settlement agreement since 2014. That agreement was made after DOJ found PPB has a "pattern and practice" of disproportionally using force/killing people with a mental illness. portlandmercury.com/portland/the-f…

During this morning's council hearing on Portland police budget, majority of public calling for cuts to police.

One striking testimony was from KC Lewis, attorney with @DisabilityRtsOR: "Every time I see riot vans, the military crowd control gear, the planes circling overhead, all I can think is how many treatment beds did we fail to fund so we could have this?"

Tomorrow at 10 am, Portland City Council is hearing public testimony re: the city's police budget for the coming fiscal year (starting July 1). After today's police shooting and the past weeks of hasty gun violence team re-funding, it could be an interesting watch. The hearing will be livestreamed on the city's youtube page:

youtube.com/channel/UCcPIU…

At Lents Park in Portland, where police allegedly shot a man around 10 am. Police spokesperson is sharing little information on this incident so far. Witnesses are currently being interviewed, Park is closed off, a protest has gathered. As I interview the PPB spokesperson, someone yells out their car: “stop killing people!” PPB has not confirmed the person was killed.

This kettling / photo combo is eerily similar to how portland police treated anti-trump protests in 2017. (This is tonight, downtown Portland)

https://twitter.com/suzettesmith/status/1370628730473775106

No ID this time, just stickers. From 2017: portlandmercury.com/news/2017/11/1…

Mayor Wheeler's delivering his state of the city right now:

https://twitter.com/PDXCityClub/status/1370464976545009665

It lasted about... five minutes.

It's offish: Former mayor Sam Adams will be joining the Mayor Ted Wheeler's staff as "director of strategic innovations." Per Wheeler's office, Adams will be focusing on Wheeler's second-term goals (ie: solutions to homelessness, economic stability, etc.) In less-predicted news: The Office Of Equity director Markeesha Smith will also be joining Mayor Wheeler's staff as his "special advisor on racial justice and equity" while continuing to lead the Office of Equity. That's... a lot!

I’m at a small BLM protest at Revolution Hall. About 20 folks here. Some 13 police arrived on bikes shorted after they arrive, instantly riling up the group. One officer takes a man aside to question him because he has a baton on his belt. PPB Officer Jones tells me he’s here because this was organized by PNWYLF and their events “always end in violence.” I ask why that means officers should insert themselves. “Well, we just wanted to come and see if people had weapons.”

A federal judge has found the City of Portland/Portland Police Bureau in contempt of court for violating a June 26 temporary restraining order (in the Don't Shoot PDX case) by using pepper spray and impact munitions against protesters. It's not yet clear how the city/PPB will be penalized for this. Per Judge Marco Hernandez: "Remedies for the above-described violations of the Order will be determined separately."

New message from Portland City Council (and other Oregon electeds): "...law enforcement do not want or need any help from paramilitaries or vigilante groups." Brings to mind the lawsuit filed after Charlottesville protest barring unlawful paramilitary activity, which successfully kept far-right out of the city. law.georgetown.edu/news/georgetow…

One of my San Antonio friends has been using his graphic design skillz to re-label grocery store cans with facts about local/national police issues and I’m so impressed: A few more:

The Portland Police Bureau has officially come out against an order made by the city's police commissioner, Mayor Wheeler.

Usually it just comes from the police union. Yikes.

https://twitter.com/PortlandPolice/status/1304202562653040640

All these things may be true, but it falls on deaf ears when PPB completely leaves out the destruction they've done to neighborhoods by coating houses in tear gas (and the neighbors who've reported harassment by police).

Not that I want to legitimize this @reason piece, but I have filmed copious moments of ppl throwing things at police/vandalizing bldgs/etc & have never been told I’m not allowed to film. I have never heard of the so-called “IPC.” The lack of sourcing in this story shows. Also, worth noting that this piece is by Nancy Rommelmann. Background: portlandmercury.com/blogtown/2019/…

This is only the most recent mass resignation by CRC members.

This has happened over and over and over again in the past few years, after members say their hours of volunteer work does nothing to hold police accountable of misconduct.

https://twitter.com/Rjaellis/status/1301315746140762119

The last major resignations were in March 2020, both people (including longtime chair) citing their inability to hold dangerous cops accountable as reasons why. portlandmercury.com/opinion/2020/0…

According to PPB: Marquise Love, the man accused of assaulting a man during a Portland protest on 8/16, has turned himself in.

Background: portlandmercury.com/blogtown/2020/… Here are his charges & bail:

Portland police have an update on the man suspected of throwing pipe bombs at protesters a week ago: More on that incident: opb.org/article/2020/0…