A CONVERTIBLE NEARBY.
POLICE ARE INVESTIGATING..
>>> THEY HAVE STUFF THROWN AT
THEM.
THEY HAVE URINE THROWN AT THEM.
THEY’RE SUBJECTED TO MOLOTOV
COCKTAILS.
FOR THE PAST YEAR AND-A-HALF,
AND EVEN BEFORE THAT, THEY’VE
BEEN WILLING TO STAND UP AND BE
SUBJECTED TO THAT.
THE SYSTEM RIGHT NOW HAS LET
THEM DOWN.
ERIC: HE’S REFERRING TO THE
PORTLAND, OREGON POLICE RIOT
SQUAD OFFICIALLY KNOWN AS THE
RAPID RESPONSE TEAM.
AND GUESS WHAT, ALL OF THE TEAM,
ALL 50 OF THE OFFICERS THEY QUIT
FROM THE PRESTIGIOUS TEAM LAST
WEEK.
THEY SAID THEY DID THAT TO
PROTEST THE INDICTMENT OF ONE OF
THEIR MEMBERS ON ASSAULT CHARGE
FOR YOU ALLEGEDLY ASSAULTING A
PHOTOGRAPHER WHILE TRYING TO
BREAK UP THE RIOTS LAST YEAR.
THE PORTLAND POLICE ASSOCIATION
SAYS THE DECORATED OFFICER WHO
WAS CHARGED WAS CAUGHT BETWEEN
AN YOU AGENDA DRIVEN CITY
LEADERS AND POLITICIZED CRIMINAL
JUSTICE SYSTEM.
DARRYL TURNER JOINS US NOW,
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE
PORTLAND POLICE ASSOCIATION.
THE OFFICERS REMAIN ON THE
FORCE.
THEY QUIT THE SQUAD.
BUT WHAT MESSAGE DOES THEIR
RESIGNATION SEND?
>> WELL, SO THEY RESIGNED FROM A
VOLUNTARY POSITION AND THAT
MESSAGE -- THIS MESSAGE IS NOT
JUST ABOUT OUR OFFICER BEING
INDICTED.
WE SENT A LETTER TO THE CITY OF
PORTLAND, BECAUSE WE REPRESENT
THE RAPID RESPONSE TEAM MEMBERS,
WE SENT A LETTER IN OCTOBER
STATING ALL THE ISSUES AND
PROBLEMS AND CONCERNS THAT THEY
HAD, BASED ON WHAT HAPPENED OVER
150 DAYS.
WE HAD 150 PLUS DAYS OF
UNPRECEDENTED SUSTAINED VIOLENCE
IN THE CITY OF PORTLAND.
OUR RAPID RESPONSE TEAM ALONG
WITH OTHERS FROM THE POLICE
BUREAU, CAME OUT EVERY NIGHT,
STOOD THE LINE WITH MOLOTOV
COCKTAILS, URINE, FECES, ROCKS,
BOTTLES, EVERYTHING THROWN AT
THEM, WITH THEIR HOME ADDRESSES
BEING SHOUTED OUT OVER LOUD
SPEAKERS, WE HAD A MURDER DURING
THE RIOTS, WE HAD MULTIPLE
ASSAULTS DURING THE RIOTS AND
MULTIPLE ASSAULTS OF POLICE
OFFICERS DURING THE SAME RIOTS.
THE SAME DISTRICT ATTORNEY WHO
INDICTED OUR OFFICER DECLINED
80% OF THE CRIMES COMMITTED
DURING THOSE RIOTS BY PEOPLE,
80% OF THE PEOPLE WHO WERE
CHARGED WHO WERE ARRESTED BY
PORTLAND POLICE DURING THE
RIOTS, 80% WERE DECLINED BY THE
DA’S OFFICE.
ERIC: WOW.
DO YOU THINK THAT CITY OFFICIALS
IN PORTLAND HAVE YOUR BACKS?
>> NO, THEY DO NOT.
NIGHT AFTER NIGHT, WE WERE
CRITICIZED BY EVERYONE, OUR
ELECTED OFFICIALS FROM THE DA’S
OFFICE THROUGH SOME OF OUR CITY
COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO ARE SUPPOSED
TO LOOK AT US AS A SUBJECT
MATTER EXPERTS AND OBVIOUSLY
HOPE THAT WE WERE DOING THE
RIGHT THING AND DEPEND THAT
WE’RE DOING THE RIGHT THING BUT
DEFINITELY SUPPOSED TO SUPPORT
WHAT WE’RE DOING OUT THERE WHEN
WE’RE DOING THE RIGHT THING.
THAT’S NOT WHAT HAPPENED.
THEY ENCOURAGED AND ENABLED SOME
OF THE VIOLENCE THAT WAS GOING
ON DURING THOSE 150 PLUS NIGHTS
AND DAYS.
ERIC: ONE OF ONE WOMAN HAS BEE
CRITICAL OF THE RESPONSE TEAM.
SHE SAID WE SHOULD EXPECT OUR
POLICE FORCE TO ACT IN A WAY WE
CAN STAND BY BUT WHEN THEY DON’T
WE NEED TO HAVE ACCOUNTABILITY
SYSTEMS IN PLACE.
I REMAIN DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT
THE RESIGNATIONS, BUT ANOTHER
EXAMPLE OF A ROGUE PARAMILITARY
ORGANIZATION THAT IS
UNACCOUNTABLE TO ELECTED
OFFICIALS AND RESIDENTS OF
PORTLAND.
THE GOLD OLD BOY NETWORK IS
CRUMBLING AND WE CAN EITHER BE
PART OF THE CHANGE OR PART OF
THE STATUS QUO.
IS IT A ROGUE MILITARY SQUAD?
IS IT A GOLD OLD BOY NETWORK
THAT’S CRUMBLING, ACCORDING TO
HER?
>> SHE DOES NOT RUN THE POLICE
BUREAU.
SHE’S THE MAYOR WHO IS THE
POLICE STATIONPOLICE COMMISSIONE
SHE HAS BEEN A CRITIC OF THE
POLICE NOT SINCE SHE HAS BEEN A
COMMISSIONER, BUT FAR BEYOND
THAT.
SHE LED THE CHARGE LAST SUMMER
TO DEFUND THE POLICE, SHE LED
THE CHARGE FOR THE GUN VIOLENCE
REDUCTION TEAM.
OVER 65% OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE
BEING SHOT IN THE CITY OF
PORTLAND ARE AFRICAN-AMERICAN.
OVER 70% COUNTING THOSE 65% ARE
PEOPLE OF COLOR.
SO COMMISSIONER HARDISY IS AT
THE FOREFRONT OF THE DEFUNDING
OF POLICE.
VIOLENT CRIME HAS GONE UP AND
NOW SHE’S CRITICIZING A TEAM
THAT IS STILL GOING TO DO THEIR
JOB.
IF THERE’S A PROTEST TOMORROW,
THEY’LL BE ORDERED TO DO THE
SAME JOB.
THEY WON’T BE A VOLUNTARY SQUAD.
THE EXPERTISE WILL STILL BE USED
IN THOSE SITUATIONS, AND THOSE
EVENTS.
ERIC: THE BIG QUESTION IS CAN
LAW ENFORCEMENT DEAL WITH THIS.
HERE’S DEPUTY CHIEF CHRIS DAVIS
ON THAT.
>> WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT WE
HAVE AS CLOSE TO ADEQUATE
RESOURCES AS WE CAN GET WITHIN
JUST THE LIMITS WE HAVE TO DEAL
WITH ANYTHING THAT COMES UP WITH
ON DUTY RESOURCES.
ERIC: MR. TURNER, FINALLY, WHAT
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE?
>> FINALLY, WHAT I’D LIKE TO SEE
IS THE RESIDENTS AND THE
BUSINESS OWNERS OF THE CITY OF
PORTLAND HAVE A HOPELESS FEELING
RIGHT NOW, WHAT’S GONE ON.
WE’RE UNDERSTAFFED.
HAVE BEEN.
WE HAVE BEEN DEFUNDED.
OUR DIVISIONS THAT HAVE BEEN
SUCCESSFUL IN DOING WHAT THEY’VE
DONE HAVE BEEN DISBANDED.
AND THE RAPID RESPONSE TEAM
DECIDES TO VOLUNTARILY RESIGN
FROM THOSE VOLUNTARY POSITIONS.
THEY’LL STILL DO THE SAME JOB,
THEY’LL BE ORDERED TO DO THE
SAME JOB.
OUR DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S
CONTINUING NOT TO PROSECUTE
CASES OF CRIMES BEING COMMITTED
DURING THE RIOTS.
AND THE MAIN THING IS THE CITY
COUNCIL REFUSES TO ALLOW US TO
HAVE BODY CAMERA WHICH WOULD
SHOW THE WHOLE EVENT.
THE OFFICER THAT WAS INDICTED,
THAT’S A SNAPSHOT OF THE
EVIDENCE EVENTED.
WE’RE ONE OF THE LARGEST CITIES
IN THE COUNTRY WHOSE POLICE
AGENCY DON’T HAVE BODY CAMERAS.
IT’S NOT A BUDGE BUDGETARY ISSUE
WE DON’T HAVE A BRUTAL POLICE
FORCE.
THERE’S NOT POLICE BRUTALITY
GOING ON DURING THE EVENTS.
THEY WANT TO HAVE THEIR FALSE
NARRATIVE AND SELF-SERVING
AGENDAS.
THAT’S WHAT’S HURTING OUR CITY,
HURTING OUR ORGANIZATION AND
THAT’S WHY THE RAPID RESPONSE
TEAM, ONE OF THE REASONS OF MANY
WHY THEY STEPPED DOWN.
ERIC: THE PEOPLE OF PORTLAND
AND AMERICA SHOULD BE ABLE TO
SEE THAT FOOTAGE BUT AS YOU SAY
IT’S BEING BLOCKED.
DARRYL TURNER, EXECUTIVE