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U.S. NEWS Monday 6 august 2018

Oregon police chief orders review of use of force at protest

By ANDREW SELSKY the Democratic Socialists Hundreds of counter-dem-
Associated Press of America said in a state- onstrators faced them from
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Portland ment. across the street, holding
police were accused Sun- It called on officials to in- banners and signs with
day of being heavy-hand- vestigate. messages such as "Alt right
ed against people protest- Police ordered the coun- scum not welcome in Port-
ing a rally by extreme-right ter-protesters to disperse, land." Some chanted "Nazis
demonstrators, reportedly then moved in behind a go home."
injuring some counter-pro- volley of stun grenades. Officers stood in the middle
testers and prompting the One of the rounds report- of a four-lane boulevard,
city's new police chief to edly hit a counter-protester essentially forming a wall
order a review of officers' in the head, becoming em- to keep the two sides sepa-
use of force. bedded in his helmet and rated.
Police in riot gear tried to injuring him. One woman The counter-protesters
keep the two groups apart, was taken to a hospital af- were made up of a coali-
many of whom had come ter being hit in the arm and tion of labor unions, im- Protesters line up Saturday, Aug. 4, 2018, in Portland, Ore. Small
on Saturday dressed for chest with a "flash-bang" migrant rights advocates, scuffles broke out Saturday as police in Portland, Oregon,
battle in helmets and pro- grenade, local media re- democratic socialists and deployed "flash bang" devices and other means to disperse
tective clothing. Dozens of ported. The blasts echoed other groups.q hundreds of right-wing and self-described anti-fascist protesters.
Associated Press
the extreme-right protesters through downtown Port-
were bussed to Portland, land.
one of America's most liber- Four people were arrested.
al cities, from nearby Van- Police Chief Danielle Out-
couver, Washington. law, who assumed com-
Saturday's clashes were mand less than a year ago
the most recent of several as Portland's first African-
this year in the city as right- American female police
wing militants converged, chief, said in a statement
met by counter-protesters, Sunday she takes all use-of-
including members of anti- force cases seriously.
fascist, or "antifa," groups. Outlaw directed the profes-
City officials have struggled sional standards division to
with striking a balance be- begin gathering evidence
tween free speech and to determine if the force
keeping events from spiral- used was within policy and
ing out of control. training guidelines. The Of-
But on Saturday, some said fice of Independent Police
police seemed to act most- Review will be provided
ly against those protesting with the information for re-
the presence of the ex- view and investigation.
treme-right demonstrators, Saturday's incidents started
using stun grenades and with demonstrators aligned
what appeared to be rub- with Patriot Prayer and an
ber bullets against them. affiliated group, the Proud
Police "targeted Portland Boys, gathering in a river-
residents peacefully coun- front park. The Proud Boys
ter-protesting against racist has been characterized
far-right groups, including as a hate group by the
white supremacists, white Southern Poverty Law Cen-
nationalists, and neo-Nazi ter, which is "dedicated to
gangs," the Oregon chap- fighting hate and bigotry
ter of the Council on Amer- and to seeking justice for
ican-Islamic Relations and the most vulnerable mem-
the Portland chapter of bers of society."