Everton Bailey Jr., July 19, 2020
High-ranking Portland police officials told state lawmakers they’ve tried to de-escalate violence at nightly downtown protests but a small group of anarchists intentionally try to injure officers and require them to use tear gas and other munitions that affect entire crowds.
Portland Police Deputy Chief Chris Davis testified Friday that officers who face off with violence-prone demonstrators know “who a lot of them are,” but the risks are usually too high to forge into the crowd and immediately arrest people they see engaged in criminal activity.
“It’s very challenging to go into a large, dynamic crowd and pluck one person out of there without creating an even bigger problem for ourselves,” Davis said.
