Portland police presentation mocks ‘dirty hippy’ protesters and encourages violence

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler (D) said Friday that the Portland Police Office has opened an internal investigation into a training slideshow that included humorous depictions of violence against protesters. dirty hippy”, New York Times report. “The Portland Police Office must reject the divisive and harmful attitude expressed in that slide,” Wheeler said.

Sheriff Chuck Lovell released a statement announcing that he had ordered an internal investigation and that “the message on the training slide is contrary to PPB’s values ​​and what we are trying to achieve with as an organization”, CNN report.

A 100-page PowerPoint presentation from 2018 provided simple instructions on how to handle mass protests and riots, but the final slide reflects a change in tone. It featured an officer in riot gear attacking a seemingly unarmed protester.

“They can baptize your head with mother-of-pearl, and anoint your face with pepper spray,” the biblical text accompanying the image read, along with an allusion to the protesters being ” stitches and bandages”.

Portland has seen frequent riots in recent years. Protesters Break windows of city buildings and throw objects at police officers after Kyle Rittenhouse’s verdict was announced in November. A year earlier, the protests become violent as the whole country was waiting for the final results of the 2020 presidential election. A few months earlier, riot outbreak following the death of George Floyd, prompting federal law enforcement to intervene.

Portland City Council responded to George Floyd protesters’ request for “Repay the Police” by cutting $15 million from PPB, PBS report. Last year, after the city’s murder rate rose, the council added more than $5 million back to policing.