Portland’s police union leader slammed city officials recently, saying that they “encouraged some of the violence” that happened in the city for over 150 nights last year, and revealing that the resignations within the riot squad was about more than just their fellow officers getting indicted.
When asked during his interview on Fox News, “Do you believe that city officials have your back?” Portland Police Association director Daryl Turner said, “No, they don’t.”
Turner explained that when the whole 50-officer Rapid Response Team resigned from their posts, it was “not only about an officer getting indicted.” That was only the last straw.
He highlighted that the union had wrote a letter to the city back in October expressing the many problems they had about the handling of what Turner said was “unprecedented violence.” But the city never dealt with those problems.
Meanwhile, “our RR team and other officers came out every night and held the line with … Molotov cocktails, feces, rocks, urine, bottles, and everything else being thrown at them., Turner explained.
“We witnessed and had multiple assaults during these riots., he said before revealing that, in response to these crimes, Portland D.A. Mike Schmidt “would not prosecute 80% of the crimes committed during these riots.”
Turner then said that instead of partnering with police to help stop the riots, elected officials “actually encouraged some of the violence that was happening during these 150 nights.”
“The business owners and residents of Portland have a hopeless feeling now with what is going on., he said, adding that the city’s Police Bureau is “woefully understaffed” and is “defunded.”
During another interview with liberal NBC News after the RR squad’s resignations, Turner said that his officer morale “is as terrible as it has ever been.”
“We are dealing with rioting and sustained violence, that we have never seen. We are looking at the most terrible staffing levels we’ve ever had. We are looking at moves to defund us like we have never seen before., Turner said.
Author: Steven Sinclaire