Since April 26, at least six different locations across Portland have been hit with mysterious envelopes filled with equally mysterious white powder. Some envelopes are straight-up labeled “Anthrax.” So far, none of them contain the toxic powder. The most recent delivery was found this morning at Infinity Tattoo. The rest of them: Market Center Building, […]
Crime
Posted inPolitics
Undocumented Ralliers Go to Trial
Portland Occupier Diana Banda’s arrest Two of the four arrested undocumented rallying immigrants have been released from the Multnomah County Jail—and it looks like the others will shortly join them. But not with a clean record. During yesterday’s permitted May Day rally, a group of undocumented immigrants staged a rally against Obama’s Secure Communities program […]
Posted inCrime
Mars Hill Church Vandalized by Gay Rights Group
Last September, the conservative, anti-gay Mars Hill Church set up shop into Southeast Portland. Despite initial local protest, the church seems to have successfully set its roots in progressive Portland with little backlash. Until now. Mars Hill Church Yesterday morning, a group of self-labeled gay activists (their email screen name: “angryqueers”) smashed nine of the […]
Posted inNews
George Zimmerman Gets Bail
Huffington Post says: Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester set Zimmerman’s bond at $150,000, but said he would not be released today, pending deliberations about the terms of the release. The bail hearing featured dramatic testimony from Zimmerman, who took the stand and offered an apology to Martin’s parents. “I wanted to say that I am sorry […]
Posted inCops
Police Officer Arrested for Sexual Corruption of Minor
The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office arrested Portland Police Officer Scott Elliott, 50, today for a duo of sex crimes: Online Sexual Corruption of a Child and Luring a Minor (both class C felonies). A 22-year-old veteran of the police bureau, Elliott has no obvious history of creepiness. However, he was assigned at the East Precinct […]
Posted inCrime
Beaverton Deer Statue Found Slaughtered
Today in confusing news: The 400-pound deer statue that was lifted from the front yard of a Beaverton dental office earlier this month has been found. But not all in one piece. No—the poor bronze deer was chopped into seemingly systematic bits. Why, you ask? Here’s a possible answer: 39-year-old Chad Ferguson was not only […]
Posted inCrime
The Killing of Trayvon Martin: The Commercial Fallout
As the New York Times reports, Skittles sales are up: The candy has been piled into makeshift memorials, crammed into the pockets of thousands of people who have shown up at rallies in his name and sent to the Sanford Police Department to protest the lack of an arrest in the case. Like the hoodie […]
Posted inCrime
The Last Two Months, Measured in Drugs
Portland Police Bureau Just a few of the pot plants snagged by the police this year. The Portland Police Bureau released the total number of drug seizures in the first two months of 2012 today. The results? — 32 grams of powder cocaine— 30 grams of crack cocaine— 3,356 grams of heroin (7.4 pounds)— 807 […]
Posted inCops
Familiar Names in Officer Shooting
This morning, the Portland Police Bureau released the names of the four officers involved in yesterday’s shooting, and identified the suspect/victim as 31-year-old Jonah Aaron Potter. It turns out that a few of the officers have a history in officer-involved shootings. Officer Larry Wingfield was one of the two officers who shot and killed a […]
Posted inCops
Officers Shoot Man Armed with Fake Gun
Nathan Gilles Officers at the scene of the shooting Around 8 this morning, four Portland police officers shot at a man wielding what looked to be a handgun on SE Stark and 37th, near Laurelhurst Park. The man, who is suspected of robbing a Belmont convenience store, was found by police sleeping in a parked […]
Posted inCrime
Because Guns Make Us Safer
How is it possible to mistake a pack of Skittles for a loaded gun? Simple human psychology: When people have a gun in their hand, they’re more likely to believe an object held by someone else is also a gun.They’re also more likely to raise the gun to shoot.Those are the key findings from a […]
Posted inCrime
Gay Hate Crime Leads to Arrest
Aaron Spencer, qPDX Smith’s damaged car, more photos after jump As breifly mentioned in Good Morning News, a gay couple was the target of a horrible hate crime on Wednesday, March 14 in downtown Portland. According to the Portland Police Bureau’s report, the two gay men, Kiah Lawson and Sam Smith, were holding hands on […]