The president of Portland’s rank-and-file police union—clearly in an extremely emotional state over the slaying this weekend of two New York City police officers—has blamed the “cold-blooded assassination of two of New York’s finest” on ongoing demands for stronger police accountability in the wake of several high-profile shootings and deaths in custody this year.

Daryl Turner, president of the Portland Police Association, posted a letter to his members telling them that reasonable demands—for increased civilian oversight, expanded community policing, de-militarization of police forces, and a willingness to address and solve the racially disparate effects of policing, among others—are the very same thing as “creating a culture of hatred towards law enforcement nationwide.”

Turner’s statement casts his ire, and blame, equally at “media, politicians, and community activists [who] have been vilifying the police.” He goes on to say their words “fueled” the anger of the man who shot the two officers in New York—along with “the anger of many Americans.” It’s a statement that echoes the inflammatory “wartime” comment of New York’s leading police union boss.

How did this happen? The cold-blooded assassination of two of New York’s finest in broad daylight? For months now, the media, politicians and community activists have been vilifying the police. They call us murderers and racists. Now, these same people who so quickly crucified the police are backpedaling. They are blaming a crazed gunman for the deplorable shooting. But it is their very words that fueled his anger and the anger of many Americans with unfounded accusations characterizing all police as brutal thugs. They have created a culture of hatred towards law enforcement nationwide. This can’t go on.

And it also misunderstands the community frustration that’s fueling what have largely been peaceful and constructive protests (other than when the same few people shout expletives at riot cops), not the other way around. In Portland, organizers led by young people of color have taken the streets with specific demands for change—and those organizers have pledged to hold monthly meetings with Mayor Charlie Hales to see some of those details become reality.

The police accountability movement in Portland is one reason why some of the strains at play in Ferguson and elsewhere, which even incoming Police Chief Larry O’Dea definitively sees as important enough to address, are better here than in other parts of the country.

Turner’s statement calls for a massive community conversation including cops and government officials so we can “stop the anti-police movement.” But that fails to understand the thrust of many of the conversations this city’s already been having—that they’re not anti-police, but pro- the kind of police bureau Portlanders want to see.

A police bureau where this sentiment, expressed over the summer by Mayor Charlie Hales, is true.

No law-abiding people should ever have reason to fear the police. Yet we must honestly admit that, too often, this is not true for a wide swath of our community: people of color.

Read Turner’s statement after the jump.

This past Saturday, as I sat with my family, I could not help but to think about our two brothers in New York City who were ambushed and assassinated earlier that afternoon. These two officers chose a life of public service. They did not choose to be killed in cold blood. These officers will never again spend time with their families over the holidays. They will never hold or be held. They will never see their children grow. They will never work in their chosen profession, keeping communities safe and protecting the most vulnerable members of society. They will never again see the light of day.

I was overwhelmed with emotion as I looked around my living room at my loved ones. I can’t begin to imagine the grief and pain the families, friends, loved ones, and co-workers of Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos are feeling.

How did this happen? The cold-blooded assassination of two of New York’s finest in broad daylight? For months now, the media, politicians and community activists have been vilifying the police. They call us murderers and racists. Now, these same people who so quickly crucified the police are backpedaling. They are blaming a crazed gunman for the deplorable shooting. But it is their very words that fueled his anger and the anger of many Americans with unfounded accusations characterizing all police as brutal thugs. They have created a culture of hatred towards law enforcement nationwide. This can’t go on.

So where do we go from here? What conversation do we have to make things better, to stop the anti-police environment, and to educate the public and politicians on what we do and why we do it? How do we encourage the media to stop the wholesale crucifixion of police officers for ratings while we are being killed in the streets of our own neighborhoods, protecting the communities we serve?

The only way to remedy the situation is to bring all the involved parties to the table to have a respectful, yet tough conversation; a conversation regarding support for the men and women who work in the communities 24/7, nationwide, while citizens eat, sleep, and live with the comfort of knowing they are safe. This conversation needs to start from the most junior officer, deputy, or trooper to the highest government official; from the minister at the pulpit to elementary school teachers. This conversation needs to be based on fact, not on fiction, political agendas, and headlines. This conversation needs to happen now or we will surely see darker days ahead.

To my brothers and sisters in blue—value your time with your families and stay safe.

Denis C. Theriault is the Portland Mercury's News Editor. He writes stories about City Hall and the Portland Police Bureau, focusing on issues like homelessness, police oversight, insider politics, and...

13 replies on “Police Union President Equates Police Reform Protests with “Culture of Hatred Toward Law Enforcement,” Casts Blame for Murder of Two New York Cops”

  2. No, Mr. Turner. t is the inaction of any good cop refusing to cross that thin blue line when they see an officer doing wrong that is causing this. Lets look at Arron Campbell and James Chasse as just two of these examples of People getting tired of people dying at the hands of those who swore to protect and serve, not beat and kill. This rhetoric that you blood-sucking thugs propagate will reach out to hit you where it hurts time and again. Start crossing that line and then we can talk.

  3. Look man, the guy has a point.
    Let’s be real here.
    The taking of life by cops, when avoidance is possible, is wrong. Sure.
    And this does affect black men much more than it should.
    But the assassination of a couple cops ain’t right either, even in these heated times.

  5. I don’t understand how Turner made a statement so quickly. How did he retain the ability to speak within 48 hours of this terrible event? See: http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.s…

    “Officer Daryl Turner, president of the Portland Police Association, said later Tuesday that the current practice isn’t designed to delay the investigation, but to allow officers who have participated in a traumatic encounter to calm down.

    ‘Psychologists all say it takes about 48 hours to recover emotionally, physically and psychologically from a traumatic incident,” Turner said. “It’s not done to put off any kind of statement, but a way for an officer to come down from that critical incident and give an account of what happened with clear and concise information.’ “

  6. It isn’t a black and white matter (no racial implications intended). Is there an important issue with police killing citizens? Yes. Is protest a legitimate part of dealing with that issue? Yes. Is there a potential that those protests might cause a mentally unbalanced person to take inappropriate measures? Yes.

    And each person has their individual perspective on what is the most important of those issues. Since our society tends to reward the sales type, aggressive/assertive personality, hyperbole in defense of an individuals position is often seen as the only defense. Hyperbole such as “They have created a culture of hatred towards law enforcement nationwide” and “you blood-sucking thugs” both tend to inflame the issues.

    It’s like negotiating to buy a car. Both sides start out at extreme positions so that when they meet in the middle, each will be satisfied that they got the best deal they could. If each would be reasonable and acknowledge the validity of at least some of the issues, there would be less time wasted and less acrimony felt.

    But that wouldn’t profit the media, or the politicians, or the demagogues. It would only profit the average citizen.

  8. Wow, thanks for shedding some light on things frankie. Killing people is wrong. Great point.

    What a disgusting sentiment from Turner. Yes, we need to bring all the parties to the table, but those officers died because citizens protested police brutality? You don’t sound like you’re ready to have that conversation yet. This is the entire reason WHY police are protesting – it’s not just the racial profiling and the itchy trigger fingers. It’s the lack of accountability.

    I would be a lot more willing to sympathize with the hazards of the job if police showed some semblance of admitting that sometimes an officer. You want to know where the conversation should start? Pat Lynch admitting “we fucked up and it cost an American his life at the hands of those sworn to protect him” instead of declaring open warfare on citizens.

  9. It’s okay, guys, I’m sure he’s equally disgusted with the huge number of right-wing zealots who have promoted violence against the government and police officers repeatedly over the last thirty of forty years. And which has led to countless murders of police officers. All the Sovereign-citizen, survivalist, militia-minded nutjobs who crave a shootout with some asshole cop ‘infringin’ on their rights, just mouthin’ off.

    I’m sure that editorial is coming right up. Make some coffee and get ready for Daryl’s next screed…

  10. If we are not careful, no sane person is going to want to be a cop. We need to balance police accountability with respect for the average cop and the pressures he or she is under.

    I can understand the anger on the police accountability side. But, as a practical matter, when a relationship is this toxic and must be saved, both sides are going to have to change.

    If you cannot, for one minute, imagine what is like to be a cop, then shut up. If you cannot, for one minute, imagine what it is like to be pulled over for a DWB, then shut up. Shut up and keep shutting up because one-sided thinking is the reason we have civil unrest and grieving families.

  12. Labor unions for any profession in which there is a reasonable expectation that workers will deprive people of life, limb or liberty need to be tightly regulated.

    I’m very pro-labor, but the above is becoming obvious. Police unions are a bug in the system, and it’s time for a bugfix.

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