
Here's your daily roundup of all the latest local and national news. (Like our coverage? Please consider making a recurring contribution to the Mercury to keep it comin'!)
• Last night on Mount Tabor, the statue of famed 19th century Oregonian editor Harvey Scott was the latest Portland sculpture to be knocked over and vandalized—and if you're wondering why, it could be because Scott participated in terrorizing, robbing, and murdering Oregon's Native Americans, fought against women's right to vote, was against public high schools as well as labor unions, and called for the segregation of Portland's Chinese immigrants. Oh, and Scott's statue was sculpted by Gutzon Borglum, who was heavily involved with the Ku Klux Klan. And so.... TIMBERRRRRR, Harvey Scott!
Statue of Harvey Scott toppled at Mt. Tabor park last night. pic.twitter.com/g8JKHJZl88
— Kale Williams (@sfkale) October 20, 2020
• According to the National NAACP, local chapter president E. D. Mondainé has resigned his post following a Mercury investigation of allegations that he had sexually and physically abused multiple people during his tenure as a pastor at Celebration Tabernacle. Our Alex Zielinski has more.
• Multiple local environmental organizations have banded together to sue the federal government for their indiscriminate use of tear gas and chemical weapons during protests this summer.
• In adjustments to the city budget for this fall, Mayor Ted Wheeler is steering clear of any further cuts to the Portland Police—despite previous promises of police reform. Alex Zielinski has the story.
• Listen up, anti-maskers, chin-strappers, and "noseys": The Oregon Health Authority has announced new, stricter requirements for face mask use. Masks must now be worn in all workplaces and all universities, as well as street fairs, and other outdoor markets. THAT MEANS YOU.
• In related news, the OHA also announced that positive coronavirus cases in Oregon have topped 40,000 infections.
This is a house I walked past in Portland. They get it.#FlipTheSenate pic.twitter.com/whGAxR45e8
— Nick Knudsen 🇺🇸 (@DemWrite) October 19, 2020
• A judge has denied the release of Proud Boy Alan Swinney who was charged with firing paintballs and pointing a revolver at Portland protesters. Swinney's supervision officer warned the court he was “a lightning rod for violent interactions.” In other local Proud Boy news, Tusitala “Tiny” Toese has been sentenced to six months in a Portland jail for his violent attacks on local protesters during Patriot Prayer demonstrations.
• Sen. Jeff Merkley has introduced legislation to the US Senate that would end all new gas-powered car sales by the year 2035, and our Blair Stenvick has the details.
IN NATIONAL NEWS
• What should be the top headline everywhere: "Lawyers say they can't find the parents of 545 migrant children separated by Trump administration."
• Like the increasingly desperate rat he is, Trump is putting extra pressure on Attorney General William Barr to launch a new bullshit investigation on bullshit claims about Joe and Hunter Biden before election day.
President Trump and Joe Biden will have their microphones shut off while the other speaks at the beginning of each segment in Thursday's debate, the organizing commission says. https://t.co/sQd4gOybcg
— NPR Politics (@nprpolitics) October 20, 2020
• Trump's pre-election agitation continued today when he abruptly ended and then walked out of an interview with 60 Minutes' host Lesley Stahl.
• Senate Majority Turtle Mitch McConnell is warning the White House not to make any COVID relief deals with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, even though Trump desperately wants something to crow about before the election.
• The Justice Department along with 11 states are suing Google for anti-trust violations that include its stranglehold on advertising and online searches that makes any competition next to impossible.
Breaking: A judge has ruled in favor of the anonymous Breonna Taylor grand juror, meaning the juror CAN speak publicly about the grand jury proceedings
— Roberto Aram Ferdman (@robferdman) October 20, 2020
“This Court finds that the traditional justification for secrecy in this matter are no longer relevant" pic.twitter.com/OD3mAKPGMk
• A Miami police officer is being disciplined for an act of voter intimidation after he paraded around a polling place wearing a "Trump" 2020 face mask.
• The two men behind the historic Obergefell v. Hodges decision that legalized marriage equality are speaking out against Trump's choice for the Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett, who's stated her opposition to the ruling.
• British rocker Spencer Davis of the Spencer Davis Group and hits like “Gimme Some Lovin’” has died at the age of 81.
• Find out what it's like to be on the front lines of Portland's nightly protests against systemic racism and police brutality with our livestream event/forum, "Eyes on the Ground: A Conversation With Portland's Protest Journalists and Documentarians"—coming at you Tuesday, October 27 at 7 pm. GET THOSE TIX NOW!
• In these terrifying times, don't you need a good, wholesome scare? Get your tickets now for SLAY—the short, eight-minute-or-less HORROR film festival from the makers of HUMP! Streaming right now through the 31st! (Interested in getting out more? Then come to the SLAY Drive-In at Oaks Park! Details here!)
• The WEATHER REPORT: Sun and maybe a shower tomorrow and a high of 57 with a very cold low of 37!
• And finally... huh. I always thought UFOs were faster than that.
THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE 🔊
— Paul Bronks (@SlenderSherbet) October 17, 2020
📹: https://t.co/PDvuyA6wNC pic.twitter.com/iiuhjGVoUo