The Portland Police sent out a lengthy email this afternoon clarifying some of the more confusing moments from this weekend’s Occupy Portland actions.

Noted:
• Last night, someone glued shut the doors of the US Bank, Bank of America, and Key Bank locations around SE Hawthorne and Cesar Chavez Boulevard. How do you glue shut bank doors? I have no idea. Superglue in the key hole? (Do banks have key holes?)

• Police say that, contrary to several protester reports, they “did not club or beat anyone with batons” and that all uses of force were documented according to bureau policy.

• Overtime costs for the weekend were roughly $450,000—that’s compared to $300,000 in overtime costs for the whole other five weeks of the occupation.

• About 300 officers were on the scene during the weekend, including crowd control teams from Salem, Beaverton, and Vancouver, Washington.

Also spelled out in the police statement is what happened during the tense turning-point moment Sunday just before 2am, when police officers pushed into a crowd of protesters, attempting to clear the street, and an officer was injured by an object thrown from the crowd. Actually, it turns out, two officers were hit by thrown items. The officer who was taken to the hospital, Officer Curtis Brown, has received an outpouring of well-wishing and will be back at work soon. The second officer, who is not named, did not require medical attention because the thrown object struck his riot-gear helmet. Good thing, too, because the object was a knife with a three inch blade.

AAAA! Imagine how terrible, terrible, absolutely terrible it would have been if the knife struck flesh instead of helmet. Imagine the potential loss of the officer’s life. Imagine how that would have colored the Occupy movement not just locally, but nationally.

Occupy is supposed to be against corporate greed, for a representative government, against making the rich richer and the poor poorer. It’s not about throwing knives at cops. That’s not what a democracy looks like, that’s what dumbassery looks like. Let’s hope the movement stays safe as it moves forward.

Sarah Shay Mirk reported on transportation, sex and gender issues, and politics at the Mercury from 2008-2013. They have gone on to make many things, including countless comics and several books.

15 replies on “Ack! “Projectile” That Hit Officer at Occupy Portand Was a Knife”

  1. You may not care for David Brooks, but he was saying how a movement without any leaders becomes defined politically not by the actions of your best people, but by the actions of your worst people.

  4. “Occupy is supposed to be against corporate greed, for a representative government, against making the rich richer and the poor poorer.”

    Occupy Portland is about young Portlanders, in Portland Parks, in a face-off with Portland officials and police. It is parochial.

    I hate to ever agree with Sam Adams, but as the Mayor said, the movement needs focus. And not focus on the Portland cops or other local power struggles. It’s seriously off in the woods. Has been since the first two or three days.

  6. Yeah PDX-Occupy did another $1,000,000 worth of economic stimulus for the local economy.

    Frédéric Bastiat be damned the police are going to have a happy Christmas. Expect to see a few new jet skis next summer named Occupy.

  8. First they said it was a bottle. NOW they say it was a knife. Why can’t these PIGS get their story straight, already?

    “Is Occupy merely younger Tea Baggers? seriously.”

    No Frankie, b/c through-out this entire nation-wide movement, you would not have seen ONE single racist sign. Not ONE occupier brought a loaded gun to a march or encampment. And not ONCE have a group of occupiers made open death threats against any congresspersons, or gathered in a mob and yelled “faggot” and “nigger” at congressmen.

  10. Rosy, I about lost it when I read ‘jet skis named occupy’ !! You are right.

    DamosA, You are correct about the racist element, even though alot of Tea Baggers will say that these are not the ones we should judge all tea baggers by, much the same as ‘occupy’ not wanting many of its elements to define them too, right?
    Maybe they haven’t brought loaded weapons, yet, but they are throwing knives according to the article.
    (but I thought too it was a bottle reported early?)
    But look at the similarities:
    they both are ‘leaderless’ movements.
    the base cause of both is financial unfairness and bailouts…
    The tea baggers get points for being first to care, and not having any of this dumbass ‘mic check’ and *twinkle* bullshit. Also, tea-baggers have affected change in electing some bullshit candidates too.
    Younger people tend to be left-leaning Democrats / Progressives while many older people tend to be Republican, right? And since older people tend to vote more, perhaps the tea baggers will always be a more effective political force..?
    “Born a Democrat, die a Republican”.
    So, to me they seem strikingly like 2 sides to the same coin.
    Annoying as fuck too. Both of them.

  11. Police did in fact repeatedly club non-violent protestors on Sunday. They put Justin Bridges in the hospital. See video of the beatings as well as an interview with Justin in the hospital today at PDXFANATIC.com

  13. This morning on my way to work I saw police standing front of the newly opened Chase bank downtown. There was a plastic bag tied to the front doors with a small cardboard box in it. Does anyone know what became of this? It seems since other banks had stuff done to them Sunday night this might be part of that. Or it could of been some trash left behind

  14. “…but they are throwing knives according to the article.”

    REALLY?! B/c that’s not how i understand it at all! What i’ve read was that ONE guy was accused of throwing ONE knife.

  15. I’m not a journalist, but considering your more recent reports showing video depicting police as they club and beat protesters, wouldn’t you want to add to the second bullet point that says police “did not club and beat protesters”?

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