Court: Portland crowd control covers journalists, observers
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has temporarily lifted a lower court’s preliminary injunction on federal law enforcement officers’ use of force, threats and dispersal orders against journalists and legal observers working at Portland protests.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the injunction was put in place by U.S. District Court Judge Michael H. Simon while the federal government appeals the restriction.
The appeals court concluded that the government showed the order “will cause irreparable harm to law enforcement efforts and personnel.”
For now, the ruling essentially puts journalists and legal observers on the same footing as demonstrators when it comes to orders to disperse and the use of force.
Meanwhile, 74 people are now facing federal charges related to protests that have rocked Portland for three months since George Floyd was killed.
The misdemeanor and felony charges include assaults on federal officers, arson and damaging federal property.
Billy Williams, the U.S. attorney for Oregon, said in a statement Thursday that “violent agitators” had “hijacked” the First Amendment.
Portland has been gripped by nightly protests since the police killing of Floyd in Minneapolis. The demonstrations, often violent, usually target police buildings and federal buildings.
