Portland’s entire police crowd control unit quits after officer’s indictment
All members of a police crowd control team in the western US city of Portland have quit their positions in the unit following the indictment of a fellow police officer on an assault charge stemming from an illegal use of force against protesters last year.
"On June 16, 2021, Portland Police Bureau employees serving as members of the Rapid Response Team (RRT) left their voluntary positions and no longer comprise a team," Portland Police declared in a Thursday statement quoted in a Reuters report on Saturday, noting that the employees will continue in their regular assignments.
According to the statement, the police unit consisted of nearly 50 officers, who served as its members, in addition to their daily assignments with the law enforcement force.
The development came after a grand jury indicted a Portland police officer earlier this week on an assault charge for what prosecutors allege was an "excessive and unlawful use of force" during a protest last summer.
Last year, Portland saw months of anti-racism protest following the death of African American George Floyd who died after a police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes.
The city became the scene of unrest for months, with civil rights, anarchist and anti-fascist protesters scuffling with police and occasionally with right-wing militias and supporters of then-US-president Donald Trump, who threatened to call on the military to confront the wide-spread protest actions.
Portland’s police department declared a riot in multiple of those protest rallies and arrested several people during the course of those months.
Portland Police Bureau Officer Corey Budworth was indicted on Tuesday with one count of fourth-degree assault, a misdemeanor, stemming from the August 2020 incident, the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office said.
The Portland Police Association described the decision as being "politically driven" and said the officer "has been caught in the crossfire of agenda-driven city leaders and a politicized criminal justice system."
The indictment marked the first time a Portland police officer faced prosecution stemming from striking or firing at someone during a protest, according to a report by the local Oregonian newspaper.
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