Portland Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty's Message to President Trump and the Federal Government

"I'm a child of the '60s and I'm not easily scared," says Portland City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty. But when I started talking to Governor Kate Brown and my senators and representatives and they kept telling me, "There's nothing we can do," I thought, "How is that possible?"

The scene that frightens Hardesty is one that plays out in her city, Oregon's largest. Like many cities and small towns across the U.S., Portland has seen its residents rise up in protest against police brutality and in support of "black lives" since the May 25 killing of George Floyd. Unlike other cities, Portland has reported over the past week that mysterious federal officers without identification have been firing tear gas and shock bombs at protesters and pulling them into unmarked vans without explanation or typical arrest procedures.

At a press conference on Tuesday, acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said that the federal government deployed officers to Portland because "violent criminal activity has been occurring every night for 52 nights" and in response to "a lack of action by city officials."

"That's an outright lie," Hardesty tells Marie Claire." The 45-year-old keeps tweeting that it is a lie that he came to Portland and somehow fixed it." Over the weekend, President Trump wrote on Twitter: "We are trying to help Portland, not hurt it. We are trying to help Portland, not hurt it."

"If he fixed Portland, why are [federal agents] still brutalizing people every night?" asks Hardesty.

She believes that Trump is using the democratic and largely peaceful protests in Portland to delay the November presidential election, creating a narrative of out-of-control anarchy in America. Says Hardesty. 'Forty-five doesn't want to hold elections in November. Because he knows he's going to lose no matter what dirty tricks he uses. Martial law will be imposed and the elections may be canceled."

Hardesty believes that Portland's record of civil unrest led to the White House's decision to send federal troops first in early July." If Portland, with its long history of direct action protests, can be intimidated and silenced, what do you think will happen in Mississippi, Louisiana, and all the other places?"

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Hardesty, however, believes that the lies are not limited to the federal government, and that the leaders in her city, even her colleagues, are not telling the truth. Her biggest problem is with the police department itself. "During the civil rights movement, the police had provocateurs ...... intentionally added to the group to do something disruptive," says Hardesty, who has been involved in Portland city government for 25 years and previously served in the Navy.

"There is no doubt that the Portland Police Department is doing this.

Hardesty's accusation goes on: "I think the Portland Police Department is either lying about the damage or setting themselves on fire so that they have a legitimate reason to attack members of the community." A riot was declared Saturday evening after a fire broke out at the Portland Police Association office (open in new tab). In an e-mail to Marie Claire, Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell wrote, "The Police Commissioner's statement that police officers commit the crime of arson to facilitate people's civil rights violations lacks credibility. We are interested in what evidence she has to support her accusation. I am disappointed that an elected official would make such a statement without providing specific facts to support it. This allegation is completely false." (So far, no evidence has emerged to support Hardesty's claim that the police started the fire themselves.)

As a result of these beliefs, and after the "very peaceful" event she organized this past weekend was broken up by military tear gas fired at the crowd, which included children and elderly people After being forced to leave, the commissioner issued a statement demanding that Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler take over control of the police force. You are endangering our community. You are endangering my staff. Mayor Wheeler, if you cannot manage the police department, give me the Portland Police Bureau."

Hardesty currently oversees the Fire Department and Emergency Management as a city commissioner. However, Wheeler refused to do so on Monday, stating in a press release that "I will continue to serve as police commissioner through this time of change."

"I have worked on police accountability for 30 years in Portland, Oregon. There have been task forces, workgroups, and all kinds of community dialogue," Hardesty said. 'I've worked with 14 police chiefs and eight commissioners. But the culture of the Portland Police Department has not changed at all. So what's next?" [Last week, she released a list of very precise suggestions for reforming the department. These include a pilot program in the Lent neighborhood that would provide an alternative to typical city policing (e.g., low-risk 911 calls would be handled by non-police paramedics) and the creation of an independent, private police oversight board with the authority to review complaints of misconduct and discipline officers.

"The system we have now is based on the premise that only the police can discipline police for improper conduct," Hardesty said.

"The system I am putting on the November ballot [a proposed charter amendment] assumes that the community has the right and the responsibility to hold the police accountable for inappropriate behavior.

Hardesty believes change is already coming to Portland: in June, the city passed a budget that cut the police budget by $15 million. Although by only 6%, such a cut "would have been unthinkable just three months ago," she says. In fact, Hardesty believes that the presence and actions of President Trump's federal civil service are only energizing this cause.

"Every night we have over a thousand people here. We are not going to let 45 or his secret police or anyone else intimidate us into not exercising our free speech," she says. 'We are sending a strong message: if you mess with us, you will bring thousands more of us into the fold.'

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