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Posted on 11/30/2004 11:18:31 AM PST by TenaciousZ
Portland is set to approve payment of $300,000 to 12 people who claimed police used excessive force during two anti-war marches in March 2003 and during President Bush's visit to Portland in August 2002.
A federal judge spent at least five months mediating the claims, and the City Council is set to approve the settlement Wednesday.
Plaintiffs argued in two lawsuits that the city, Mayor Vera Katz, then-police Chief Mark Kroeker and several officers violated their rights to free speech and free assembly.
They said they were doused by pepper spray at close range and that police fired rubber stingballs into a crowd. They used videotapes to document their claims.
"Our settlements historically have been few and far between in this range," said Mark Stairiker, a claims analyst in the city's Risk Management Division. "It's a big case, but when you divide it by 12, it's fairly routine."
"We hope that getting a settlement of this size will send a message and result in some more accountability than the police have had to date," said Liz Joffe, one of the lawyers representing the group.
The city attorney's office has recommended a settlement to avoid the risk of a large jury award, according to an ordinance before the council.
Political activist Lloyd Marbet was among nine defendants who filed a lawsuit stemming from the Bush visit.
Police clashed with protesters outside the Hilton Hotel as a Republican fund-raiser headlining Bush was getting under way.
Three children there with their parents and a teacher who was hit by pepper spray were among the other plaintiffs.
Their lawyers reviewed more than 100 hours of videotape taken by independent observers and the Police Bureau.
"Several officers testified that protesters were rioting, but the videos showed they were chanting, peaceful protesters," Joffe said. "These officers just showered people in a sea of pepper spray who were doing nothing but chanting."
The city contended that the Bush protesters were sprayed when they "ignored lawful orders to disperse." Yet police commanders and supervisors have acknowledged that they made mistakes and changed tactics when Bush returned for a fund-raiser at the University of Portland the following summer.
"Over the years, we've learned from each and every incident, dating back to the infamous May Day incident" in 2000, when police clashed violently with protesters, Foxworth said. "We continue to look at what worked well and identify areas for improvement."
The next summer, police bused the donors into a fund-raising luncheon at the University of Portland, and set up a large fenced perimeter around the event.
A second suit was brought by William S. Ellis, Randall C. Lyon and Miranda May stemming from anti-war protests on March 20 and March 25, 2003.
According to the complaint, Lyon, an engineer for KATU television news, was struck in the right temple and shoved into his news van by two officers at the demonstration on March 20. It said May, a peaceful protester, was pepper-sprayed at close range and hit in the head on March 25. Ellis, the suit said, was slammed to the ground, assaulted and pepper-sprayed when he refused to identify himself.
Some plaintiffs pledged to donate a portion of their settlements to the Northwest Constitutional Rights Center.
In case anyone DOESN'T know... those "independent observers" are communist ACLU lawyers and communist ACLU operatives. Look for the late forty to late fifty white males with grey hair and beard and video recorders. They're there every time.
$12,500 each is way too much for the scum. As evidenced in posts by people who live in cesspool Portland-they were violent and disobeying the law. This payout is more than disgusting. And for the article to say the "city" is paying the idiots??? NO-taxpayers are paying!!! Can't wait to move from this socialist,commie city.
Remember Bush I calling the People's Republic of Portlandistan "little Beirut" after rioting freaks rioted against him?
With that image alone, she can get a full scholarship to the Evergreen State College, "Rachel Corrie University."
Contact Steve Niva and the local ISM terrorists and she can be in "palestine" in six weeks.
Warm up the 'dozers!
(sarcasm OFF)
The girl in the picture probably considered her injury a "badge of honor."
Just imagine what the city is paying in lawyer, etc fees. I bet the city is picking up the tab for the plaintiffs' lawyers and I bet the total is 10x the $300,000 quoted here.
How many DU people here at FR would post a quote from Alexander Solzhenitsyn's, 'The Gulag Archipelago' on their FR home page???
But laws restricting protests to certain "zones" have been found to be constitutional. Portland should have designated protest zones and confined the freaks there. If they tried to protest anywhere else they could bust their chops--legally. Leftists think laws only apply to their opponents, not to them. They deserve to pay for their arrogant criminality with a couple of black eyes, swollen lips and a good concussion.
I remember her. She got that trying to stop supplies going to our troops from the shipping yard of the Oakland Port, IIRC. She had to chew those soyburgers on the other side for a while I'd imagine. Boo Hoo little hippy scum.
Actions have consequences...
"How many lumps do you want?"-Bugs Bunny. As I posted on several threads prior to the DNC and RNC conventions regarding the little 'direct action' maggots: "Hats and Bats on Horseback...Let triage sort 'em out" Someone even posted the dopey 'post-clubbbing' lion the from the orignal cartoon on my behalf. (Thanks, whoever you are!)If they're so peaceful and loving why do they end up breaking sh** and going to jail?
That's warm and fuzzy and very libertarian of you, but it seems that this assembly was not peaceful. I am not inclined to think it was simply because their lawyer says so.
Portland? We call it Moscow on the Willamette "River for those of you who live in a Different locale". The loud and the Boisterous have a strong foothold here. They go out and disrupt traffic close down sections of town and basically are a bunch of A-Holes. It's not surprising that they got a payoff, this will only encourage them. I wounder how long it will be until this Jack-Ass Jughead Judge is added to the "Fifth __________Circus Court of Repeals"? Insert your favorite beverage in the space provided. Vodka,Gin where ya been? I sure hope this doesn't stand. 20 miles from the scene of the crime and wish I could move further.
At least one, as I see it. ;)
Nice "Go back to DU" comment. Apparently that IS the best you can come up with.
Nobody would, but don't expect her to think that much, Andy; she's more comfortable with namecalling.
Now that I think of it, they do that over at DU...maybe she's a troll...
Oregon Ping
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Clearly this poster known as "freeee" does not know ass from apple butter. The protest was NOT peaceful. Some DUmmies with babies were holding their kids up in front of them, thinking that the police would not use pepper spray on the crowd. There are video tapes showing these people jumping up and down on police cars, breaking windows, and trying to overturn a car with cops inside. I could go on and on, but since I actually DO LIVE in Portland, pay taxes here, and have a respect for those who do peacefully protest (yes, they get a permit to gather), I will just say that as much of an injustice it is to have to fork over money to such jackasses, it costs the self-insured City of Portland less to make these settlements.
I am, however, completely opposed to giving money to these dirtbags.
BTW, these same creeps were also trying to sue police officers individually. That did not fly.
I'm thinking of moving out of this state.
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