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Man who burned off fingers during `bad trip’ on mushrooms can sue West Linn police for leaving, judge says
OregonLive ^ | 03/28/2025 | Maxine Bernstein

Posted on 03/28/2025 10:31:17 AM PDT by aimhigh

A federal negligence lawsuit can proceed against West Linn police alleging that officers should have entered the home of a man reported to be hallucinating on mushrooms and harming himself, a judge ruled.

But U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon threw out allegations that officers discriminated against Michael A. Relloque IV because of his race or intentionally caused him distress in their handling of the November 2020 call.

His lawyer alleged that West Linn police were reluctant to confront Relloque because of the national turmoil and mass racial justice protests that occurred that fall over the police killings of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville. Both Floyd and Taylor were Black.

(Excerpt) Read more at oregonlive.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; US: Oregon
KEYWORDS: 64to35; breonnataylor; doregon; fingers; georgefloyd; kentucky; leos; louisville; maxinebernstein; michaelarelloqueiv; michaelhsimon; minneapolis; minnesota; mushrooms; obamajudge; odiousbamajudge; oregon; police; roomtrip; trip; westlinn
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1 posted on 03/28/2025 10:31:17 AM PDT by aimhigh
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To: aimhigh

So in 1967 they would have sued the sugar company if their sugar cube used for LSD was part of a bad trip. 😵


2 posted on 03/28/2025 10:34:40 AM PDT by frank ballenger (There's a battle outside and it's raging. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls. )
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To: aimhigh

Police have no duty to intervene according to the courts.

Now, according to the courts, they can be sued for not intervening.


3 posted on 03/28/2025 10:34:47 AM PDT by MortMan (Charter member of AAAAA - American Association Against Alliteration Abuse)
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To: MortMan

It probably depends upon the race and/or sex of the individuals.


4 posted on 03/28/2025 10:42:32 AM PDT by alternatives?
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To: MortMan

Wasn’t this just a ‘Civil Matter’?


5 posted on 03/28/2025 10:44:01 AM PDT by Scrambler Bob (Running Rampant, and not endorsing nonsense; My pronoun is EXIT. And I am generally full of /S)
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To: MortMan

6 posted on 03/28/2025 10:45:26 AM PDT by xp38
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To: aimhigh

Judge Simon was appointed by Barack Obama. That might help explain things here.


7 posted on 03/28/2025 10:47:17 AM PDT by Leaning Right (It’s morning in America. Again.)
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To: aimhigh

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuZkdeU54o0


8 posted on 03/28/2025 10:50:00 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: aimhigh
I'm familiar with California law on the subject. Police have no duty to rescue people from peril but, if they undertake such a duty, they have a duty not to do so negligently. I.e., they can't make the peril worse. And, when they arrest people, they have a duty not to expose them to peril. A cop ordering a driver out of a car can't order them to stand in the roadway exposed to traffic.

None of that seems to be present here. The judge seems to base his ruling on racial grounds. If that is alleged in the civil complaint, it must be assumed to be true at this point in the case. The defendants can attack that only later on in the case.

9 posted on 03/28/2025 10:53:13 AM PDT by Thud
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To: Thud

Police having no duty to rescue people from harm flies in the face of what I grew up believing. So if you fall victim to a crime and are being tortured or what have you there is no steadfast hope of rescue, how sad. Seems cops are only there to bring revenue to cities and to catch perps after the fact.


10 posted on 03/28/2025 11:09:48 AM PDT by kelly4c
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To: MortMan

Damned if they do and damned if they don’t.


11 posted on 03/28/2025 11:18:41 AM PDT by metmom (He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus)
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To: aimhigh

Oregon is in the process of legalizing psycho mushrooms.

They want to remove the stigma associated with their use by airline pilots.


12 posted on 03/28/2025 11:20:32 AM PDT by Cold Heart (It's a good time to be ashamed to be a democrat)
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To: Thud

Yup, I remember well, when “To Serve and Protect” was stripped off of police cars here.


13 posted on 03/28/2025 11:21:31 AM PDT by Mastador1
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To: aimhigh

It’s a bad idea to bring up Floyd and Taylor.

Cops intervened in their drug activities and look what happened.

Had the cops intervened with this idjit - there would be even more severe consequences for them.


14 posted on 03/28/2025 11:29:48 AM PDT by Responsibility2nd (Nobody elected Elon Musk? Well nobody elected the Deep State either.)
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To: All

The last time I used mushrooms, I didn’t burn off my finge...

Wait, never mind.


15 posted on 03/28/2025 11:32:50 AM PDT by MplsSteve
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To: aimhigh

The cops probably left because they did not want to aid the guy in suicide.
Damned if you do....as stated earlier.


16 posted on 03/28/2025 11:33:13 AM PDT by right way right (“May we remain sober over mere men, for God really is our only true hope.)
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To: MplsSteve

Last time I did mushrooms I laughed my head off at a guy burning his fingers off.


17 posted on 03/28/2025 11:34:32 AM PDT by right way right (“May we remain sober over mere men, for God really is our only true hope.)
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To: Mastador1

To serve and protect went away when the animals and teens they protected turned against them.

There was a video yesterday here at FR of a cop who sat in the cop car while yutes beat the snot out of another teen.

Should that cop have protected that teen and risked her career and even her life?

Hell to the No.

We ain’t in Mayberry any more.


18 posted on 03/28/2025 11:36:14 AM PDT by Responsibility2nd (Nobody elected Elon Musk? Well nobody elected the Deep State either.)
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To: kelly4c

That has been settled case law for a long time.

Police have no duty to protect you. Never mind what used to be written on the shields.

I get it. Cops can’t be everywhere.


19 posted on 03/28/2025 11:37:36 AM PDT by redgolum
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To: aimhigh

The article is a wild story, well worth the read.
It’s not clear what the cops were supposed to do to get the guy to the door where they could see his injuries. Possession of mushrooms has been decriminalized there.

“At one point, Gradwahl called his supervisor, Capt. Oddis Rollins, and told him that he was inclined to “disengage” and back away from the house rather than force entry or make contact. Gradwahl said he was not aware Relloque had any weapons and or that he had been violent with Birdwell.”


20 posted on 03/28/2025 11:37:57 AM PDT by VanShuyten ("...that all the donkeys were dead. I know nothing as to the fate of the less valuable anima)
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