PORTLAND — Portland police are reviewing their response to a rally and counter-protest in downtown Sunday, including video of an officer tossing a type of stun grenade toward people during a tumultuous flare-up at one point.
The review is standard, said police spokesman Sgt. Chris Burley, but comes as the police bureau’s crowd control tactics during demonstrations come under increasing scrutiny by community members.
Several videos have circulated online of an officer lobbing a canister toward people as police made arrests near Southwest Third Avenue and Salmon Street while surrounded by a large crowd.
The device exploded moments after hitting the ground, emitting a large plume of smoke and causing some spectators to scatter.
Burley said the canister was a “rubber ball distraction device,” which discharges rubber balls after it detonates. Police used it to keep the crowd at bay, he said.
A filmmaker who described the canister landing at his feet said it seemed to come without warning.
“There was no gesture that I was aware of from the officer of his intentions and had I been asked to back up, I would have backed up,” said Paul Kachris-Newman, 31, of Portland.
Police on Thursday released a video that shows someone in a black sweatshirt throw what looks like a stick or spatula in the direction of police during the altercation. Burley said two officers were injured by flying objects during the short clash.
The confrontation came as a conservative group called Patriot Prayer held a rally and counter-protesters gathered in response. Officers arrested seven people on disorderly conduct and other allegations by the end of the afternoon.
Kachris-Newman captured video of the canister coming toward him. He said it hit him and he quickly backed away as it exploded, leaving him a bit shaken and affecting his hearing afterward.
He said the 30 seconds before the explosion were “chaotic,” but he thought he was a safe distance away from the officers and noted others were closer to the action than he was.
He had been at the event for about two hours collecting footage for a documentary. “My hands were empty, my face was exposed. From my perspective, it seemed the officer turned to me and threw this device directly at me unprovoked,” he said.
The incident isn’t the only one to come under scrutiny at Sunday’s protest.
On Thursday, a National Lawyer’s Guild legal observer filed a tort claim against the City of Portland, alleging that an officer used “unreasonable and unlawful” force on him during the protest.
The claim says a Portland police officer shoved legal observer Christopher Kuttruff when Kuttruff filming police arresting two people at the corner of Southwest Salmon Street and Third Avenue.
The officer did not warn Kuttruff to back up before pushing him backward onto the ground, the claim says. Kuttruff suffered from neck and back pain as a result, the claim says.
A video filmed by an Oregon Public Broadcasting reporter shows the encounter.
Burley declined to comment on the tort claim, as is standard procedure with pending claims, he said. The alleged use of force Sunday will be reviewed, he said, as is also standard procedure.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler in a statement Wednesday defended the police bureau’s response saying city officials were “clear about our expectations prior to Sunday and followed through on them.”
“Our goal was to protect everyone’s right to assemble while also protecting everyone’s lives,” he said.
Burley, the police spokesman, said officers warned the crowd along Third Avenue several times to stay back as they made arrests.
Videos he’s seen of the flare-up involving the stun grenade, Burley said, show at least three objects thrown at officers. Someone also tossed a device that was emitting smoke near police and a protester tried to grab an officer’s bike, he said.
He provided a short clip to The Oregonian/OregonLive showing a person picking up a long object off the ground and throwing it at officers just before the officer threw the canister.
He said he’ll have a better understanding of what officers experienced once their reports are completed.
Kachris-Newman said he hasn’t filed a formal complaint with the Police Bureau, but said he decided to publish the video on Twitter after seeing disputes over whether police used flashbang devices that emit smoke and loud noise during the weekend demonstration.
He said he had been to a half-dozen other Portland demonstrations over the past year and Sunday was the first time he felt he was caught up in the police response.
“Yes, there’s a certain amount of calculated risk you take at times during these events, but you shouldn’t ever be fearing for your life at a protest,” Kachris-Newman said.
“If nothing else comes from this, I’m glad that there is a continued conversation about de-escalation in community policing and how officers handle crowd control.”
