Portland police didn't use excessive force against Occupy protester, jury finds

[alp227]

Source: The Oregonian

A federal jury on Friday found that two Portland police officers did not use excessive force against an Occupy Portland protester.

Liz Nichols, now a 22-year-old Portland State University student, sued the officers and the city of Portland in connection with the anti-bank protests in downtown Portland on Nov. 17, 2011. During the demonstrations outside Chase Bank, Nichols was jabbed, pepper sprayed and dragged through a line of riot police. She sued, claiming police used too much force.

But after four days of testimony by the defendants, other police officers, former protesters and Nichols, the jury disagreed.

The verdict came on the same day as testimony from the officer who pepper-sprayed Nichols in the face, as captured in a now-famous photograph by The Oregonian.

Read more: http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2013/08/federal_jury_finds_portland_po.html

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[Deep13]

1. The public has grown callous...

...to the use of electrical and chemical weapons.

[Ash_F]

6. Until someone uses it on them. /nt

[Amonester]

2. Intimidated jury?

Makes you wonder how many times cops stared at a few of them in the eye inside that courthouse...

[valerief]

5. Exactly. nt

[love_katz]

3. Just sickening.

Edited to add: I HATE the Boregonian...lousy right-wing rag.

[alp227]

15. Thom Hartmann has said the same thing about that paper

Go to 3:30 where Thom, who used to live in Portland and do his show from KPOJ, responds to his guest referencing to the Oregonian writing an editorial against a wind energy tax. Thom says the Oregonian is owned by a conservative family from New York. The Oregonian is owned by the Staten Island-based Advance Publications. Actually, Advance CEO S.I. Newhouse Jr. has donated to Democrats.

In fact, the Oregonian is cutting delivery to Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays while continuing to print 7 days a week.

But the oregonian has endorsed Kitzhaber for governor and Obama for president only in 2008. In 2012 the Oregonian decided not to endorse either candidate. The previous Romenesko link reports that the Oregonian endorsed Bush in 2000.

[PM Martin]

4. Oink.

[Ash_F]

7. Wonder how the cops will feel about their unions getting busted?

Will they pepper spray their masters?

[Hissyspit]

8. Pathetic.

[davidpdx]

9. Owch right in the face at a close distance

She was not and does not look like a threat. I hope she is able to recover. We have the same alma mater.

[Pterodactyl]

10. Well, I'm glad that's settled!

[Maedhros]

11. The essence of a Police State

is the willingness of the populace to go along with it.

[awoke_in_2003]

18. Yep. nt

[Moral Compass]

12. Miraculous Result?

I've been watching this kind of result for over 30 years now... I truly don't understand the dynamic, but I'm certain I would not be selected for this kind of jury. Somehow, someway---the wrong people are selected and they deliver a result that is so profoundly unjust that the mind rebels.

A simple example--that is much simpler that this one.

I used to live in a very nice community in Missouri outside of St. Louis. An off duty police officer got into some sort of dispute with a fellow citizen, ran him off the road, pulled him out of his car, and then pistol whipped him with him police weapon. To get this guy out of his car he, at some point, flashed his badge. He wasn't in uniform, driving a police vehicle, or in any way looked like he was in any sort of official capacity.

He beat this guy badly.

He was arrested and charged with aggravated assault. Part of the defense of the assailant was that he was an off duty police officer and that they guy he assaulted had committed some sort of traffic offense. The off duty police officer was just doing his job.

When I read the story I snorted in derision. What a stupid defense. This was clearly a case of an off duty cop losing his shit and beating the crap out of someone that pissed him off. In other words, classic road rage. The cop was going to lose his job and go to jail and all would be right with the world.

Wrong! The jury bought the whole line of crap and fully acquitted the off duty cop. He suffered no repercussions at work. Once the case was over he was back at work.

Later, the guy who got the crap beaten out of him also lost a civil suit that was every bit as much a slam dunki.

Juries won't convict cops of anything--even when there is video.

I don't understand it. You don't understand it. But there it is.

Not sure what to do about it. So many police are completely unsuited to their profession and should not EVER be in a position of power. Especially when armed. Yet, these power mad wannabes are exactly the people that gravitate to being "peace officers". And our society refuses to regulate itself...

There was a reason we called them pigs back in the 60's and 70's... Amoral servants to power are going to be called something bad.

Let the apologia begin.

[cprise]

13. Jury selection weeds out anyone with strong political opinions.

The intent is to assemble a well-oiled machine that produces a unanimous result.

I almost hate to say this, but the plaintiff may have gotten a fairer hearing with a jury full of teabaggers than from one that's stacked with bland consumers.

[Maedhros]

16. It's called "authoritarianism"

People have been ingrained to trust those in authority and grant them special dispensation when they misbehave.

I was on a jury that (eventually) acquitted some poor meth-head of severe possession and distribution charges (and found him guilty on misdemeanor charges) because it was patently obvious that the police planted a large amount of drugs in his apartment. Hell, the defense called one of the responding officers as a witness who testified that there were no drugs present when he searched the apartment. There was one jury member that took a long time to convince that we should acquit - she just refused to believe that the police would lie "just to convict this scumbag."

[Ash_F]

20. Americans are not a strong people. /nt

[Jakes Progress]

14. Don't those helmets look like some in our history books?

Union members harming citizens to protect the billionaires from being upset. Makes me really sick.

Those assholes should have turned around and joined the protesters. When the jerks whose privileged lifestyles and criminal profits they are protecting come for their union retirement funds, they should not whine or cry. They did it to themselves.

[agent46]

17. We are on our own.

Be wise. No government. No police force. No dogmatic last resort of any kind. Have compassion. Reach out. Live as best you can.

We are on our own.

[Hulk]

19. Holy shit. Police state, here we come....

What the fook is this country coming to?

[Oakenshield]

21. Whatever it is....

Whatever this country is coming too, it won't be pretty. If there's one thing that really unsettled me about the Occupy movement it was the apathy it received. Even from people who identified themselves as Democratic. Why can't the public realize this country has become a plutocracy? Why can't the Police see they're serving as a vanguard for the very same people who would take away their bargaining rights and a lot more?

[pam4water]

22. +1