Video shows Portland officers made deal with far-right group leader
Source: The Guardian
Exclusive: video shows Portland officers made deal with far-right group leader
Footage obtained by the Guardian shows the officers had probable cause to arrest members of the Patriot Prayer group
Jason Wilson in Portland, Oregon
Fri 1 Mar 2019 06.00 GMT
A far-right leader and Portland police officers made a deal to avoid the arrest of members of the Patriot Prayer group, despite the officers having probable cause to do so, according to video footage obtained by the Guardian.
The video, excerpted from livestream by Patriot Prayer group leader Joey Gibson, shows a violent demonstration in Portland on 3 June 2018. In it, Portland Police Bureau officers say that the deal had been authorized by Lt Jeff Niiya, then commander of PPB’s rapid response team, who has been recently criticized for having an overly friendly relationship with Gibson.
Patriot Prayer’s stated beliefs are not overtly white supremacist, but critics say its protests and gatherings attract racist elements and it is often involved in violent confrontations.
The video excerpt shows two police officers approaching Gibson near the end of the day. One officer says, “I just talked to Jeff Niiya, and he asked me to tell you that he has probable cause to arrest a couple of the guys here.”
“They’ve arrested the other side, so it’s not singling you guys out,” the officer adds.
“But it’s time to go,” the officer says. “If you guys can go home, there won’t be any arrests.”
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/mar/01/exclusive-video-shows-portland-officers-made-deal-with-far-right-group-leader