October 22 Thursday, November 02, 2006

Protestors demonstrate in Pioneer Courthouse Square on Oct. 22. The group of about 30 marched there from the North Park Blocks carrying signs that read "Cops and Klan, Hand in Hand" and "Stop killing us," in reference to people who have died in police custody in Portland. After demonstrating downtown, the group headed to the West Hills to demonstrate outside Police Chief Rosie Sizer's house.

As I mentioned in my previous post, the police have been in the news a lot recently. But it's not all about racial tensions. Several people have died in police custody in the Portland Metro area in the past few years. A group called Portland Copwatch has compiled a list of police shootings and other deaths, including five so far this year.

After posing for photographs and shouting slogans for a few minutes in Pioneer Courthouse Square, and milling about trying to figure out what to do next, the group split up and went to a few downtown bus stops. There, they all boarded the same bus and headed out to the West Hills to demonstrate outside Chief Sizer's house. The police arrived there just before the protestors, and kept them on the roadway (but not blocking traffic). After about twenty minutes of shouting more slogans, the protestors split up. I learned later that they returned to downtown to protest another location.

I stayed at Chief Sizer's house with the police and a Fox TV reporter. A few minutes later, the chief and her husband (a retired police officer) stepped outside to talk with the police guarding her home. Shortly thereafter, most of the police left and so did I.


(below) Protestors ride the bus to protest at Portland Police Chief Rosie Sizer's home in the West Hills.