The Oregon State Police (OSP) announced in a statement that they "are inclined to move resources back to counties where prosecution of criminal conduct is still a priority", withdrawing from Portland and ending their agreement to protect the city's federal courthouse.
The two-week agreement was reached between Governor Kate Brown and Vice President Mike Pence in order to get federal officers out of Portland after weeks of confrontations with rioters, and expired on 13 August.
The OSP decision was announced after Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt’s move not to prosecute most of the arrested protesters. Schmidt's office said it would not prosecute crimes where the most serious offense is a city ordinance violation or where the crimes do not involve deliberate property damage, theft or the use or threat of force against another person. The list of such actions included interfering with a police officer or parole and probation officer, harassment, riot and many others.
Although refusing to prosecute these crimes, Schmidt, however, claimed it was "not a free pass". During over 75 days of protests, more than 500 people were arrested, but less than 50 will be prosecuted, according to KOIN 6 News.
“The Oregon State Police is continually reassessing our resources and the needs of our partner agencies and at this time we are inclined to move those resources back to counties where prosecution of criminal conduct is still a priority", the OSP statement said.
The Oregon State Police commitment to Portland has ended. But here is the agency statement upon their departure, seemingly a shot at new policies put in place by the new MultCo DA Mike Schmidt for prosecuting protesters. #LiveOnK2 pic.twitter.com/ii7Nt34Nvu
— Keaton Thomas (@keaton_thomas) August 14, 2020
Portland has been rocked by anti-racism and anti-police-brutality protests for weeks, with Trump deploying federal agents in the city, in a stated attempt to protect federal property such as the Hatfield Federal Courthouse, which became a hotspot for demonstrations that sometimes saw violence, explosions and clashes with police.
In a recent tweet, the OSP revealed that a trooper had "sustained a concussion and whiplash" after being struck during violence in Portland.
OSP Trooper sustained a concussion & whiplash after being struck in the head during the protests in Portland pic.twitter.com/uzaPjJc8Ng
— Oregon State Police (@ORStatePolice) August 14, 2020
The courthouse suffered constant attacks, as protests sparked by the death of George Floyd in police custody occasionally turned into violent riots resulting from an overly aggressive police response, with people throwing explosives and fireworks at the courthouse and engaging in fights with law enforcement officers.
