A coalition of civil rights and labor organizations is calling for Portland city leaders to investigate what they describe as suspicious and potentially retaliatory police presence at recent events hosted by two city councilors who have advocated for stronger police oversight.
The letter, signed by the ACLU of Oregon, Imagine Black, Don’t Shoot PDX, Communication Workers of America Local 7901, and 13 other organizations, was sent on April 9 to Mayor Keith Wilson, Police Chief Bob Day, city administrator Michael Jordan, and the full City Council.
The letter alleges that the Portland police may have used community engagement as a cover for intimidation, specifically targeting Councilors Sameer Kanal and Angelita Morillo.
The Oregonian first reported last month that uniformed officers showed up uninvited to public events hosted by the two councilors shortly after a March meeting of the council’s Community and Public Safety Committee.
During that meeting, the president of the Portland Police Association sharply criticized Kanal for his efforts to strengthen civilian oversight of the Police Bureau.
In the days that followed, officers appeared at a community event hosted by Kanal, and, shortly after, at one organized by Morillo.
Chief Day has since stated that the visits were part of routine community engagement.
However, the organizations behind the letter are not convinced.
“Retaliation and intimidation by the police against anyone—including elected leaders—bolsters fascism, not democracy, and weakens the rule of law,” said Sandy Chung, executive director of the ACLU of Oregon, in the letter.
“We ask Portland city leadership to do everything in their power to investigate, address, and prevent any form of intimidation and retaliation by police.”
This demand has escalated existing tensions between the two councilors, who have taken on the responsibility of pushing for police reform within the newly elected City Council, and the Police Bureau.
The friction is not unprecedented; as reported by WW in 2021, former police union president Brian Hunzeker resigned after leaking a police report to The Oregonian that mistakenly implicated then-Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty in a hit-and-run crash.
Morillo tells WW that she was invited to speak at the Montavilla Church in the Hawthorne neighborhood to a small group of about 15 people when two police officers showed up in uniform.
According to her, the officers did not engage with the congregation, and the church had not invited them.
When asked about their presence, the officers informed Morillo that they were “directed by their lieutenant” to be there, but they declined to specify which lieutenant when asked.
Eventually, the officers left shortly thereafter.
Morillo expressed feeling “gaslit” about the incident and emphasized that she was assured that intimidation was not the intent, yet she knows what she witnessed.
“Impact matters more than intent,” Morillo stated.
So far, the mayor’s office has not publicly responded to the letter, nor have Chief Day or the Portland Police Bureau.
Wilson and Day could not be immediately reached for comment; however, the Police Bureau cited remarks made by Day at the Community and Public Safety Committee meeting on March 25, where he stated that police attendance at previous town halls “did not go as [he] had planned.”
Chung advised that the best protection for Portland’s elected leaders is to remain “vigilant and observant” and report any inappropriate or potentially dangerous tactics.
image source from：https://www.wweek.com/news/city/2025/04/14/aclu-wants-city-investigation-of-police-presence-at-councilors-town-halls/
