Portland police…

Portland police chief apologizes to Occupy Wall Streeters

By TIM RILEY

PORTLAND – Portland Police cracked down in a renewed attempt by Occupy protesters to set up a new camp Saturday, while their chief offered a mea culpa to what many considered an inflammatory statement that triggered outrage nationwide.

It began early yesterday morning when 40 members of Occupy Portland attempted to set up a new camp near the park blocks of Portland State University. Police quickly issued warnings and removed tarps. By noontime, the park was clear as many of the demonstrators abandoned the effort to join a rally for healthcare on the waterfront. The incident wasn’t the biggest news of the day concerning the Occupy group.

Later in the evening, Police Chief Paul Reese responded to what has become unwanted national scrutiny of his department resulting from a statement he issued during the heat of the drama of the pepper spraying of demonstrators Thursday during the N-17 bank protests. At that time Reese repeated an accusation blaming response time to a rape victim on Occupy Portland in two TV interviews.

Not only did he apologize, the chief even went as far as to commend the protesters. Reese, who is also considering a run for mayor issued a statement last night that says in part:

“I stated that a call involving a rape victim had not been handled by officers for three hours due to police resources being tied up with Occupy Portland. The reality was more complex. I subsequently learned that the call I referred to occurred on November 6, and there were a variety of factors impacting police resources that day, including Occupy Portland. It was not my intention to mislead people, especially around an incident as serious and sensitive as a reported sexual assault. I spoke about the incident without knowing all of the details and made assumptions that were not correct. I apologize; I should have gathered all of the information before discussing it publicly.”

The past six weeks have strained police resources. During this time many officers, sergeants, detectives, and command staff have worked long hours with little time off. We are working hard to provide the quality service the public has come to expect, but it is sometimes a struggle. I also know from talking personally to many of the protestors, that they too are tired from the unique challenges of this unprecedented movement.

This may be an opportunity for us to collectively take a pause and reassess the way the police and protesters have been approaching this situation, to find a uniquely Portland solution. This is a model of cooperation that we could build upon for future events, and I want to thank today’s marchers for making this possible. We all share a responsibility for public safety and respecting the rights of everyone in our community. I look forward to further dialogue with Mayor Sam Adams and Occupy Portland protestors about how we can maintain a safe and welcoming community, while respecting the right to free speech.

The downtown area is been considerable quiet since Thursday’s crackdown. There have been incidents of vandalism to bank ATM machines. Wells Fargo reports three ATMs were Superglued. Bank of America had two machines hit in a similar fashion.

Cops pepper spray Occupy Portlanders

By TIM RILEY

PORTLAND, Oregon -Portland’s OWS Thursday Call to Action named “N-17” ended with 48 arrests reaching a dramatic rush hour confrontation as mounted riot police rushed in pepper spraying demonstrators holed up inside a Chase Bank branch in downtown Pioneer Courthouse Square.

Showdown at Occupy Portland tonight

Occupy Portland’s end tonight may turn violent.

By TIM RILEY

Portland Police are bracing for a showdown with the city’s Occupy group at midnight tonight.

The order from mayor Sam Adams Wednesday decreed that they vacate the two city parks they have held since October 6th by 12:01am Sunday.

The mayor has championed the cause of Occupy, but finally was pushed to act on the outrage of a vast cross section of city and law enforcement officials, downtown merchants, social service providers and the general public. The camps have become a refuge for the homeless, drug dealing and its usage along with a mixture of criminals.

The Police Bureau released staggering statistics of the rise in crime in the downtown area, ranging from the theft of knives from a nearby merchant to the theft and recovery of bicycles at the camp. Fights and drug overdoses have become common. Police overtime to keep peace at the camps at last estimate was over $300,000.

The most frightening aspect of tonight’s midnight eviction came yesterday from the Portland Police Bureau. They received information that a call has gone out to Oakland, Seattle and San Francisco and other cities encouraging people to come to Portland and engage in resistance, up to 300 including as many as 150 anarchists.

It gets worse.

Police think people may be in the in trees during tonight’s planned police action. Andy and Bax, a Portland army surplus store reports a run on gas masks.

Further reports indicate a hole being dug in one of the parks and wood is being used to reinforce the area around it. Witnesses say nails have been hammered into wood for weapons. People in the camps are preparing for a confrontation with police. Occupy campers in the middle of the night brought in pallets on Friday.

Yesterday afternoon, police with the media in tow confiscated enough stones and concrete pieces from the Occupy campers to fill up the bed of a pick up truck. Wood pallets that could be used as shields were shown lining the street of tents in an Occupy park.

As police rounded up these projectiles that could be used as weapons against them tonight, they rushed to save the life of another Occupy camper dying of a heroin overdose. In a similar scene this week, another overdose victim admitted he bought the drug in the park from one of the other campers.

This is the scene of what has become of Occupy Portland and why it has become necessary to put an end to it. Many in Portland feel that the civilized people who had a legitimate political point to make did so and returned home weeks ago. To make matters worse, Adams refused to offer firm leadership in dealing with the lawlessness, taking a trip to China leaving the Police Bureau to deal with the breakdown in public order.

It should be noted that tweets from Occupy Portland deny any violence or resistance by them will take place at midnight. The problem here as in many other cities is that it’s unknown who is actually speaking for the group since it does not have leaders. History shows a group or a cause without leaders soon falls into the hands of extremists and loses mainstream support.

What’s left of this Occupy group nationwide is pretty much just a group of thugs. The civilized people went home long ago.

Occupy Oakland Protestors Attack KGO Cameraman For Shooting Video of Murder Scene
By Merrill Knox on November 11, 2011 11:57 AM

KGO cameraman Randy Davis was attacked while trying to document the aftermath of a fatal shooting yesterday at Occupy Oakland. Davis suffered a mild concussion, as well as bumps and bruises, in the attack, according to a reporter at the ABC O&O.

“He was attacked by about a dozen men as he was trying to shoot the scene around the shooting,” KGO reporter Laura Anthony told TVSpy. “The shooting itself happened just minutes before our 5 p.m. live shot. [The] station was rolling on our camera position and you can hear 6 shots.”

Anthony reported on the incident during KGO’s 6 p.m. newscast. “The crowd was upset and tried to block the view of our photographer, who tried to get shots of what was happening,” she said.

The Oakland Tribune, which posted the above picture on Twitter, reported the crowd was yelling “No cameras!” and “No media!” while Davis was under attack.

A reporter at Fox-affiliate KTVU, Tom Vacar, reported last night that protestors formed a human shield around the victim to block photographers, possibly preventing people who might have been able to help from getting to the victim.

One witness told Vacar that the Occupy protestors “blocked people from taking pictures of the shooting victim, and that they acted in a way that they allowed the perpetrator to get away.”

KGO reporter Lilian Kim told TVSpy Davis is “feeling good and is in good spirits.”

Penn State Students, Fans Continue To Act In A Most Disgusting, and Shameful Manner

Penn State cites threats in keeping McQueary from coaching Saturday

By Joe Juliano

INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – For Penn State wide receiver Derek Moye, the fallout from the sexual abuse scandal that has rocked the university affects the two coaches with whom he works the most.

Receivers coach Mike McQueary, a central figure in the scandal who said he witnessed an incident in the showers between former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky and a 10-year-old boy, will not be at Saturday’s game against Nebraska at Beaver Stadium.