Portland, Or. - According to Portland news writer Robin Franzen's report on Oct. 26, 2002, protesters filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Portland asking for financial damages after many people, including women and children were seriously injured by the aggressive Portland Police. They also demanded a court-ordered civilian police review board and a ban on using pepper spray and rubber bullets against peaceful protesters.
The U.S. District Court complaint, according to the reporter alledged "dousing peaceful demonstrators with chemical agents at close range and firing rubber bullets into the crowd as part of a pattern and practice of flagrantly violating peaceful demonstrators' First Amendment rights."
Mayor Katz, Police Chief Mark Kroeker, along with the city and others, were accused of violating the protesters rights to free speech and free assembly through excessive police force during President Bush's visit on Aug. 22.
President Bush was appearing at a political fund-raiser for Republican Sen. Gordon Smith at the Hilton Portland and citizens were trying to get thier messages accross to the President by protesting.
This type of harrassment of law abiding United States citizens is becoming all to common with little national coverage. Most if not all of the citizens involved in protesting are breaking no laws but are being aggresively attacked by police with directives to do so, or are being forced into a "protest zone" far away from the view of the very people the protest is directed toward. What is our President afraid of? Why are police directed to keep citizens who are lawfully excercising thier right to protest away from the President? These and more are questions that beg to be answered.