In 2000, the ACLU of Oregon and our coalition partners began organizing to shed light on Portland’s involvement in the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force after Dan Handelman of Portland Copwatch noticed an item related to the JTTF on the City Council’s consent agenda.
Handelman’s objection resulted in the first local government public hearing in the nation about the likelihood of a new round of abuses of the First Amendment rights of political activists and minorities.
That was before the terrorist attacks of 9/11/2001. As the Patriot Act was pending in Congress, the Portland City Council held its second public hearing on the City’s involvement with the JTTF. The ACLU and our coalition partners warned that the FBI and other federal agencies were likely to step up the use of tactics that would be inconsistent with the U.S. and Oregon Constitutions.
In hindsight, we underestimated the Bush Administration’s contempt for the rule of law and the Constitution.
It was not until Tom Potter took office as Mayor in 2005, that the City Council began seriously to consider reform of its relationship with the federal government in terrorism investigations. Mayor Potter asked the ACLU to participate in meetings with the FBI and U.S. Attorney to help craft an agreement that would allow Portland to cooperate with the JTTF while still respecting the limitations of Oregon law and maintaining chain of command of the Portland Police Bureau.
In the end, the agreement reportedly fell apart because U.S. Justice Department officials in Washington, D.C. refused to consider granting a security clearance to the Portland City Attorney. Nevertheless, City Council approved a resolution that was intended to permit case-by-case cooperation with the FBI in counter-terrorism investigations.
After the FBI sponsored and foiled a plot to explode a truck bomb at Pioneer Courthouse Square during the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in November 2010, the relationship between the City of Portland and the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force once again gained prominence in local politics.
For current info regarding this issue, see FBI's JTTF(2008-Present)
