News & Commentary

Last week, journalist, April Ehrlich Fonseca, announced that the two criminal charges – trespass and resisting arrest – that the City of Medford was pursuing against her had been dismissed. On September 22, 2020, Fonseca arrived at Hawthorne Park to report on a police eviction of nearly 100 people who had been displaced by the Alameda wildfire. She began documenting law enforcement interactions with unhoused people residing in the public park. Despite identifying herself as a member of the press, police asked Fonseca to leave and arrested her for refusing to do so.

This successful lawsuit by the ACLU of Oregon against the City of Portland protects protestors from being "doxxed" by Portland police.

The Biden administration must commit to protect journalists, free press, and free speech.

Reflections on protests and police accountability in Portland and our path forward

Last month, a group of football players at Westview High School in Beaverton were publicly berated by their coach at their game for kneeling during the national anthem. The coach said he thought their act of protest was disrespectful to the country and to the military. He said that high school players didn’t have a platform like professional football players did and encouraged them to act as a team. At a subsequent game, the coach had the players lock arms to “stand in unity” rather than kneel. In both of these instances, the students’ rights to free speech and expression were violated.

Our organizations advocate for peaceful protest and call for an end to violence from protesters and PPB alike.

Today, the ACLU of Oregon, joined by the Portland Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild and Oregon Lawyers for Good Government, submitted another round of comments to Portland Police Bureau’s directive 635.10 – Crowd Control / Crowd Management. 

The militarized and heavy-handed police approach to protest in Portland is expensive, dangerous, and threatens our democracy.

American history, indeed world history, is full of stories of protest that opened the path to change.