The Reality Blog

The atmosphere at Occupy Portland is one that forms the nucleus of any successful social movement: solidarity. Young and old from all backgrounds holding signs, chanting, and forming bonds with complete strangers over the issues that naturally bind all working people together:  jobs, inequality, anti-war, student loan forgiveness, defending Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid (the social safety net), etc. 

The following series of events involving Occupy Portland occurred on Monday, October 24, 2011 and early morning Tuesday, October 25, 2011:

Dayshift Report

7 a.m.: Central Precinct officers received a request from Occupy Portland to get in touch with Project Respond. The volunteers at Occupy Portland report they are getting overwhelmed with the amount of mental health issues presenting themselves at the camp ...

10:30 a.m.: East Precinct officers were leaving the Multnomah County Courthouse when a woman, 39-year-old Angela Hallinger, threw a paintbrush at the officers because they would not stop and look at her art…

During the same incident, officers found that the porta-potties on the south side of Chapman Square along Southwest Madison Street were overflowing and it appeared raw sewage was running down the sidewalk toward Southwest 3rd Avenue…

3 p.m.: Officers received a report that Hallinger was out of jail and flashing her breasts again at the camp. She was excluded from the parks.

Afternoon shift:

On Monday’s afternoon shift, there were multiple calls of various fights/disturbances. Officers said there appeared to be a different call every 45 minutes or so, called in by witnesses to these incidents…

6:35 p.m.: A very intoxicated/high subject was contacted at the corner of Southwest 3rd avenue and Main Street. It appeared that 25-year-old Dylan K. Hunter, was acting in a confusing manner and was on probation for Delivery of a Controlled Substance/ Methamphetamine…

6:45 p.m.: A sergeant took a phone call from a “donor” of two food boxes to Occupy and he wanted to complain that when they dropped off the food, he and his friend saw “buckets of human waste” sitting around the camp....

7:56 p.m.: Uniform officers responded to a call of a man causing a disturbance near the medical tent of “Camp A” (Lownsdale park). He was reportedly throwing things and knocking down fences....

Officers observed 35-year-old Devn Merner acting in a bizarre manner. He had red paint on his feet and torso. Occupy Portland peacekeepers were trying to talk to him while he displayed “fighting poses,” but he refused their contact…

9:30 p.m.: Officers responded to a call regarding “5 subjects beating another subject,” in the center of Chapman Square, by the drinking fountain. Officers could not find any victim or suspect and overheard people say everyone “ran off.” ... It was reported as many as “15 street kids with skateboards” were chasing a shirtless subject… The victim, 19-year-old male, said he was assaulted in Chapman Square by a group of street kids, after he had a verbal altercation about a dispute a friend of his had earlier in the day with the group. The victim reported he was jumped from behind by a group of bandana-masked subjects, and repeatedly punched in the face and head. He said Occupy Portland peacekeepers came over to him suggested he “run away,” since they could do nothing to stop the assault… The victim was injured in the face, and said he thought about calling the police, but decided not to, since the residents of Occupy Portland are supposed to take care of these matters themselves.

11:59 p.m: A known subject, walked into Central Precinct to report an “assault.” He reported someone had pointed a finger at him, and that was the assault…

Nightshift

October 25, 2011, 4:56 a.m.: a resident of Occupy Portland called 911 to report a man inside the encampment who had punched someone and broken a bottle...