Portland police chief Chuck Lovell calls for end to violence after 70th night of protests: 'Enough is enough'
PORTLAND, OREGON: Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell decried the violence that has gripped the city for more than two months and said people who were "dedicated to provoking a response" were preventing officers from serving the community. Lovell, who was named police chief as recently as June, made the comments as Portland marked what was its 70th consecutive day of protests following the Memorial Day death of George Floyd, reported KGW. Speaking during a meeting with media, Lovell said the protests in the city against police brutality and systemic racism had mostly been peaceful but that there were a few who were giving the rest a bad name.
"There have been some really large peaceful protests where people have come out, listened to and given speeches, marched to different parts of the city, and that has required zero police engagement," he said, before adding that they also continued to have "some nightly violent criminal activity" that had been "problematic," "a drain on our resources," and "dedicated to provoking a police response."
"That response is taking away from our ability to go out and give people the service that they expect from the police bureau," he continued. "People expect to get their calls for service answered, they expect us to be able to answer their calls for service, respond to the shootings that we’ve been having and things of that nature. So we’re really calling on people to come out and just really say that that activity needs to stop."
He said his officers were working hard to keep the city safe and protect its people but were being sidetracked by those who were trying "to do things that are disruptive to the functioning of our beautiful city."
Lovell said that Portlanders, including business owners, faith leaders, and elected officials, need to stress "that enough is enough" so they could stop those who were lending a bad name to the Black Lives Matter movement.
"Portlanders need to send a strong message that enough is enough," he said. "This is not forwarding the goals that are going to lead to better outcomes for people of color. This movement is really powerful, but the violence has taken away from it in a really, kind of concerning way. This is not what Portland is about. This is not what we need in our city."
This is not the first time that Lovell spoke out against violent protesters in the city. On Monday, August 3, he wrote an op-ed in the New York times titled 'I'm the Police Chief in Portland. Violence Isn't the Answer' where he argued that the weeks of unrest had eclipsed the positives. "As a Black man and a public servant, I see that spectacle is drowning out the voices that need to be heard to make positive change," he wrote. "This violence is doing nothing to further the Black Lives Matter movement."
He insisted that the Portland Police Bureau was a progressive agency that's made significant and noteworthy changes to policies and training and called for an end to the violence before pledging to be a leader in police reform.