Portland Police Union Chief Seeks Ballot Initiative That Restricts Right To Assemble

A 2022 ballot initiative was submitted Monday to the Oregon Secretary of State that seeks to limit freedom of assembly. Among its chief petitioners is the Portland Police Association president Daryl Turner, the union’s attorney Anil Karia and Rep. Jeff Barker.

According to Oregon Live, the initiative is titled “Protect Free Speech and Safe Streets,” and aims to establish more expansive criteria for a city to restrict the freedom to assemble.

Some of the restrictions include a 10 p.m. noise ordinance for gatherings within a quarter of a mile of residences and midnight anywhere else. The initiative seeks to hold cities liable for litigation and damages if protesters violate the restrictions.

Authorities already use most of the initiative’s criteria as justification for declaring an unlawful assembly or riot for multiple reasons. Among those reasons are using a laser pointer, lighting off fireworks, starting a fire, damaging property, and it seeks to add blocking sidewalks to the list.

The initiative comes amid widespread protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis in May, with many taking to the streets in the city of Portland to protest against police brutality and systemic racism.