It was a mistake, an unfortunate bit of phrasing. On Nov. 22, three law-enforcement officials testified before City Council in what should have been a routine appearance. Two Portland police officials and an FBI supervisor were requesting permission for the FBI to join Portland police in a special unit called the Portland Joint Terrorism Task Force. But the language of the ordinance was striking. The council then agreed to allow the Federal Bureau of Investigation to electronically access photographs gathered by Portland police.
Police say that the mission statement was just a poor choice of words.
Still, for some observers, the proposed language was troubling. And events that took place two days later only seemed to raise more questions. Shortly before Thanksgiving, Portland police received information that a number of protesters would be appearing at Lloyd Center to show support for Buy Nothing Day, a yearly protest against consumerism. On that day, Nov. 24, two WW reporters observed police beginning to move against the protest before it even began. At about 2 pm, Officer James Stradley drove his car into Holladay Park, just south of the Lloyd Center Mall.