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3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2018 Portland chief orders review after protest Probe to look at use of force By ANDREW SELSKY Associated Press SALEM — Portland police were accused Sunday of being heavy-handed against people protesting a rally by extreme- right demonstrators, report- edly injuring some count- er-protesters and prompting the city’s new police chief to order a review of officers’ use of force. Police in riot gear tried to keep the two groups apart, many of whom had come on Saturday dressed for bat- tle in helmets and protec- tive clothing. Dozens of the extreme-right protesters were bussed to Portland, one of America’s most liberal cit- ies, from nearby Vancouver, Washington. Saturday’s clashes were the most recent of several this year in the city as right-wing militants converged, met by counter-protesters, including members of anti-fascist, or “antifa,” groups. City officials have struggled with striking a balance between free speech and keeping events from spi- raling out of control. But on Saturday, some said police seemed to act mostly against those protesting the presence of the extreme-right demonstrators, using stun gre- nades and what appeared to be rubber bullets against them. Police “targeted Portland residents peacefully count- er-protesting against rac- ist far-right groups, includ- ing white supremacists, white nationalists, and neo-Nazi gangs,” the Oregon chap- ter of the Council on Ameri- can-Islamic Relations and the Portland chapter of the Dem- ocratic Socialists of America said in a statement. It called on officials to investigate. The head of the Oregon branch of the American Civil Liberties Union also criti- cized the way the Portland AP Photos/John Rudoff Police deploy flash bang grenades during a rally in Portland on Saturday. Patriot Prayer founder and rally or- ganizer Joey Gibson speaks to his followers at a rally in Portland on Saturday. Police Bureau handled the demonstrations. “The Portland Police Bureau’s response to protest is completely unacceptable in a free society,” David Rogers said in a statement issued Sun- day night. “The repeated use of excessive force, and the target- Counter-protesters prepare to clash with Patriot Prayer protesters during a rally in Portland on Saturday. ing of demonstrators based on political beliefs are a danger to the First Amendment rights of all people. We call on the Port- land Police Bureau, Mayor Wheeler, and Chief Outlaw to immediately end the use of weapons, munitions, and explosives against protesters.” Police ordered the count- er-protesters to disperse, then moved in behind a vol- ley of stun grenades. One of the rounds reportedly hit a counter-protester in the head, becoming embedded in his helmet and injuring him. One woman was taken to a hospi- tal after being hit in the arm and chest with a “flash-bang” grenade, local media reported. The blasts echoed through downtown Portland. Four people were arrested. Police Chief Danielle Out- law, who assumed command less than a year ago as Port- land’s first African-American female police chief, said in a statement Sunday she takes all use-of-force cases seriously. Outlaw directed the pro- fessional standards division to begin gathering evidence to determine if the force used was within policy and training guidelines. The Office of Inde- pendent Police Review will be provided with the information for review and investigation. Saturday’s incidents started with demonstrators aligned with Patriot Prayer and an affiliated group, the Proud Boys, gathering in a riverfront park. The Proud Boys has been characterized as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which is “dedi- cated to fighting hate and big- otry and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of society.” Hundreds of counter-dem- onstrators faced them from across the street, holding ban- ners and signs with messages such as “Alt right scum not welcome in Portland.” Some chanted “Nazis go home.” Officers stood in the mid- dle of a four-lane boulevard, essentially forming a wall to keep the two sides separated. The counter-protesters were made up of a coalition of labor unions, immigrant rights advocates, democratic social- ists and other groups. Patriot Prayer also has held rallies in many other cities around the U.S. West, includ- ing Berkeley, California, that have drawn violent reactions. Saturday’s rally, orga- nized by Patriot Prayer leader Joey Gibson, was the third to roil Portland this summer. Two previous events ended in bloody fistfights and riots. Gibson disputed the group’s classification as a hate group. “We’re here to promote freedom and God. That’s it,” Gibson told Portland TV sta- tion KGW. “Our country is getting soft.” Associated Press journalist Manuel Valdes contributed to this report from Portland. Federal biologists consider options to save emaciated orca By PHUONG LE Associated Press SEATTLE — Federal biol- ogists are weighing a range of emergency options to save an emaciated endangered orca, including possibly feeding it live salmon at sea dosed with medication. Whale researchers are wor- ried about the survival of the 4-year-old female orca known as J50, a member of the dwin- dling population of south- ern resident killer whales that spends summer months in the inland waters of Washington state and British Columbia. Another female orca from the group of just 75 animals, known as J35, has attracted global attention over the past week as she has tried to keep her dead calf’s body afloat while swimming miles. Federal biologists are weighing whether and how to intervene for the young female. The options range from doing nothing to using a boat to give the orca sup- plemental fish to increase her hydration and nutrition. “Everything is on the table. We’re working on every pos- sibility to help,” said Michael Milstein, a spokesman with National Oceanic and Atmo- spheric Administration Fisher- ies, the agency responsible for protecting marine mammals. “The feeling is it’s quite urgent given the whale’s condition.” NOAA Fisheries would still need federal approval from another division of the agency before it moves ahead with an intervention plan. Whale experts are focused now on collecting breath and fecal samples and taking aerial drone photographs of the whale to assess her health and figure out what’s wrong. Veterinarians hope to get out on a boat and visually do a check-up and take a sample of the white patch on the back of her head that could be a sign of an infection. “If we come up with more evidence that she’s suffer- ing from pneumonia or a fun- An aerial view of adult female southern resi- dent killer whale (J16) swims with her calf (J50) in 2015. NOAA Fisheries/Van- couver Aquarium gal infection or other disease, that might be an opportunity to provide her with medication,” said Michael Ford, director of the conservation biology divi- sion at the Northwest Fisher- ies Science Center in Seattle. He said no decision has been made. A team of top veterinarians and whale experts are explor- ing ways to deliver live fish — and oral medication — to the orca and doing so in such way that won’t prompt the orca to become accustomed to peo- ple or boats, said Joe Gay- dos, a wildlife veterinarian and science director of SeaDoc Society. “We don’t want a situation where we’re trying to help the animal but end up hurting it,” he added. Gaydos said helping J50 is important because she will be the future of the population, but at the same time no one is losing sight of broader efforts Going to the Dogs! T HE D AILY A STORIAN ’ S Welcome to Bubbles National Dog Day Photo Contest! Grab your collars and your cameras, National Dog Day is Aug. 26 and we are on the prowl for the bestest, cutest, snuggliest pups on the coast. In 2016, we fetched 103 photos; last year we romped home with 207 shots of more than 230 critters. According to www.nationaldogday.com, the day celebrates all dogs, mixed breed and purebred, and works to promote the many dogs that need to be rescued. Submit your photo(s) before midnight Sunday, Aug. 12. Then, come back and visit the pooches all that next week and vote on your favorite before mid- night Saturday, Aug. 18. Vote once a day. The top vote-getters will be featured on the front page of the annual Going to the Dogs section on Friday, Aug. 24. Share with your friends and family: #Going2TheDogsNW Now, who’s a good boy? Who’s a good girl? For more information, call The Daily Astorian at (800) 781-3211 or send a message through Facebook. to help the entire population recover. The orcas face nutritional stress because of a lack of Chi- nook salmon, their main diet. They also face threats from toxic contamination and ves- sel noise and disturbances that disrupt their ability to commu- nicate and forage. The whales are listed as endangered in the U.S. and Canada. Individual whales are identified by unique mark- ings or variations in their fin shapes, and each whale is given a number and name. Ford said the orcas are intel- ligent animals and can quickly understand where their food source is coming from and that could create a danger for the animals. “It’s not a good long- term solution,” he added. Feeding the animal fish also won’t be easy logistically and it would be a long shot. “I’m not aware of previous efforts to feed killer whales traveling with its family in the wild,” Ford said. WANTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 Fre e Est Fast ima tes Call me ti Any Jeff Hale Painting • • • • Residential Commercial Cedar Roof Treatments Exterior Repaint Specialist Over 25 years local experience 503-440-2169 Jeff Hale, Contractor LICENSED BONDED INSURED CCB#179131
