Anti-Riot Cops In Portland, Oregon Resign – Judge Charges Police Officer With Assault To The Fourth Degree

By
David Rufful
-
OPINION | This article contains commentary that reflects the author's opinion.

Portland Police Bureau Officer Corey Budworth has been charged with assault in the fourth degree after using his baton to hit a woman from behind in the head during a de-rioting objective, according to The Western Journal.

“In this case, we allege that no legal justification existed for Officer Budworth’s deployment of force, and that the deployment of force was legally excessive under the circumstances,” Schmidt stated.

“My office will continue to do everything we can to ensure justice is done without error or delay and that we make sure our work and practices are rooted in fairness and equity.”

“Officer Scott Groshong was working undercover at a protest in June when he observed people breaking into a store downtown. Video shows the van Groshong was driving accelerating toward a man running from the store before knocking him to the ground.”

“On June 16, 2021, Portland Police Bureau employees serving as members of the Rapid Response Team (RRT) left their voluntary positions and no longer comprise a team. Its members were sworn employees of the Portland Police who served on RRT in addition to their daily assignment in the Bureau.”

“Despite no longer serving on RRT, they will continue in their regular assignments. There were approximately 50 employees serving as RRT members.”

“The Rapid Response Team is an all-hazard incident response team that has received advanced specialized training to respond to incidents requiring higher levels of technical expertise including public order policing, natural or man-made disasters. The primary role has been to provide public safety at crowd events when there was a threat of harm to the community.”

“All Rapid Response Team members are trained in advanced skills related to crowd management and crowd control including crowd psychology and behavior, team formations and movements, the use of enhanced personal protective equipment, use of force, de-escalation and arrests.”

From The Western Journal:

Groshong, Budworth and indeed all other city police officers have been branded as villains by left-wing agitators and the public officials who support them over the last year when attempting to protect life and property from a Marxist rebellion.

There is no other way to describe those who almost nightly disturb the peace of that once-great city, other than revolting Marxist activists.

Portland, by the way, is less safe now after the entire Rapid Response Team decided to disband on Wednesday.

Those officers, who used their own time and crucial crowd control training skills to suppress a violent element seeking to upend society, cited Budworth’s charges for their decision to walk away.

Portland Police Association Executive Director Daryl Turner told KXL-FM that the city’s decision to go after cops was a “witch hunt.”

Police in the city said in a news release that the now-former Rapid Response Team officers will return to normal duty rather than continuing to fight a war they can’t win alone.

Portland is a city that has been under siege now for more than a year now by antifa rioters, looters, arsonists and killers. Rather than supporting those trying to keep the situation manageable, Schmidt and other Democrats have begun going after cops.

These cops saved countless lives and businesses over the course of a year, only to find themselves — two of them, anyway — the ones on trial. We should thank them for their commitment to public service while simultaneously appreciating their decision to walk away — lest they be found next in Schmidt’s crosshairs.