American Military News by Maxine Bernstein - The Oregonian September 05, 2020
A man and a woman appeared before a federal judge Wednesday in Portland, becoming the first in Oregon to face the rare federal charge of civil disorder for alleged violence during this summer’s turbulent protests.
A Seattle man is accused of launching a ball bearing with a slingshot during a downtown demonstration in July and striking a Portland Fire Bureau medic.
A local woman is accused of throwing a helmet that struck a police sergeant in the head outside North Police Precinct early on Aug. 24.
The felony cases against Jesse Herman Bates, 38, and Michelle Peterson O’Connor, 31, mark a significant detour from past practice in Oregon — the federal court here hasn’t used the charge in recent memory.
But federal courts in half a dozen other cities have brought similar civil disorder charges tied to violence that has erupted during protests nationwide decrying the May 25 death of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes.
More:
https://americanmilitarynews.com/2020/09/oregon-pursues-first-federal-charges-of-civil-disorder-for-alleged-violence-at-portland-protests/
