US police riot squad ‘let down’ over Black Lives Matter violence

Police officers in the US city of Portland have quit a special unit claiming lack of support in handling Black Lives Matter and other protests.

Portland police officers chase demonstrators when a riot was declared during a protest in the Oregon city last April after a black man was killed by police in Minnesota. Picture: Getty Images/AFP

All members of a police riot squad in Portland in the US have resigned from the unit in anger at what its members say is a lack of support from the local authorities over last year’s widespread protests in Oregon’s biggest city.

About 50 members of the force’s rapid response team (RRT) quit last week, while remaining in the police force, after Corey Budworth, a member of the unit, was charged by the local district attorney’s office with assault.

Budworth is accused of hitting a woman over the head with a baton during a protest in August.

Portland police officer Corey Budworth in a widely circulated US media image.

In a statement, the Portland police bureau said that members assigned to RRT had “left their voluntary positions and no longer comprise a team”.

“[The] members were sworn employees of the Portland police who served on RRT in addition to their daily assignment in the bureau,” it said. “Despite no longer serving on RRT, they will continue in their regular assignments.”

The city in Oregon became a centre for demonstrations in the wake of the death of George Floyd, a black man murdered by a white police officer in Minneapolis in May last year.

Protesters took to the streets for more than 150 consecutive nights in what were largely peaceful protests. The demonstrations later developed into a wider anti-government movement.

At times violence did break out and police officers deployed tear gas. Looting and vandalism were reported and one person was killed. Smaller demonstrations have continued this year.

Chris Davis, Portland’s acting police chief, said that the members of the RRT had been deployed extensively in the past year and emphasised the “tremendous amount of stress” that the department has faced over the past 14 months.

He said the resignations were motivated not just by Budworth’s indictment but also for what the officers viewed as a lack of support.

Members of the unit are trained in crowd control. A US Justice Department report shows that the team used force more than 6000 times last year between May and November.

The Times