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United States News Title: Scuffle breaks out at Multnomah County Democratic Party HQ, prompting police response A scuffle broke out at a Multnomah County Democrats meeting Thursday night, prompting a police response and leaving several of the party's newest members disillusioned. It all started when one of the organization's new members asked to amend the agenda at the meeting's outset. Chairwoman Lorraine Van Hoe reportedly denied the request, which only prompted loud, angry responses from the gallery. "People felt they were not being heard," said Leigha LaFleur, who last month traveled to Philadelphia as a delegate for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders at the Democratic National Convention. "In order to be heard, they amplified their voices. That was taken as aggressive behavior and was responded to as such." A shoving match began when Van Hoe reportedly appointed two sergeants-at-arms to eject a woman from the building. It was around then that Rebekah Brewis was told not to record the meeting on her phone, which was reportedly wrested from her. "They just followed marching orders to remove those individuals," said Abby Collins, another party member who only recently began attending the larger organization's meetings. Portland Police Sgt. Pete Simpson told The Oregonian/OregonLive that officers were dispatched to party headquarters on Northeast Sandy Boulevard after receiving a call about an assault. When they arrived, no one was outside the building and the police moved on. An hour later, another call came in. This time, officers interviewed several people outside the building and at least one person who expressed plans to press charges. No arrests were made. Sue Hagmeier, communications officer of the Multnomah County Democratic Party, said the incident boiled down to six or seven vociferous attendees trying to "shut down the meeting over agenda issues." According to her, recording isn't allowed at the party's meetings. And although they're not necessarily public, officials generally allow anyone interested to attend. "We don't want to exclude somebody if they are going to come in and join us," she said. "Our default is to welcome people." LaFleur and Collins claim they, and many of those new to the party, felt the opposite Thursday evening. Both have volunteered for political campaigns, both local and national, for some time. But that was mostly knocking on doors, making phone calls and attending rallies. This was their first foray into working with the larger party. "When I work at a grassroots level, I come out of meetings feeling motivated and hopeful. Or inspired and hopeful. Or energized — whatever adjective you want to use," Collins said. "But when I come out of a Democratic Party meeting, I feel frustrated and demoralized." She said she's now done with the Multnomah County Democrats. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread |
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