Report on 2020 Portland protests urges police to reduce use of tear gas

The big picture: Per the report, made public Thursday and first reported by The Oregonian, many Portlanders still "feel alienated from and furious with PPB" for forcefully dispersing crowds perceived as peaceful, while officers "felt judged and castigated" by the community.

• Officers also felt let down by elected officials who "did not sufficiently and publicly distinguish" between peaceful and violent protesters, the report found.

Police tell Axios that they'll be doing a self-assessment over the next six months, as the report recommends.

Context: This report is part of ongoing federal oversight of Portland police due to a 2014 settlement over excessive use of force.

Details: Recommended policing changes, all of which Portland has agreed to, include:

• "Dramatically reduce" police reliance on rubber bullets and crowd-control gas, and increase video surveillance during protests and plainclothes officers instead.
• Create an advanced team that specializes in keeping public order, with 96 hours of annual training in areas including de-escalation and avoiding force.

Of note: Members of Portland's previous such team all resigned in June 2021 after one member — who later issued a public apology — was charged with criminal assault for striking a peaceful protester with a baton.

What's next: The city council will discuss the report Aug. 23, with an evening community forum the same day.