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Good Morning, News: More Tear Gas, Fewer Voting Rights, and Remembering Summer Taylor
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Good morning, Portland! Let’s start this Monday morning by recognizing Summer Taylor, the protester who was fatally hit by a car on Interstate 5 in Seattle this weekend. They have been described as “a positive force of nature” who “brings joy and laughter everywhere they go.”
Okay, here are the headlines.
• In addition to fireworks, this year’s Fourth of July also saw tear gas clouds and trash can fires in downtown Portland. Our Alex Zielinski was there—here’s her account of what happened.
• Over in Salem on Saturday, an Oregon State Police (OSP) trooper flashed the “okay” hand sign—largely recognized as a racist signal when used by the alt-right—at a right-wing counter-protester. OSP leadership is now claiming the trooper “was simply checking on the man’s status,” and was unaware of the racist context of the sign.
• It looks like last night saw more crowd control munitions and a large group of federal officers responding to protests in downtown Portland:
We really need to demilitarize the police….😖 https://t.co/CGV1Wy5hqp
— Candace Avalos (@candaceforpdx) July 6, 2020
• There might be two different measures for tuition-free preschool in Multnomah County on the November ballot. Here’s a closer look at what each campaign has to offer, and where they differ.
• The recent special session at the Oregon State Legislature went by in the blink of an eye—but quite a lot was packed into those 72 hours. Here’s a closer look at each bill the legislature passed last month.
• Shot:
A group of Oregon State Police troopers appeared to defy Gov. Kate Brown’s statewide mask order while in uniform Wednesday, entering a Corvallis coffee shop without wearing required face coverings, video obtained by @Oregonian shows. (1/10) pic.twitter.com/T5vQncDzg0
— The Oregonian (@Oregonian) July 2, 2020
Chaser:
In the world of social media, it’s easy to condemn someone when they make a mistake and keep scrolling by. But you can judge a person’s character by whether they own up and make things right. pic.twitter.com/TQUEFiqaA6
— Governor Kate Brown (@OregonGovBrown) July 3, 2020
• Donald Trump gave a characteristically divisive and fear-mongering speech at Mount Rushmore on Friday, putting more energy toward denouncing “cancel culture” than acknowledging the pandemic currently ravaging our country.
• The Supreme Court made a few voting-related decisions this morning. First, it upheld a law some states have requiring their Electoral College delegates to vote for the candidate that the states’ voters picked. The court also chose to uphold two policies in Alabama and Texas that will make voting during the pandemic significantly harder.
• Headline of the Day: “Newspaper Owner Apologizes for Publishing Cartoon Equating Face Mask Mandates to the Holocaust.”
