The 10 Greatest Portland Quotes of 2018

"You get mad because I kicked your butt."

Portland Police Chief Danielle Outlaw. (Cheyenne Thorpe / Multnomah County)
By WW Staff

What Were the 10 Greatest Portland Quotes of 2018?

1. "I tell you, 'Meet me after school at 3 o'clock. Right? We're gonna fight.' And I come with the intention to fight. And then you get mad because I kicked your butt. And then you go back and you wail off and whine and complain."

— Portland Police Chief Danielle Outlaw on The Lars Larson Show, discussing police use of "flash-bang" grenades on antifascist protesters. (Aug. 15)

2. "I'm trying Jennifer."

—CJ McCollum on Twitter, replying to user Jennifer Williams, who suggested the Blazers should win a playoff series. (Aug. 15)

3. "Oregon was buttheads."

—Tonya Harding to the New York Times about why she moved to Washington in the wake of the Nancy Kerrigan kneecapping scandal. (Jan. 10)

4. "I cannot wait for the next 24 months to be up."

— Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, under his breath at a press conference after being heckled. (Nov. 15)

Jo Ann Hardesty greets supporters on Nov. 6, 2018. (Abby Gordon)

5. "I am proud to be joining commissioner Amanda Fritz and Commissioner Chloe Eudaly. And I'm even going to be joining Mayor What's-His-Name, Ted Wheeler."

—City Commissioner-elect Jo Ann Hardesty, playfully forgetting the mayor's name on election night. (Nov. 6)

6. "Oh my Lord. Oh my fucking Lord. Oh, that's what you get for being nice."

— Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, during a 2011 phone call where a Portland police detective informed him that he was the subject of a sexual assault investigation. He wasn't charged. WW revealed the transcript this year. (March 7)

7. "Let's pray for your governor, Gov. Brown. Wouldn't it be something if she got saved? Amen."

—Franklin Graham, evangelist, leading a Canby crusade in a prayer for Gov. Kate Brown that doubled as a veiled endorsement of Republican gubernatorial nominee Rep. Knute Buehler. (Aug. 5)

8. "Hail Satan!"

—Portugal the Man singer John Gourley accepting the Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (Jan 29)

9. "A question for all of you: Do you want to turn the City of Roses into the city of wilted flowers? Do you want to kill our community in order to save our community?"

—Sellwood resident Fred Bercovitch, comparing a city plan to add duplexes and backyard cottages in single-family neighborhoods to the Tet offensive bombing campaign. (May 8)

10. "Our city has become a cesspool."

—Portland Police Association President Daryl Turner, berating Wheeler after he agreed to examine the rate at which police were arresting homeless people. (July 16)

Next: What Were the 6 Greatest Tonya Harding Moments of 2018?

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.