Commissioner Amanda Fritz Speaks Out Against Violence at Protests

Fritz encourages Portlanders to focus on the Black Lives Matter movement and stop the violence from all sides, including the Portland Police Bureau.

Amanda Fritz (Mike Grippi)
By Latisha Jensen

After remaining relatively quiet during more than 90 days of protests against violent policing toward Black people, Commissioner Amanda Fritz today posted a statement on her website condemning violence.

The post comes two days after a shooting amid a pro-Trump truck convoy that resulted in the death of Aaron J. Danielson, a Portland man allegedly aligned with the right-wing group Patriot Prayer.

In her statement, Fritz encourages Portlanders to work together to find solutions, ignore outsiders who try to provoke others, and stop violent actions in order to dismantle white supremacy and reform policing.

"I entreat all sides—including the Portland police—to change strategies," Fritz wrote. "Stop confronting each other, stop endangering lives and inflicting harm. Nobody's viewpoint is being changed as the result of demands or confrontations."

She concludes by referencing Mayor Ted Wheeler's 19-point plan aimed at holding police accountable for their actions and achieving racial justice and suggesting the plan can help the city come together to engage in an open dialogue.

"No politician has all the answers," Fritz wrote. "Expecting the mayor, me or any one person or group to solve every challenge and 'demanding' solutions is no substitute for accepting your responsibility in helping to create them and avoiding abuse of your constitutional speech and assembly rights."

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