Oregon Governor Kat Brown said today that the Trump Administration had agreed to remove federal police from Portland. However, Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf responded immediately that his department “will continue to maintain our current, augmented federal law enforcement personnel in Portland until we are assured that the Hatfield Federal Courthouse and other federal properties will no longer be attacked and that the seat of justice in Portland will remain secure…. The Department will continue to re-evaluate our security posture in Portland, and should circumstances on the ground significantly improve due to the influx of state and local law enforcement, we anticipate the ability to change our force posture.”
Governor Brown’s tweet said that the Trump Administration had “agreed to withdraw federal officers from Portland” starting Thursday, July 30 and that security of the downtown area would be left to “our local Oregon State Police officers. Our local Oregon State Police officers will be downtown to protect Oregonians’ right to free speech and keep the peace. Let’s center the Black Lives Matter movement’s demands for racial justice and police accountability. It’s time for bold action to reform police practices.”
Wolf put it quite otherwise, saying that Governor Brown had agreed to a plan to end the violence in Portland that “includes a robust presence of Oregon State Police in downtown Portland.” He told the press: “We don’t want to say we’re leaving and then have the criminals attack the courthouse again.” He thanked the Governor for “reaching out. That’s what changed,” he said. “I’m glad that she changed her mind. I am glad that Portland has agreed to be a responsible city.”
