Peter, review our latest report findings.
Dr. Michele Heisler, Physicians for Human Rights Unsubscribe
1:06 PM (1 hour ago)
to me
Dear Peter,
Burns from flash grenades; bone fractures and lacerated scalps, necks, and hands from batons; trauma-induced seizures, traumatic brain injury, and face and neck lacerations from tear gas canisters and rubber bullets. These are the injuries that protestors suffered at the hands of federal agents and police during protests in Portland, Oregon this summer.
I know this because my colleagues and I witnessed federal law enforcement agents and local police officers deliberately attacking the very people they are sworn to protect. We documented these injuries, excessive use of force, and the misuse of dangerous weapons.
Peter – this is the first time in the 34-year history of Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) that we have documented human rights abuses of this type and magnitude here in the United States.
Here’s what we found – and how you can respond:
After federal agents joined local police in using crowd-control weapons against protestors, volunteer medics, journalists, legal observers, and others in the Portland Black Lives Matter protests and demonstrations that had started in response to the murder of George Floyd, PHR immediately mobilized a team to document reports of police-instigated violence in Portland.
In our just-released report of the incidents that ensued, we worked with local partners on the ground to collect evidence of the targeted and indiscriminate use of tear gas, rubber bullets, and other crowd-control weapons on medics working to treat protestors and the protestors themselves.
There are two things you can do right now to stand with us, and to make an impact.
First, take two minutes right now to contact the Department of Homeland Security. Call on them to open an investigation into the conduct of federal and local law enforcement in Portland, to immediately evaluate use of force policies and practices, and to provide training on crowd-control best practices and human rights standards when responding to lawful protests.
Second, read the findings from our new report on Portland which are also illustrative of police response in many communities throughout the U.S. With tensions mounting in the United States ahead of a national election, the possibility for more violence in U.S. cities is high. We need to use our findings right now to pressure federal and local law-enforcement agencies to bring their policies squarely in line with international human rights and policing standards.
PHR’s investigation findings provide evidence of a consistent pattern of disproportionate and excessive use of force by the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) and federal law enforcement agents against both protestors and volunteer medics over the course of June and July 2020.
Medics further reported serious injuries among protestors and experienced and witnessed deliberate attacks by both federal officers and PPB, which in some cases appeared to specifically target the medics themselves.
In addition, except for rare reported instances, we found that paramedics affiliated with the Portland Police and Fire Department neglected to provide medical care to injured protestors.
ACT NOW
Peter, I hope you can see the severity of what took place in Portland. And I hope that you’ll take just a few moments today to take action and contact DHS and fully review our findings. The human rights violations we witnessed this summer MUST be investigated, rectified, and those responsible must be held to account.
Thank you for standing with PHR today.
Michele Heisler, MD, MPA
Medical Director
Physicians for Human Rights
P.S. The U.S. Department of Justice has not developed national guidelines detailing the lawful use of so-called less-than-lethal weapons such as tear gas and rubber bullets. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security national policy on use of force also does not contain any detailed guidance related to the lawful use of these weapons.1 That’s why we need every one of our supporters to take action today. Thank you!
1United States Department of Homeland Security, “Policy Statement 044-05: Department Policy on the Use of Force,” Sep. 7, 2018, dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/mgmt/law-enforcement/mgmt-dir_044-05-department-policy-on-the-use-of-force.pdf.
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