The president of Portland’s rank-and-file police union—clearly in an extremely emotional state over the slaying this weekend of two New York City police officers—has blamed the “cold-blooded assassination of two of New York’s finest” on ongoing demands for stronger police accountability in the wake of several high-profile shootings and deaths in custody this year.

Daryl Turner, president of the Portland Police Association, posted a letter to his members telling them that reasonable demands—for increased civilian oversight, expanded community policing, de-militarization of police forces, and a willingness to address and solve the racially disparate effects of policing, among others—are the very same thing as “creating a culture of hatred towards law enforcement nationwide.”

Turner’s statement casts his ire, and blame, equally at “media, politicians, and community activists [who] have been vilifying the police.” He goes on to say their words “fueled” the anger of the man who shot the two officers in New York—along with “the anger of many Americans.” It’s a statement that echoes the inflammatory “wartime” comment of New York’s leading police union boss.

“How did this happen? The cold-blooded assassination of two of New York’s finest in broad daylight? For months now, the media, politicians and community activists have been vilifying the police. They call us murderers and racists. Now, these same people who so quickly crucified the police are backpedaling. They are blaming a crazed gunman for the deplorable shooting. But it is their very words that fueled his anger and the anger of many Americans with unfounded accusations characterizing all police as brutal thugs. They have created a culture of hatred towards law enforcement nationwide.
This can’t go on.”

And it also misunderstands the community frustration that’s fueling what have largely been peaceful and constructive protests (other than when the same few people shout expletives at riot cops), not the other way around. In Portland, organizers led by young people of color have taken the streets with specific demands for change—and those organizers have pledged to hold monthly meetings with Mayor Charlie Hales to see some of those details become reality.

The police accountability movement in Portland is one reason why some of the strains at play in Ferguson and elsewhere, which even incoming Police Chief Larry O’Dea definitively sees as important enough to address, are better here than in other parts of the country.

Turner’s statement calls for a massive community conversation including cops and government officials so we can “stop the anti-police movement.” But that fails to understand the thrust of many of the conversations this city’s already been having—that they’re not anti-police, but pro- the kind of police bureau Portlanders want to see.

A police bureau where this sentiment, expressed over the summer by Mayor Charlie Hales, is true.

No law-abiding people should ever have reason to fear the police. Yet we must honestly admit that, too often, this is not true for a wide swath of our community:

people of color.

Read Turner’s
statement
after the jump.

“This past Saturday, as I sat with my family, I could not help but to think about our two brothers in New York City who were ambushed and assassinated earlier that afternoon. These two officers chose a life of public service. They did not choose to be killed in cold blood. These officers will never again spend time with their families over the holidays. They will never hold or be held. They will never see their children grow. They will never work in their chosen profession, keeping communities safe and protecting the most vulnerable members of society. They will never again see the light of day.

I was overwhelmed with emotion as I looked around my living room at my loved ones. I can’t begin to imagine the grief and pain the families, friends, loved ones, and co-workers of Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos are feeling.

How did this happen? The cold-blooded assassination of two of New York’s finest in broad daylight? For months now, the media, politicians and community activists have been vilifying the police. They call us murderers and racists. Now, these same people who so quickly crucified the police are backpedaling. They are blaming a crazed gunman for the deplorable shooting. But it is their very words that fueled his anger and the anger of many Americans with unfounded accusations characterizing all police as brutal thugs. They have created a culture of hatred towards law enforcement nationwide. This can’t go on.

So where do we go from here? What conversation do we have to make things better, to stop the anti-police environment, and to educate the public and politicians on what we do and why we do it? How do we encourage the media to stop the wholesale crucifixion of police officers for ratings while we are being killed in the streets of our own neighborhoods, protecting the communities we serve?

The only way to remedy the situation is to bring all the involved parties to the table to have a respectful, yet tough conversation; a conversation regarding support for the men and women who work in the communities 24/7, nationwide, while citizens eat, sleep, and live with the comfort of knowing they are safe. This conversation needs to start from the most junior officer, deputy, or trooper to the highest government official; from the minister at the pulpit to elementary school teachers. This conversation needs to be based on fact, not on fiction, political agendas, and headlines.
This conversation needs to happen now or
we will surely see darker days ahead.

To my brothers
and sisters
in blue
—value your time
with your families and stay safe.