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On Dec. 13, City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty filed a $5 million lawsuit against the Portland police union, its former president, and another Portland police officer, alleging they played a role in the leak of information that falsely implicated Hardesty in a hit-and-run crash last spring (“Zero Hour,” WW, Dec. 15, 2021). The lawsuit offers one possible answer to the question why Portland Police Association president Brian Hunzeker resigned from his role as union head March 16. Hardesty alleges he leaked the allegation to The Oregonian and that he did so “in retaliation for plaintiff’s years of opposing race discrimination by the [Portland Police Bureau] and members of the PPA.” Here’s what our readers had to say:
beerandloathingpdx, via Reddit: “You know, you watch movies like Serpico, Cop Land, American Gangster…and you think, man, the ‘70s and ‘80s were pretty messed up.
“Then you see a story like this in Portland and realize just how fucking dirty all police unions are. Get rid of qualified immunity, watch the pigs flee, start over with people who can be held accountable for their actions.”
ex-pdxteacher, via wweek.com: “The Portland police are using public resources to do a political hit job on someone they disagree with. Is there anything about this that is ethical? Anything at all?”
gymrat, via wweek.com: “Commenting on this situation by pointing to behavior by Hardesty that you disagree with or even think is unethical is definitely ‘whataboutism.’ She could be a terrible council member (and clearly some of you think so), and it has NOTHING to do with this case. This case is about whether it’s OK for the police to release unproven allegations, based on the report of one citizen, about her to the conservative press and The Oregonian.”
PC-LoadLetter, via Reddit: “I think she deserves a handsomely reasonable settlement based on her ordeal and the way she was treated. I also think she’s a poor councilwoman, and I wish she’d step aside.
“These are not mutually exclusive ideals.”
Joshua Marquis, via wweek.com: “Reports of minor hit-and-runs are not state secrets. Disclosing a suspect is bad policy, but it is hardly the major crime the writer is making it out to be.
“This case will NEVER go to trial. Instead, her sometime pals on the City Council will use it as a way of purging their guilt (and a lot of taxpayer money) as a form of a send-off to a politician who is clearly not going to be reelected. Where exactly has she been damaged?”
Due-Personality2383, via Reddit: “This probably never would have happened if she didn’t lie about seeing police light fires at Portland protests. She admitted to lying. They retaliated. What they did was wrong. But so was what she did. Can we get some adults in place across the board?”
Elliott Young, via Twitter: “Civil rights organizations have found it more effective to bankrupt white supremacist organizations through civil rather than criminal litigation.
“@JoAnnPDX is pursuing the same strategy with the Portland police union.”
LETTERS to the editor must include the author’s street address and phone number for verification. Letters must be 250 or fewer words. Submit to: PO Box 10770, Portland, OR 97296. Email: mzusman@wweek.com.
