A Third Protester Intends To Sue Over Portland Police Response To Aug. 4 Protest

After being shoved to the ground and arrested by several police officers at a downtown protest on Aug. 4, Tracy Molina has filed a tort claim notice with the City of Portland declaring her intent to sue for excessive use of force and violations of her First Amendment rights.

A video taken by another protester and posted on Twitter shows Molina's arrest on Aug. 4. She walks with a large sign on a wooden handle as a line of police in riot gear pushed the crowd of antifascist protesters away from a right-wing group they were demonstrating against.

She waves the sign in front of an officer's face before turning her back and walking with the crowd.

Seconds pass, and then the officer grabs the sign and tries to yank it out of Molina's hands. She turns and yanks the sign back. Another officer shoves Molina and she falls to the ground. Several riot cops tackle her and pin her down.

"Video footage made public on numerous media sites clearly documents PPB's conduct," the tort claim says.

Molina, 46, is a Navy veteran who often protests and participated in the Standing Rock protests in 2016 and 2017, according to her tort claim.

She is at least the third protester to declare an intent to sue the city after Portland Police used aerial distraction devices and other crowd control agents to dispel a group of counterprotesters on Aug. 4.

Right-wing group Patriot Prayer held a rally on the south waterfront that attracted attendees from out of state affiliated with the often-violent "western chauvinist" fraternity called the Proud Boys. A large counter-demonstration staged across the street.

The police use of force sent at least two protesters to the hospital with serious injuries.