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I am a regular protester of Nicholas Ungár Furs. In July I (along with three others) was served a restraining order from the owner, Horst Grimm.

When I attended my first court date regarding this restraining order, Mr. Grimm was personally escorted by Detective J.A. Luiz to Clackamas County Circuit Court. Luiz apparently had been instructed to find something that would quiet our protest (since no laws have been broken), so he tipped Mr. Grimm off to the Elderly Abuse Prevention Act. He then proceeded to conduct investigations into our lives to access personal information and then leaked it to Horst Grimm. At this point Grimm could have filed for restraining orders himself, but instead he had Detective Luiz do it for him. Ironically, Grimm signed the orders guaranteeing that he filled them out himself and and without assistance or a guardian. If that wasn't enough paid assistance on the part of Detective Luiz, he even offered (to no avail) to illegally represent Mr. Grimm in court (without a license). Our lawyer learned from Luiz that he was currently on duty (thus getting paid).

Even though no arrests have been made (excepting one where all charges were dropped), we routinely encounter police harassment in the form of threats, lies, and surveillance. If we did not keep and updated copy of the Portland Police Manual of Policy and Procedure, we would have experienced far worse. I personally have been threatened with arrest over things as ludicrous as not giving my name or refusing to speak (violation of Fifth Amendment rights) and chanting too loud (violation of First Amendment rights).

The latest and most disturbing news comes in the form of surveillance. Last week, protesters were informed that the police had installed a hidden camera across the street from Nicholas Ungár Furs in order to monitor protest activity. More can be read and video and photos of the camera can be found at these links: http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2010/02/397425.shtml, http://media.portland.indymedia.org/media/2010/02/397446.mov

With the obvious budget problems that the PPB is experiencing, how can Chief Sizer justify this waste of money? How can so much time, paperwork, and money be wasted on animal rights activists? What about the repercussions for constitutional rights? This seems like an obvious case of political repression that the PPB has a facilitating hand in.

posted 3 years, 2 months ago
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