A 24-year veteran Portland, Oregon cop is under investigation for expressing his opinion on social media
"Black Lives Matter is planning to protest at Lloyd Center on black Friday. Oh joy, stuck late again at work to babysit these fools."
That’s what Portland, Oregon police officer John Hurlman tweeted on Friday night. Second thoughts led him to delete the tweet, but alas, it was too late. The police brass found out about the tweet. They immediately took the 24-year veteran off the streets and placed him under investigation.
Actually, I thought that Hurlman was rather kind to Black Lives Matter. I can think of some much more appropriate descriptive terms than ‘fools’, most of which consist of unprintable words.
It appears that John is looking at an early retirement. Another cop goes down in flames for sounding off on social media, even when he speaks the truth about Black Lives Matter rabble being fools.
Nowadays rabble rules the day over gutless, uber-politically sensitive police administrators.
COP IN TROUBLE OVER BLACK LIVES MATTER TWEET
Portland Officer John Hurlman has been taken off the street after posting a message saying he'd be stuck late at work Friday night "to babysit these fools."
By Maxine Bernstein | The Oregonian | November 26, 2015
PORTLAND, Oregon -- A Portland police officer who wrote a Twitter message complaining that he'd be stuck late at work Friday night "to babysit these fools,'' referring to a planned Black Lives Matter-Not Black Friday march at Lloyd Center, has been taken off the street while an internal investigation proceeds.
Portland police Acting Chief Donna Henderson, filling in for Chief Larry O'Dea who is off until next week, announced the investigation Tuesday afternoon in a news release.
"I am highly offended, and I think other people should be,'' said Teressa Raiford, a community activist involved in Black Lives Matter and Don't Shoot Portland. "I think it's very unprofessional, especially someone in his position.''
Officer John Hurlman, a 24-year bureau veteran, removed the post from his Twitter feed, but a screen shot was caught by others.
His message read, "Black Lives Matter is planning to protest at Lloyd Center on black Friday. Oh joy, stuck late again at work to babysit these fools."
Henderson said she learned of the message on Tuesday. Hurlman did not return a phone message for comment.
"This post is in no way a reflection of how members of the Portland Police Bureau view these community groups or their peaceful expression of free speech,'' Henderson said, in a prepared statement. "Just as with any protest or demonstration, police will work to ensure a safe, secure and orderly event for all community members and to minimize disruptions to traffic.''
This is not the first time Hurlman, a North Precinct officer who works day shift, has gotten into trouble for an electronic message.
In September 2012, Hurlman sent an email message on his patrol car's mobile computer that went out to the entire police force by accident. It was while he was seated in his patrol car, listening to radio coverage of a news conference where Oregon's U.S. Attorney and members of the U.S. Department of Justice announced that a federal investigation had found Portland police engaged in a pattern of excessive force against people suffering from mental illness.
Annoyed by the outcome, Hurlman intended to respond to another officer's email but sent a message to the entire police force, writing something like, "This is the same DOJ or people who created Waco and Ruby Ridge."
Afterwards, Hurlman told The Oregonian that it was a "knee-jerk reaction,'' and he apologized for it. At that time, his precinct commander Mike Leloff called him into his office and gave him a stern warning. Hurlman then said he was advised to be careful about what he says and remain respectful.
The Black Lives Matter, Not Black Friday march is scheduled from 1 to 10 p.m. Friday at Holladay Park across from Lloyd Center Mall. It's to protest the year's high-profile police killings of people of color around the nation and other police brutality, the event's Facebook page says.
Henderson, the acting police chief, in her prepared statement, said she recognizes and understands that "tensions are running high across the United States, especially with recent incidents in other cities.''
"At the Portland Police Bureau, we are mindful of that and remain committed to building relationships and trust in the community we serve,'' Henderson said.
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