Oregon

Oregon, a hotbed of extremism, seeks to curb paramilitaries

Published

2 years ago

February 17, 2023

Oregon, a hotbed of extremism, seeks to curb paramilitaries

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — An armed takeover of a federal wildlife refuge. Over 100 straight days of racial justice protests that turned downtown Portland right into a battleground. A violent breach of the state Capitol. Clashes between gun-toting right-wingers and leftist militants.

Over the previous decade, Oregon skilled the sixth-highest variety of extremist incidents within the nation, regardless of being twenty seventh in inhabitants, based on an Oregon Secretary of State report. Now, the state Legislature is contemplating a invoice that, consultants say, would create the nation’s most complete regulation in opposition to paramilitary exercise.

It will present residents and the state legal professional common with civil cures in court docket if armed members of a non-public paramilitary group intervene with, or intimidate, one other one who is partaking in an exercise they’ve a authorized proper to do, resembling voting. A court docket might block paramilitary members from pursuing an exercise if the state legal professional common believed it might be unlawful conduct.

All 50 states prohibit non-public paramilitary organizations and/or paramilitary exercise, however no different regulation creates civil cures, stated Mary McCord, an skilled on terrorism and home extremism who helped craft the invoice. The Oregon invoice can be distinctive as a result of it might permit individuals injured by non-public, unauthorized paramilitary exercise to sue, she stated.

Opponents say such a regulation would infringe on rights to freely affiliate and to bear arms.

The invoice’s sponsor, Rep. Dacia Grayber, a Democrat from suburban Portland, stated the proposed reforms “would make it more durable for personal paramilitaries to function with impunity all through Oregon, no matter their ideology.”

However dozens of conservative Oregonians, in written testimony, have expressed suspicion that the Democrat-controlled Legislature goals to go a invoice limiting the suitable to assemble and that the laws would goal right-wing armed teams just like the Proud Boys and Patriot Prayer, however not black-clad anarchists who’ve vandalized downtown Portland and battled police.

“This invoice would clearly put restrictions on who might collect in a gaggle and for what causes they selected to,” wrote Matthew Holman, a resident of Coos Bay, a city on Oregon’s southwest coast.

The pioneering measure raises a number of points, which lawmakers tried to parse in a Home Judiciary Committee listening to final week:

If residents are afraid to go to a park with their youngsters whereas an armed militia group is current, might they later sue the group? What constitutes a paramilitary group? What’s outlined as being armed?

Oregon Division of Justice legal professional Carson Whitehead stated the proposed regulation wouldn’t sanction an individual for brazenly carrying firearms, which is constitutionally permissible. But when a paramilitary group went to a park realizing their presence can be intimidating, anybody afraid of additionally going to the park might sue for damages, Whitehead stated.

“This specific invoice just isn’t directed at people open-carrying. That is directed at armed, coordinated paramilitary exercise,” added McCord, government director of Georgetown College Legislation Middle’s Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Safety.

A paramilitary group might vary from ones that put on uniforms and insignia, just like the Three Percenters, to a handful of people that act in a coordinated approach with a command construction to interact in violence, she added.

Rep. Rick Lewis, a Republican from Silverton, requested pointedly in the course of the committee listening to whether or not rocks and frozen water bottles, which Portland police stated had been thrown at them throughout demonstrations in 2021, would fall below the proposed regulation.

A frozen water bottle and rocks might trigger critical harm or loss of life, so they might be thought of harmful weapons below Oregon regulation, responded Kimberly McCullough, Legal professional Common Ellen Rosenblum’s legislative director.

Multnomah County District Legal professional Mike Schmidt, whose jurisdiction encompasses Portland, testified in favor of the invoice, expressing frustration that police usually cannot single out violent actors lurking amongst peaceable protesters.

“Our present lack of ability to get upstream of this violence earlier than it begins leaves us weak to organized felony parts who enter right into a protest atmosphere with the specific intention of escalating the state of affairs into an assault or arson or a riot,” Schmidt stated.

McCord stated the measure would mark a milestone in the USA, the place the FBI has warned of a quickly rising risk of homegrown violent extremism.

“This invoice as amended can be probably the most complete statute to handle unauthorized paramilitary exercise that threatens civil rights,” she stated.

The tactic of enabling non-public residents to file lawsuits in opposition to paramilitary teams could also be a novel one, but it surely has been utilized in different arenas.

Environmental teams, for instance, can sue companies accused of violating federal air pollution permits. In Texas, a 2021 regulation authorizes lawsuits in opposition to anybody who performs or aids in an abortion. In Missouri, a regulation permits residents to sue native regulation enforcement officers who implement federal gun legal guidelines.

However the Oregon invoice differs from these legal guidelines as a result of solely people who find themselves injured by illegal paramilitary exercise might sue, McCord stated. The Oregon invoice additionally opens a path for a authorities enforcement mechanism, because it permits the state legal professional common to hunt a court docket injunction to stop a deliberate paramilitary exercise, she stated.

Whether or not the invoice will go is unclear. It wants a easy majority in each the Home and Senate to go to Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek for her approval or veto. Kotek’s spokeswoman, Elisabeth Shepard, stated the governor usually would not touch upon pending laws.

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Oregon

Oregon City Boasts One of the World’s Only Municipal Elevators

Published

7 hours ago

May 21, 2025

Press Room

Oregon City Boasts One of the World’s Only Municipal Elevators

With a population of roughly 37,000, it’s little but mighty, and like most of Portland’s suburbs, it’s growing. Blue-collar Oregon City, Oregon’s oldest—in fact, it’s the first incorporated city west of the Rocky Mountains—has shifted significantly in the past decade or so with a Canard here and a boutique there, but it still exudes a humble, welcoming feel. The city was founded by Dr. John McLoughlin (of boulevard fame) and became industrial, known for its lumber and paper mills and hydroelectric power—but long before that, and currently, the land and water have played a vital role in the lives of the several Native American tribes. The heart of the real O.C. feels highly walkable (extra thanks to the free, 70-year-old municipal elevator), so we thought we’d focus on that—here’s a quick jaunt, on foot, around the city.

Mosey Down Main Street

If you’re coming from Portland, you’ll likely swing over the Oregon City Arch Bridge and find yourself smack dab in the center of Main Street. Park your wheels and kick off your walkable adventure with a little shopping or window browsing. The Vintage Nest (507 Main St., instagram.com/thevintagenestantiques) contains nearly 20 vendors selling everything from speckled silicone baby bibs to rhinestone jewelry (this writer got a hand-thrown colander that’s on deck for holding garden tomatoes come August). Keep the vintage snooping up by stopping a few doors down at Maizee Mae’s Antiques (621 Main St., 503-657-3204, instagram.com/maizeemaesantiquesandtreasures) then over to Oregon City Records (603 Main St., 503-935-6662, instagram.com/oregoncityrecords). With vintage posters of Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith on the walls, carpets on the floor, and the faint scent of incense in the air, the shop has a certain late 20th century nostalgia. The walls are lined with boxes of used records ranging from classic hits in rock, pop and blues, and a chunk of CDs as well, while the middle of the store is lined with racks of vintage clothing. And don’t—I repeat, do not—skip the slim back room of books. Sitting in that beat-up leather chair by John Wayne’s cutout with an old paperback is a leisure afternoon adventure in itself.

Walk the Promenade

As you’re on Main Street and cross 7th Street, take a look about a block away. Notice that 130-foot elevator looming on the basalt cliffside, both futuristic and retro at once? The Municipal Elevator (6 Railroad Ave.) is one of just a handful of municipal elevators around the world (not the state, the planet) in service. Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014, this stately lift allows you to catch a ride between 7 am and 7 pm Monday through Saturday (it opens at 10 am on Sunday). On the top floor, the elevator opens to an observation deck with panoramic views of the area and, a few steps later, leads you to the McLoughlin Promenade, a fenced path along Singer Hill Bluff, with expansive views of the Willamette River, including Willamette Falls, the nation’s second-largest waterfall by volume, right behind the mighty Niagara. You might also eye the dilapidated, recently burned former Blue Heron Paper Mill—the property is part of nearly 24 acres purchased by the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and is currently under demolition and restoration to build the future Tumwata Village. Don’t forget to turn toward the bluff, too, to catch a few historical markers, like the Páaxloo Weyíiletpuum Háham, or “Five Cayuse Men,” acknowledging and honoring the five Cayuse men tried and executed for the death of missionary Marcus Whitman in 1847 as measles tore through the Cayuse population. Their unmarked graves remain unfound.

Grab a Book

Speaking of educating ourselves—stick around Singer Hill and wander a couple of blocks over to the Oregon City Carnegie Library (606 John Adams St., 503-657-8269, orcity.org). Brass door handles, maroon cozy chairs, a welcoming fireplace (for the right season), and board games to check out—the library’s both gorgeous and inviting. Spend a little time in the two front rooms originally from 1913, then venture into the rest of the library from the 2016 expansion. And keep an eye out for the library’s book bike, out on the prowl. The hashtag is #ocplbookbike and at the time of reporting has zero posts—that first one could be yours.

Grab a Bev

A little parched from all your exploring? Just cross the street and pop by The Hive Social (602 7th St., 503–908-87500, thehivecatering.com) for a pristine cocktail or a bite. You’ll have to hoof it a little farther, but you’ve got two directions for your final stop: First, you can head south and land at the Highland Stillhouse Pub (201 S 2nd St., 503-723-6789, highlandstillhouse.com), a Scottish-influenced whisky bar and local treasure. The bar has more than 750 types of whisky, with a rotating selection of rare offerings (you can schedule a private tasting, too). You can also head north and trek over to Oregon City Brewing (1401 Washington St., 503-705-4805, ocbeerco.com) for a fresh pint from the tap. The brewery’s got food carts too, as does Corner 14 (508 14th St., 503-908-8789, corner14oc.com) across the street, which includes a wealth of carts, a stage for live music, and covered tables with mini fire pits for the chilly days, though you might’ve worked up a sweat from your jaunt.

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Oregon

Three predictions: Alabama, USC, Oregon

Published

1 day ago

May 20, 2025

Press Room

Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney has three predictions on Xavier Griffin’s future destination, USC’s recruiting and Oregon’s quarterback recruiting after some misses.
MORE GORNEY: Recruiting Rumor Mill

1. XAVIER GRIFFIN WILL CHOOSE ALABAMA

Griffin and USC parted ways after he was informed to either stay committed to the Trojans and stop taking visits or reopen things if he wanted to stay on the road.

The four-star linebacker from Gainesville, Ga., opted for the latter and now he’s back on the market with Ohio State, Alabama, Texas and Florida State as the frontrunners.

Texas and Ohio State have been coming on strong but there are numerous reasons why my prediction is that Griffin ends up in Tuscaloosa.

He’s an Alabama legacy. He met with the Alabama coaches twice recently – and some of that prompted his de-commitment from USC. It’s a manageable four hours away.

There is one caveat: If Georgia gets much more seriously involved then the Bulldogs could have some significant pull here. There’s a chance the four-star linebacker makes it to Athens for the Scavenger Hunt this weekend but there is a lot of family stuff going on as well so his absence from that event could be telling as well.

2. USC RECRUITING WILL BE JUST FINE

Over the last couple weeks, USC had de-commitments from four-star receiver Kohen Brown and four-star linebacker Xavier Griffin.

It looked like the start of a repeat from the 2025 class when the Trojans landed all these out-of-region stars only to see numerous five-stars and four-star prospects back off their pledge later in recruiting.

This is not the same case.

The word coming down is that Griffin and Brown wanted to take other visits and USC is just not going to play that game right now. Maybe it’s a reaction to last year’s collapse especially from players in the Southeast or maybe the Trojans have a different recruiting philosophy under new general manager Chad Bowden, but this does not look like the same circumstances.

Even with the losses of Griffin and Brown, two very talented prospects, USC still has the No. 1 recruiting class in the country and has at least 10 more commitments than any other team in the country.

Only 10 pledges are from out-of-state. That’s a much different mix of recruits from last recruiting cycle so the Trojans should be just fine moving forward, even if there are some inevitable departures to come.

3. OREGON WILL BENEFIT FROM RECENT QB LOSSES

Oregon lost four-star quarterback Jonas Williams to USC. The Ducks missed on five-star quarterback Jared Curtis, who picked Georgia over Oregon in recent days.

The Big Ten powerhouse might still end up winning in the end, especially since this opens a nice pathway to focus on landing five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons.

Over the last few days, Oregon offered four-star quarterback Matt Ponatoski from Cincinnati (Ohio) Moeller but let’s not forget Lyons is basically a 2027 prospect since he’s taking a one-year Mormon mission.

So offering Ponatoski helps both sides – Oregon gets a quarterback but he’s not someone that would necessarily scare off Lyons once he gets to Eugene.

Recently, Oregon, Michigan and BYU have emerged as the leaders for the five-star quarterback. USC cannot be counted out while Ole Miss, Ohio State and others are involved.

The Ducks have had some painful recruiting losses recently – Curtis, Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, Jackson Cantwell. But Lyons would be a huge addition and with Williams and Curtis going elsewhere, Oregon might actually win out in the end.

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Oregon

Oregon State baseball’s hottest hitter named semifinalist for prestigious national award

Published

2 days ago

May 19, 2025

Press Room

Oregon State baseball’s hottest hitter named semifinalist for prestigious national award

Wilson Weber’s torrid finish to the Oregon State baseball regular season has thrust him into contention for his position’s most prestigious individual award.

Weber on Monday was named a semifinalist for the Buster Posey Award, given annually to college baseball’s top catcher, joining 12 other highly regarded backstops.

The senior from Gresham, who has emerged as one of the Beavers’ most respected and vocal leaders, was a force down the stretch of the regular season, hitting .381 (16 for 42) with six homers, three doubles, 22 RBIs and 11 runs scored in May.

The late-season tear solidified his position in the middle of the OSU lineup and boosted his statistics to career-high levels. He’s batting .332 with 10 homers, 11 doubles, 49 RBIs and 38 runs scored this season.

And amid all the production, Weber has been a rock behind the plate, playing in 52 of the Beavers’ 54 games this season, including 49 starts. He’s committed just two errors, produced a fielding percentage of .996, and thrown out 15 would-be base stealers, anchoring a defense that ranks sixth in college baseball with a .982 fielding percentage.

The group of semifinalists includes Cal Poly junior Jack Collins, Texas junior Rylan Galvan, Arizona junior Adonys Guzman, Florida junior Luke Heyman, Georgia Tech sophomore Vahn Lackey and North Carolina sophomore Luke Stevenson. Wilson is the only senior in the group.

He is trying to become the second Oregon State player to win the award, alongside Adley Rutschman (2019), who went on to become the No. 1 overall pick of the MLB draft and a Big League All-Star.

The award, which is determined by a vote of Division I head coaches and communications contacts, will be whittled down to three finalists on June 5, and that trio will be invited to Wichita, Kansas, for a ceremony announcing the winner June 26.

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