BREAKING NEWS – Portland, Oregon – Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced that charges will be dropped against protesters who were arrested and accused of interfering with a peace officer or parole and probation officer; disorderly conduct; criminal trespass; escape; harassment and riot, unless they were accompanied by some other charge of physical violence or property damage.
“The protesters are angry … and deeply frustrated with what they perceive to be structural inequities in our basic social fabric, and this frustration can escalate to levels that violate the law,” Schmidt said. He was then asked if he was giving rioters and looters a free pass? “Let me put it this way,” he answered. “I have very nice lawn and a nice car. I know if I went after them, they would show up and my place, strip my vehicle, and ruin my neatly manicured grass, which will get me in a lot of trouble with the HOA. But I will prosecute for arson, if the business being burnt down exceeds 1500 degrees for more than 30 minutes. Anything less than that, I consider it a campfire comparable to the ones I created when my family and I spent a weekend at Yellowstone National Park.”