Request via protest megaphone leads to meeting with Portland police chief, other top law enforcement

From his time behind bars, Michael Richards said he learned that if he has a complaint, he needs to write down his grievance and bring it to the people who have the power to make a change.

So late Sunday night, as Richards, 38, made his way to the front of a large crowd and grabbed a megaphone outside the Justice Center in downtown Portland, he called for the police chief or other police brass to come out and address the masses.

That was the beginning of Richards’ new public profile as one of the identifiable faces among the thousands of protesters outraged by the death of George Floyd, the 46-year-old black man from Minneapolis.

Richards, a Portland native, said Tuesday that he didn’t plan to join the demonstration condemning the brutality of a Minneapolis police officer who pinned Floyd to the ground with a knee to his neck for nearly nine minutes.

He wanted only to witness the outpouring.

But he suddenly found himself on the front line, facing riot-control officers who looked intimidating. There, he met two other young black men who were speaking out.

Sgt. Chris Burley, a Portland police crowd liaison, was standing on the other side of the fence in front of the Justice Center and heard Richards’ call.

Burley radioed a commander to find out if the chief was available. Soon, he arranged to meet Richards and the two other men at the south entrance of Central Precinct in the Justice Center.

Inside the precinct commander’s office, Chief Jami Resch greeted Richards, Andre Marks, 20, and Lyfe Tavarres, 25.

“None of us even know each other,” Richards said.

***

The last time Richards had been in the building, he was headed to jail on an attempted cocaine delivery charge, he said. His three years of probation was set to wrap up last month, according to court records.

So, finding himself and the other men with the chief wasn’t what he expected.

“None of us are protest leaders or activists,’’ Richards said. “We’re just people that are concerned about our community that wanted to use our voices to help.’’

The men urged the Police Bureau to look out for the peaceful protesters and said they’re tired of feeling marginalized because of the color of their skin.

They said they weren’t among those vandalizing buildings, looting shops or throwing objects at officers during the large-scale protests.

They agreed to do what they could to keep the marches and demonstrations peaceful.

“There should be a lot more safety and reassurance between the cops and the people who are out there,’’ Marks said he told those gathered.

Their session got cut short when Burley heard on the police radio that people outside were throwing fireworks at officers and covering the federal courthouse with graffiti and breaking a courthouse window.

Resch agreed to continue the conversation another time.

That happened Tuesday, when the three men and a fourth protester, Triston Crowl, 25, spoke not only with the police chief but also Portland’s mayor, Multnomah County’s sheriff and district attorney and Oregon’s U.S. attorney.

Crowl is a recent transplant to Portland from Dallas and connected with the others at the demonstrations.

Accompanying the younger men were African American community leaders. The group met at Self Enhancement Inc. in North Portland, a center offering services to African American and other families, and talked to reporters afterward.

“There’s a lot of learning that has to be done on both sides,’’ Marks said.

He’s joined the protests most days, he said, and encountered the other men while marching in the streets.

“I did not think I was going to be in this position at all,’’ Marks said. “This is all new to me.’’

Tony Hopson, president of Self Enhancement Inc., said he was encouraged that the mayor and law enforcement officials had taken time to listen to the men.

“These are the voices that the law enforcement needs to listen to at the front end before the problem happens, not after the fact when we’re in trouble,’’ Hopson said.

The men told the officials they want greater accountability, transparency and inclusion.

“We’ve been having these conversations for a long time,’’ Hopson said. “A lot of times we’ve been making a few differences, but not enough.’’

Inclusion of individuals like the ones who are standing with me, that’s our great hope,’’ Hopson said.

***

Marks and Tavarres met each other at the Friday night protest and have kept in touch each succeeding day and night.

They’ve worked to try to isolate agitators in the crowds who seem intent on causing trouble, they said.

“If you listen to George Floyd’s own brother, he says he does not condone any violence,” Tavarres said. “I have to take it from the person whose brother passed away. I have to respect that and honor that. We’re honoring him by keeping the peace.’’

Holding a large, peaceful rally like the one Monday night is the goal, the men said.

They said they and others in the crowd worked to keep protesters in line.

“If there was one person trying to cause problems, we were kicking them out,’’ Tavarres said. “Everyone was willing to hold everyone else accountable. We were all on the same page.’’

“Don’t use it as an excuse to loot,’’ he added. “This isn’t the time. What we’re asking for is justice, equality and change.’’

Richards said he and his new friends made no deals with police, just opened a needed dialogue at a difficult time.

But some people on social media have questioned their motives and took the opportunity to highlight Tavarres’ criminal past.

Tavarres was sentenced in 2013 to six years and three months for first-degree sex abuse, which he was accused of when he was 14. Tavarres said he served most of his time at MacLaren Youth Correctional Institution and later at Camp Tillamook Youth Correctional Facility. He said he shouldn’t be defined by that case and wondered aloud if he should continue his activism.

Burley, the crowd control liaison, said police didn’t check if any of the men had a criminal record because they were protesting, not committing crimes.

Burley and other community leaders said the pushback the men are facing symbolizes a common problem that African American men with criminal records often have.

“We have to get over the fact that people have pasts,’’ attorney Juan C. Chavez, director of the Oregon Justice Resource Center, wrote in a Twitter message upon seeing the vitriol erupt on social media.

“If there’s healing still to be done, then let’s do it,” Chavez wrote. “But we’re not going to find it from excluding the formerly incarcerated from movements.’’

Richards, Marks, Tavarres and Crowl said they felt the law enforcement leaders they met were genuine in wanting to listen to their experiences and learn about their concerns.

“Everyone just wants to live in a peaceful situation,’’ Richards said. “Thank you for these brothers who were on the frontline just trying to keep it peaceful.’’

-- Maxine Bernstein

Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212

Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian

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