The City of Portland and Multnomah County are united in denouncing the horrific events that led to the heartbreaking death of Tyre Nichols.
This statement is from Mayor Ted Wheeler and the Portland City Council:
We offer our sincere condolences for the unimaginable pain Tyre's family now faces and stand with the Memphis community as it grapples with this terrible loss.
We also feel the rippling effects of this tragedy in our own communities as we all anxiously await the results of the pending investigation.
We support Oregonians across the state who want to raise their voices and exercise their right to be heard; we also echo the request of Tyre Nichols' family and urge the community to do so in a peaceful, non-violent way.
As leaders, we are committed to listening to community perspectives, particularly when it comes to issues of safety.
We are committed to partnership and collaboration in our systems of accountability to deliver on the promise of safety for all Oregonians.
Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell said:
"The actions of these Memphis Police officers is shocking and unconscionable. I want to send my prayers and support to the family of Tyre Nichols.
"When excessive acts of force such as this occur, it deeply impacts all of us who wear a badge. It is heartbreaking and truly a failure of humanity. It angers all of us at the Portland Police Bureau to think that law enforcement officers would violate the oath we swear to protect and values we personally hold dear.
"I commend Memphis Police Chief Davis for her swift and decisive action in this case.
"We know this atrocious act will breed further distrust and anger toward law enforcement. We understand these feelings, but we are asking our community to honor the wishes of Mr. Nichols' family who have asked people to protest peacefully.
"At PPB, we want to focus on how we serve our community. The Portland Police Bureau has spent more than 10 years making positive reforms, investing in training and revamping our policies. We recently completed ABLE training—Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement. ABLE trains officers on how to intervene as well as skills and tools to identify potential warning signs. It also trains on how to be proactive in identifying certain conduct before it escalates. We have worked hard to build our Equity and Inclusion Plan, community advisory groups and community engagement. Our pledge to our community is to continue this work and to serve and protect with a servant's heart—which means professionalism, compassion and integrity."