By Jim Hinsvark
Where has the “united” gone in the United States of America? Over the past decades divisions have grown between us. Those divisions have been cultured by some elected officials, some news organizations and spread like weeds.
How can Oregon and the USA bridge divides when our elected officials create lies/myths by making distorted representations of what is happening around us? We cannot. We have to speak up against the distortions. My State Senator, Fred Girod, went on the news and distorted the facts on the ground at the Portland protests. It was willful and wrong.
The vast majority of those protesting in Portland are out there exercising their Constitutional rights. In America we have the right to gather, march, speak our minds and demand our government listen and redress our grievances. That is what the citizens across the nation are doing. Last weekend Fred Girod did his own bit of spreading the seeds of division.
The size of the protests has varied in Portland. From the hundreds up to thousands of protesters have been showing up daily and into the night for months. Fred went on the news and singled out the actions of a few rioters in Portland. While saying the protests were long overdue and people were peacefully demonstrating, he went on to say the protests were hijacked by anarchists. He chose to distort the facts about the protests by implying that it had become a full-fledged riot by anarchists. That is not what is happening in Portland. Late at night the crowds diminish and those few folks who want to fight against the police and Federal agents start their “riot.”Make no mistake – those who riot should be arrested, thrown in jail and put on trial.
He spoke about being grateful for the federal troops being in Portland. Punishing the many with flash-bangs, pepper rounds and tear gas – which is against the Geneva Convention in war – for the wrong actions of a few is just not right. Seeking out and loading people into unmarked cars then whisking them away is an act against the very fiber of this country. People holding loudspeakers across the street should not be shot in the head and hospitalized. When we see these actions in other nations, we condemn them. We are shocked and outraged when a government takes violent actions against its own people. Making them disappear, sometimes forever.
By spreading more seeds of distrust and division, my State Senator has shown there is a definite and distinct choice in the election this November.


Jim Hinsvark
Candidate for SD9
jimhinsvark.com

Democratic Party of Oregon
Federal officers are roaming the streets of downtown Portland in unmarked vans and in camouflage, rounding up people and detaining them with no explanation or identification.
They're assaulting peaceful protestors with potentially deadly munitions and tear gas, in the middle of a pandemic.
They're trampling over our constitutional rights as a political stunt to try to stop the bleeding of Trump's flailing re-election campaign.
You'd expect these tactics from dictatorships and authoritarian governments, not in a democratic society. Oregon Democrats won't stand for this. 
Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum is suing the Trump administration, asking for a restraining order to prevent federal law enforcement from making any further arrests.
And Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley are on their way back to Washington, D.C., right now to take action. They're demanding answers, and are introducing a measure to require Trump to remove these unwanted goon squads from America's streets.
Oregon Democrats are working to get Trump's secret police out of Portland, but the only way we will truly put an end to this is to defeat Trump, take back the Senate, and elect Democrats up and down the ballot this November.

• If you are able, please consider a donation to the Democratic Party of Oregon
​

July 17, 2017
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum this evening will file a lawsuit in federal court against the United States Department of Homeland Security, the United States Marshals Service, the United States Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Protection Service and their agents alleging they have engaged in unlawful law enforcement in violation of the civil rights of Oregonians by seizing and detaining them without probable cause.
The lawsuit will be followed by a motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO) regarding the forcible detainment of an Oregon resident, Mark Pettibone. If granted, the TRO would immediately stop federal authorities from unlawfully detaining Oregonians. Rosenblum’s actions come in response to two disturbing incidents that occurred this week. Both involved federal authorities overstepping their powers and injuring or threatening peaceful protesters on the streets of Downtown Portland.
The first of these took place on July 12, 2020, when a peaceful protester was standing near the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse. The protester was hit in the head with an “impact weapon” and suffered severe injuries. The second occurred July 16, 2020, also in downtown Portland, when an unmarked minivan with undercover federal agents wearing generic green military fatigues forcibly detained Pettibone, who was walking on a sidewalk. Pettibone was later held at the Federal Courthouse, and eventually was let go.
The Oregon Department of Justice Criminal Justice Division has also opened an investigation into the July 12 incident. It is joined in this criminal investigation by Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill.
Statement from Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum:
“I share the concerns of our state and local leaders – and our Oregon U.S. Senators and certain Congressional representatives – that the current escalation of fear and violence in downtown Portland is being driven by federal law enforcement tactics that are entirely unnecessary and out of character with the Oregon way. These tactics must stop. They not only make it impossible for people to assert their First Amendment rights to protest peacefully. They also create a more volatile situation on our streets. We are today asking the federal court to stop the federal police from secretly stopping and forcibly grabbing Oregonians off our streets, and we are announcing a state criminal investigation, with the Multnomah County District Attorney, into the incident resulting in serious injuries to a peaceful protester — apparently committed by a federal police officer in downtown Portland last week.
“The federal administration has chosen Portland to use their scare tactics to stop our residents from protesting police brutality and from supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. Every American should be repulsed when they see this happening. If this can happen here in Portland, it can happen anywhere.”
The Oregon Department of Justice (DOJ) is led by Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, and serves as the state’s law firm. The Oregon DOJ advocates for and protects all Oregonians, especially the most vulnerable, such as children and seniors.  

By Loyd Henion
​A gathering via Zoom is scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 15, to commemorate the extraordinary life of Louise Owens, longtime Linn County Democrat who died July 4 at age 72. I encourage everyone to think about their favorite Louise stories and/or quotes.  Please put the link blow in your calendar for July 15 at 5 p.m.
If you do not have the Zoom app on your computer of phone you can download it by copying and pasting the url below in your search engine.
https://www.appdirectory.online/download/zoom/
If you still have difficulty contact me at lhenion@comcast.net or 541-619-8861. If you already have Zoom, you are all set. Just tap on https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86746403029 to enter the session. I  will host the meeting with technical assistance from my good Marshallese friend David and want to make certain everyone has an opportunity to share about remembrances of Louise.
With warm regards,

Loyd Henion
Past Chair, 
Linn County Democrats


TOPIC: Louise Owens Commemorative Memorial Sharing  (Zoom meeting)
Join meeting at 5 p.m. PDT Wednesday, July 15 by taping on this link. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86746403029
Meeting ID: 867 4640 3029
For audio only:
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Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kkmMq5GiG

Please and try to follow these below etiquette measures while using Zoom.
Perhaps the most important item is to mute your microphone when you are not talking Tips for Meeting Attendees Mute your microphone  To help keep background noise to a minimum, make sure you mute your microphone when you are not speaking. Be mindful of background noise. When your microphone is not muted, avoid activities that could create additional noise, such as shuffling papers. Position your camera properly. If you choose to use a web camera, be sure it is in a stable position and focused at eye level, if possible. Doing so helps create a more direct sense of engagement with other participants.  Limit distractions. You can make it easier to focus on the meeting by turning off notifications, closing or minimizing running apps, and muting your smartphone. Avoid multi-tasking You'll retain the discussion better if you refrain from replying to emails or text messages during the meeting and wait to work on that PowerPoint presentation until after the meeting ends.  Prepare materials in advance. If you will be sharing content during the meeting, make sure you have the files and/or links ready to go before the meeting begins. 
With warm regards,
Loyd Henion

PS.  If you notice that I have left out some people that you think should be notified please let me know and I will invite them.

 Here are links to stories and video from protests that occurred in June 2020.
   •  Hundreds gather in Lebanon on June 14 for Black Lives Matter Demonstration 
   •  More than 1,000 people lined Ellsworth Street in downtown Albany on June 2 to peacefully protest.
   • Miriam Cummins, Democratic candidate for House District 15 State Representative, speaks June 6 at a protest at the State Capitol in Salem.
   •  Some 2,000 gathered in downtown Corvallis on May 31. 
   • An estimated 4,000 demonstrated June 7 in downtown Corvallis.

  Also, Rosa Colquitt, Ph.D, Chair of the Democratic Party of Oregon's Black Caucus, wrote a message May 29 on Facebook, titled "George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and all who came before"   And Rosa wrote "Juneteenth: Celebration of Freedom."
  And see comments by Sen. Jeff Merkley, Congressman Peter DeFazio and State Rep. Marty Wilde.
  And for more reading, see the "21-Day Racial Equity Challenge," by Dr. Eddie Moore
​

June 20, 2020
By Rep. Peter DeFazio 
​  From day one, the Trump administration has toyed with the lives of 650,000 DREAMers (10,000 in the state of Oregon) – undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children – breaking promises, demeaning character, attacking integrity, and threatening their livelihoods and their homes.DREAMers pitch in Little Leagues, go to prom, march in Fourth of July parades, raise families, and serve in the military. They are contributing members of every community. And nearly 30,000 DREAMers work in front-line health care jobs, fighting COVID.
  None of that matters to Donald Trump.
  I am proud of my longstanding support of DREAMers, I voted in favor of the DREAM Act back when it was first introduced in 2001, and I've been a cosponsor on every bill since. Congress has the power to stop Trump's cruelty by passing the DREAM Act. In fact, the House has already passed it, but Mitch McConnell refuses to let the Senate vote on it.
 That's vile, Add your name to tell Senate Republicans to protect DREAMers now!
  This week, the Supreme Court delivered a win for the rule of law and human decency by ruling that Donald Trump can't end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program – which protects DREAMers from deportation – just because he feels like it.
  That's a big victory, Graham, but it's just temporary. Trump and his secretary of racism, Stephen Miller, have made it clear that they will never stop attacking immigrants and undocumented Americans. They're no doubt already planning their next assault on DREAMers.
Ending DACA is wholly immoral and cruel. Congress must pass the DREAM Act to stop Trump and protect the 650,000 American DREAMers once and for all.
  Sign the petition now to tell Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans, "Do the right thing. Protect our DREAMers!"
In unity,
  – Peter