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      • Attorney General: Ellen Rosenblum
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July 30th, 2020

7/30/2020

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As Trump spreads election misinformation, will Trump
delegate Kim Thatcher stand up for Oregon voters? 

Thatcher’s loyalty to Trump on display following tweet to "delay the election" 
Democratic Party of Oregon

PORTLAND — While Republicans across the nation have been quick to openly challenge President Trump’s disturbing tweet today that proposed moving the date of the November election, Oregon’s Republican nominee for Secretary of State, Kim Thatcher, has kept noticeably quiet. Thatcher, a Trump Delegate running for the office that oversees Oregon elections, has not shown any willingness to stand up to President Trump, who routinely spreads election misinformation, particularly on Oregon’s proud tradition of vote-by-mail. 
In an early morning tweet, President’s Trump claimed the November election should be delayed because voting by mail would make it "inaccurate and fraudulent." This clearly unconstitutional suggestion demonstrates not only an attack on our nation’s democracy, but is a particular insult to Oregonians, who have solely used vote-by-mail for more than two decades. While it remains unclear whether Trump Delegate Kim Thatcher will take a stand against the President’s campaign of misinformation, Thatcher’s opponent, State Senator Shemia Fagan, has made clear her position that Oregonians deserve to know that their next Secretary of State will stand up to protect their vote, regardless of party affiliation, race, gender, or ZIP code.
"If Kim Thatcher is so blindly loyal to Trump that she won’t even stand up for Oregon Voters and our proud tradition of vote-by-mail, clearly we can’t trust her to administer independent elections," said K.C. Hanson, Chair of the Democratic Party of Oregon. "Thatcher needs to explain to Oregon voters how she could possibly operate with the independence that is demanded of the Secretary of State’s office when she won’t even stand up to blatantly false information about Oregon’s elections." 
Oregon’s elections have been administered exclusively by mail-in paper ballots for the last twenty years and Oregon experiences some of the highest voter participation in the nation. A state audit by the late Republican Secretary of State Dennis Richardson found that 99.998% of ballots submitted had no problems.
"This race comes down to a matchup between Fagan, a fighter who always stands up for what’s right, and Thatcher, who has a troubling history of spreading misinformation and questionable ethics, public opposition to voter expansion, and unquestioned loyalty to Donald Trump regardless of his actions," said Hanson. 
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July 30th, 2020

7/30/2020

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Democrat Jim Hinsvark speaks out
about Portland protests, drawing a sharp contrast with views of his Republican opponent, Fred Girod

Picture
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

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July 30th, 2020

7/30/2020

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Gov. Kate Brown announces phased withdrawal
of federal law enforcement from Portland

Picture
July 29, 2020
PORTLAND – Oregon Gov. Kate Brown released the following statement today: 

“After my repeated requests, the federal government has agreed to a phased withdrawal of federal officers that have been deployed to the Mark Hatfield United States Courthouse over recent weeks. 
“These federal officers have acted as an occupying force, refused accountability, and brought violence and strife to our community. Beginning Thursday, all Customs and Border Protection and ICE officers will leave downtown Portland, and shortly thereafter will begin going home. 
“After discussions with the Vice President and administration officials this week, the federal government has agreed to my demand and will withdraw these officers from Portland. They will also clean up the Courthouse, removing the graffiti. 
“The local Oregon officers of the Oregon State Police will provide protection for free speech and the security of the exterior of the courthouse with the Federal Protective Service. A limited contingent of federal officials, who act as building security year-round, will remain and will stay focused on the interior of the U.S. Courthouse. 
“I have grown increasingly concerned at the nightly confrontation between local community members and federal officers. We need to recognize that the protests in Portland are not solely about the federal presence. They started before federal agents descended on our city and they will likely continue after they leave. 
“Across America and across Oregon, the Black Lives Matter movement has led a historic uprising, centering black voices demanding justice and greater police accountability. 
“While I recently signed six police accountability bills, championed by the Legislature’s People of Color Caucus, and convened a Task Force to review and reform Oregon training and certification procedures for all local police officers, there is so much more to be done. The community is demanding more sweeping action. I agree. 
“I will work with community leaders and elected officials to take bolder action to reform our police practices – including those of the Portland Police Bureau. We need to get this right. 
“We have an opportunity that we cannot afford to waste. The departure of federal forces represents the beginning of a process that will be as difficult as it is overdue. 
“If slavery is America’s original sin, then anti-Blackness is Oregon’s. Even before it was recognized as a state, Oregon prevented African Americans from settling here and owning property. For far too long, Oregon’s constitution ingrained discrimination into state law. 
“Black, white, brown, and indigenous Oregonians are ready to address systemic racism. Let’s get to work.”

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July 20th, 2020

7/20/2020

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Get Trump's occupying troops out of Portland

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
​
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July 20th, 2020

7/20/2020

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Attorney General Rosenblum files suits against
U.S. Homeland Security, announces criminal investigation

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.  


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July 17th, 2020

7/17/2020

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Trump weaponizing federal officers in Portland

By KC Hanson
Trump is deploying federal officers to Portland, and in the last week they've shot a protester in the head with a potentially deadly munition, and are now roaming the streets of downtown Portland in unmarked vans and in camouflage, rounding up people and detaining them with no explanation or identification.

These largely peaceful protests began in response to injustice and systemic police violence against communities of color. The presence and the violent tactics of these federal officers have done nothing but escalate tensions.
It's abhorrent. It's a terrifying abuse of power. And it has no place in a democratic society. 
Enough. We will not be silent in the face of Trump's attempt to weaponize federal law enforcement to bolster his re-election chances. This has nothing to do with public safety, and everything to do with Trump's flailing polling numbers. 
He already tried this in June when he teargassed protesters in Washington, D.C., for a political photo op. And as Governor Brown put it, "Trump is looking for a confrontation in Oregon in the hopes of winning political points in Ohio or Iowa."
Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, along with members of Oregon's Democratic Congressional Delegation, have now called for an investigation into the presence and violent actions of federal forces in Portland.
We demand answers, we demand accountability, and we demand that Trump's unlawful federal agents leave Portland, now.
KC Hanson
Chair
Democratic Party of Oregon
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July 11th, 2020

7/11/2020

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Virtual gathering set for July 15 to celebrate life of Louise Owens

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:
One tap mobile +1 669 900 6833, 86746403029# US (San Jose)   +1 253 215 8782,  86746403029# US (Tacoma)
Dial by your location        +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)        +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)        +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)        +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)        +1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)        +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) Meeting ID: 867 4640 3029
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.
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July 08th, 2020

7/8/2020

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Remembering longtime Linn Dem Louise Owens

​Louise Owens, a longtime Linn County Democrat who served as vice chair of the local party for many years, died Saturday at Lebanon Community Hospital. She was 72.
Loyd Henion, former Linn Dems chair, paid tribute to his friend and Democratic Party colleague in this Facebook post:


It didn't take long for anyone who knew Louise to learn just what an extraordinary person she was. The longer one was acquainted with her, the deeper the awarenesses of her exceptionalism became.
Her diversity and depth of knowledge and experiences were revealed during every conversation. 
Picture
Louise Owens speaks with Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama during a campaign rally in May 2008 at the Linn County Fair & Expo Center in Albany. The photo appeared on the front page of the Albany Democrat-Herald.
Louise had a thirst for learning through reading, traveling and teaching. Her travels took her many places throughout the world, including teaching in Yoncalla, Oregon, as well as in Alaska, Japan and Indonesia, and running a food bank in Seattle.
She worked for the local and state Democratic Party from her home in Lebanon. Her love and expressions for truth and justice were transmitted to others in the most thoughtful, graceful and articulate way.
Her ability to express her thoughts in stories verbally and in essays, letters, prose and children's textbooks always left me mystified as to how one person could accomplish so much. And she did all of this without expecting any recognition. 
She truly became one of my best lifetime – and most appreciated – friends. Some people are simply not replaceable. 
Oh did I mention her wit and humor. She could always make me laugh even during the worst of times. 
I could not have survived being Chair and Co-Chair of the Linn County Democrats for 10 years without Louise keeping me sane as the Vice Chair. 
No memorial will be sufficient for my friend but we will stage one soon, obeying all the rules of social distancing, outside with limited numbers, (Zooming option will be available) and mask wearing at a location to be determined.
I will never forget you, Louise.
Your friend,
Loyd Henion​
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July 01st, 2020

7/1/2020

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A look back at a month of protests against systemic racism, racial injustice

 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
​
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    • Election 2020 >
      • Ballot Measures
      • City Council, Mayoral Candidates
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      • Albany City Council Ward 1: Keith Kolkow
      • Albany City Council Ward 2: Amanda Dant
      • Albany City Council Ward 3: Marilyn Smith
      • Lebanon City Council Ward I: Christan Stagg (write-in)
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