July 22: Governor Brown extends mask mandate, lowers indoor venue size
On Wednesday, Oregon Governor Kate Brown announced the state’s mask mandate will extend to children 5 and over, and indoor venues will be required to limit occupancy to 100 people or less, according to AP News. Brown also announced bars and restaurants in Phase 2 counties will have to close by 10 p.m., according to The Oregonian. Brown emphasized caution in the state’s approach to the coronavirus. “We ventured out on the ice together and that ice has begun to crack,” Brown said according to OPB. “Before we fall through the ice, we have to take additional steps to protect ourselves and our communities.”
July 22: Portland City Council bans PPB from working with federal officers, restricts use of force
Portland City Council voted Wednesday to ban the Portland Police Bureau from coordinating with federal law enforcement, and barred officers from intentionally arresting or using force on reporters and legal observers, according to The Oregonian. The resolution bars PPB members from providing or receiving “operational support” from federal officers, including “embedding in a federal incident command center, sharing or receiving information with the federal officers or policing protests alongside them,” according to OPB. City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly, who introduced the resolution, said “our city is now enduring a violent federal paramilitary occupation,” according to Portland Mercury.
July 24: Judge rejects Oregon’s request for restraining order against federal officers
A judge on Friday denied Oregon’s request to limit federal officers’ power during protests in Portland, according to AP News. Oregon had requested a restraining order against federal law enforcement that would require the officers to clearly identify themselves and the agency they served before performing arrests, and to ban arrests that lack probable cause, OPB reported. According to The Oregonian, the judge held that the state lacked legal standing to bring the claim, and said the state had not provided sufficient evidence that federal officers were illegally abducting protesters off of city streets.