There is a difference between policing of the left and right in the US

The union that represents U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers says on at least two occasions last month two federal ICE employees called Portland police while being harassed by protesters—but cops did not show up, because Portland's mayor had ordered them not to intervene.

Members of the union, called the National ICE Council, sent Mayor Ted Wheeler a cease and desist letter Monday demanding he require Portland police to assist federal agents if called upon.
The letter, filed this morning by the union on behalf of employees working in Portland's ICE office, says Wheeler's decision to order Portland police not to assist federal agents was a violation of the U.S. Constitution. Specifically, it cites the 14th Amendment, which says the government cannot deny any person equal protection under the law.

"Your current policy forbidding Portland law enforcement agencies from assisting employees of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency who request law enforcement assistance while at or away from work is a violation of the United States Constitution's Equal Protection Clause," the letter says.

"We understand that you have a difference of opinion with the current President of the United States, and some of his policies, but we fail to see why targeting the employees of ICE and leaving them vulnerable to violence, harassment and even death furthers a legitimate government interest," their attorney, Sean Riddell, says in the letter. "Your policy has created a zone of terror and lawlessness."

Portland Police Bureau deferred any comment on the dispute to the mayor's office.

A local ICE officer, who spoke to WW only on the condition of anonymity, says two agency employees called Portland police June 19, when they were blocked from leaving the building in their vehicles. One of those employees told Portland police that protesters followed his truck as he went to pick up his daughter from summer camp and harassed him in the parking lot.
He also says protesters showed up at his Portland apartment building a few hours later. Again, he called police, but says no officer responded.

Portland Police Deputy Chief Bob Day wrote the email June 19, replying to a formal request for assistance from the Federal Protective Service, a police division within the Department of Homeland Security. "At this time I am denying your request for additional resources from PPB," Day wrote. "I recognize this is a fluid situation that will need continuous monitoring. I am willing to revisit this inquiry after you have exhausted all alternative options besides arrests and maximized the use of FPS resources. We will respond to [calls] for assistance if your officers are assaulted and need us to facilitate a safe exit from the conflict."

Chris Crane, president of the national union, says the situation at the ICE building in Portland spiraled out of control because police would not assist federal agents.
"Every person in law enforcement knows there are few things as dangerous or as unpredictable as an angry mob," Crane says. "No one could have responded quickly enough to protect our employees who were trapped inside this building. All of this because the mayor of Portland has a beef with the president of the United States."

Portland Police Chief Bob Day says claims circulating online that his agency helped ICE are false.

The claims were made alongside a video showing Portland Police Bureau Officers clearing the way for a van entering the south Portland ICE facility. Day says police were dispatched after a call from an ICE contractor reporting a blockade in ICE driveway was preventing them from returning their work van and get their personal cars to go home for the night

Day says officers decided that removing the blockade would be the best way to maintain peace and avoid confrontation. He says they removed items protesters put in the way, and left without engaging with the demonstration group. 

Oregon law does not allow local law enforcement agencies to cooperate with or provide information to federal agencies that could aid in the deportations or detention of immigrants.

Portland police are not required to enforce noise rules at protests outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in the South Waterfront, a judge ruled last week.

The ruling from Multnomah County Senior Judge Ellen Rosenblum, a former Oregon attorney general, was in response to a lawsuit filed last month by a resident of Gray’s Landing, a low-income apartment building next to the ICE facility. In it, resident Cloud Elvengrail asked the court to compel the city of Portland to enforce noise ordinances around the area.

She and other neighbors have “been subjected to an onslaught of noise” by protesters who have demonstrated at all hours, her attorneys wrote. Elvengrail’s attorneys said she is seeking the same outcome as other residents: peace and quiet.

According to the filing, air raid sirens and shrieking noises have battered Elvengrail’s ears and caused them to bleed. Tear gas and pepper spray from federal agents have created a “near-nightly toxic environment” from which Elvengrail cannot escape. And her apartment doesn’t have air conditioning, so she must keep her windows closed while indoor temperatures remain high, according to the filing.
Elvengrail has called 911 and non-emergency police more than 40 times since protests began and claims she has not received meaningful help. In some cases, police have told her to leave and take a break from the noise, the filing stated.

She has also confronted protesters herself to tell them to be quiet, which put a target on her back, the filing said. In one instance on June 30, a protester doused her with a liquid she believed was alcohol.
Rosenblum said in a Thursday court hearing she felt the attorneys representing Elvengrail did not meet the high legal bar to allow her to make the city act. But she was sympathetic to Elvengrail and other neighbors at Gray’s Landing. She said police could, and in her opinion should, use their discretion to ensure city noise rules are followed in the late evenings around the ICE building.

Under city noise rules, between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., noise levels must stay at around 50 decibels in “open space zones,” which the filing says would apply to protesters on public sidewalks and streets. The filing stated that Elvengrail has measured sound readings inside her apartment 15 to 20 decibels higher than the limit.

A Portland police spokesperson declined to comment on the ruling, instead sharing a statement from City Attorney Robert Taylor, who said, “The city is grateful for the court’s thoughtful consideration of the matter.”

Police have been cautious about appearing to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, citing state sanctuary laws. In June, Police Chief Bob Day spoke publicly about avoiding any actions that might show “perceived or actual support” for immigration agents after Portland officers cleared a blockade of the ICE driveway to let an empty transport van pass.
Julie Parrish, an attorney representing Elvengrail, said she believes police are avoiding enforcing noise regulations because they don’t want to be perceived as working with ICE.