I had a good conversation with a local policeman.
I have reached out to the Portland Police Chief’s office and the Portland Police Association with no response so I recently saw a cop parked in a parking lot and literally walked up. We had a great long conversation about what has been happening in Portland.
One of the issues often raised is “The police don’t live here!” and that often leaves people feeling that contributes to a lack of consideration and compassion on part of police actions.
The gentleman I spoke with talked about how he lived in N. Portland with his wife who is also law enforcement. He felt he never got away from work. Various people in the neighborhood would cross the street, give mean looks etc. and given the option of living in that situation or not he ultimately moved with his family to the suburbs east of Portland and has enjoyed a better quality of life when off duty.