A physical clash erupted at a Portland City Council meeting Wednesday, marking the second time in as many weeks that outcry over Commissioner Rene Gonzalez’s ban on distributing tents and tarps to homeless people temporarily derailed proceedings.
The brouhaha began soon after a group of activists calling for an end to the ban started to verbally heckle elected leaders and interrupt speakers who had signed up to give public testimony.
“Let’s not have a shouting match in council,” Mayor Ted Wheeler said less than 30 minutes into the meeting. “I’m asking you. Let’s give it a try.”
As the outbursts continued, Wheeler called for a recess and ordered council chambers cleared.
The rowdy scene escalated after a City Hall security guard attempted to forcibly remove one of the activists from the chambers, video provided to The Oregonian/OregonLive shows.
Their altercation spilled into the hallway, with the activist claiming the security guard shoved him and the security guard claiming he’d been hit in the head.
The council meeting resumed several minutes later. A visibly miffed mayor chastised those behind the unruly behavior.
“I don’t care if you disagree profoundly with everything we say,” Wheeler said. “There is absolutely no place for violence in this chamber.”
Last week, the mayor was forced to shut down council proceedings after outbursts over the tent ban led to a testy, expletive-laden exchange.
— Shane Dixon Kavanaugh; 503-294-7632
Email at skavanaugh@oregonian.com
Follow on Twitter @shanedkavanaugh
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