PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — In an incident that was caught on camera on Wednesday, a Portland City Hall security guard who was pushed by an activist was injured, according to a city spokesperson on Thursday.
Carrie Belding told KOIN 6 News the security guard suffered a concussion as a result of the incident and that charges will be pressed.
The names of the security guard and the involved activist were not immediately made available.
Belding declined to answer if there would be changes to security at next Wednesday’s City Council meeting, but did add in an email that officials are “discussing a variety of ways to prevent these occurrences from happening in the future though, including adding more severe penalties for those involved.”
A KOIN 6 News crew was at the City Hall on Wednesday when they witnessed and caught the incident on video.
Video shows a man struggling with a security guard while the man was being forcibly removed from the chambers. The video also shows that after escorting the man into the hallway, the security held his head saying he “just hit his head.”
The man who was being removed from the chambers is heard on video saying “Get off me … I’m not fighting back. You shoved me, you shoved me, you shoved me in the door.”
The man who was being escorted out was part of a group of activists protesting against a moratorium on passing out tents and tarps to houseless people in Portland. The decision was made by Commissioner Rene Gonzalez in mid-February; Gonzalez defended the decision after a historic snowstorm slammed the region.
“I’m very disappointed that the disruptions led to violence,” Mayor Ted Wheeler said after a brief recess. “There’s no room for violence in this chamber. I don’t care if you disagree profoundly — violence is not acceptable, and I will ask again for this form of democracy to work, everyone has to abide by the rules.”