PORTLAND, Maine — As the Portland Police Department continues its investigation into the shooting that happened over the weekend involving shots fired into the department’s parking garage, Portland city officials are speaking out against violence directed towards police officers.
Police say several shots were fired into the parking garage on Middle Street Sunday night. One police officer was inside the garage at the time, but one was hurt. Police have identified a person of interest, but no charges have been filed in connection with the shooting yet.
On Wednesday, Portland Mayor Kate Snyder and a handful of city councilors issued statements denouncing the violence.
Snyder said, “it’s critical that we don’t resort to violence.”
Portland City Councilor Pious Ali held a press conference Friday at 12 p.m. to address the recent violence towards police.
Ali said he condemns "any act of violence against the police department" and said he will dedicate his work as a city councilor to changing the system.
"I do believe that we are all operating in a system that is embedded in oppressive and systematic racism and so far as I remain an elected person in this city I will dedicate my work to changing the system we both operate in and, I am looking forward to working with you and my colleagues in creating policies and practices that is fair and equitable to everyone in our city," Ali said.
Watch the press conference here. Ali begins speaking around the 4:55-minute mark:
Mayor Kate Snyder's full statement:
“As we work together as a community toward equity, the dismantling of systemic racism, and ensuring our policies and procedures across the city are anti-racist, it’s critical that we don’t resort to violence. As we all continue to reel from the horrific events that have occurred across the country, and continue to happen, I want to thank those in our community who have spoken up, attended protests peacefully, and sent us emails calling for action. I am listening, and I pledge to work with my colleagues on the Council and people within the community to continue learning and implementing systems that reflect positive change. As we move forward on this journey, we must stand together against all forms of violence. I am grateful to Portland police officers who continue to serve our community through a host of unprecedented challenges.”
City Councilor Spencer Thibodeau:
“I stand with my colleagues in condemning these acts against our police department. Violence in any form has no place in our community and we are all obligated to call it out when we see it. As a policymaker, my job is to make certain that every member of our community is safe, including the men and women of our police department who put their lives on the line every day."
Thibodeau also shared a video message on Facebook:
City Councilor Nick Mavodones:
“I join my colleagues in denouncing these recent acts against our police department. We must work together to effect the change we want to see in our community, but not at the expense of officers who show up every day to serve us. We must continue to support everyone and not create divisions in our community.”
City Councilor Belinda Ray:
"There's a lot of tension across our country today, and rightly so. But in this time of necessary upheaval, we must resist dehumanizing one another, and that includes our police officers. Individual police officers who signed up to serve our community are being dehumanized, and that's making some people think that violence against them is acceptable. It's not. We are all complicit in our country's horrendous history of racism, and we must all work together to root out and eradicate it from our systems, policies, and institutions without doing further harm to one another."
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