City’s Police Review Refers Poster Intimidation Complaint to Internal Affairs

from the Portland Mercury

The city’s Independent Police Review has referred a complaint by Richard Prentice, the man who alleges he was arrested and intimidated in a holding cell for displaying anti-cop posters downtown, to internal affairs investigators for review.


Prentice was arrested, cited with “advertising on the street,” and thrown in a cell on June 14 for putting up an anti-cop poster on the federal courthouse—the posters, he says, were motivated by the in-custody death of James Chasse last fall, as well as his own alleged beating at the hands of North Portland officers last March.

Unusually, the Mercury was contacted by email following publication of its initial story on Prentice, by Sergeant Kyle Nice—one of the cops implicated in Prentice’s allegations, and pictured in his poster (above, top right).

In a letter to Prentice’s attorney, Benjamin Haile, dated August 1st, IPR director Leslie Stevens lists six conduct complaints against Prentice’s arresting officer, Matt Wells—intimidation, false or inappropriate arrest, threatening to use force, arrest in retaliation for the flier he was posting, and violation of Prentice’s right to free speech, as well as improperly handcuffing Prentice.

There are also three complaints each against Officer Christopher Humphries and Sergeant Kyle Nice—of intimidating Prentice with threats and insults, of violating his civil right to free speech, and illegally searching Prentice’s backpack.

Haile says he is pleased the IPR is taking his client’s complaint seriously. Download a copy of the IPR’s letter HERE.

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