Few details have emerged about Portland’s response to a rally of neo-Nazis that erupted in violence on the steps of City Hall back in April.
City officials said during a Monday afternoon council meeting that a report detailing the police response to the rally is mostly confidential because potential criminal charges for some of the participants are under review.
But a few recommendations are being made public. City officials said the Portland Police Department is now training officers on how to respond to First Amendment issues and hate crimes. And police are planning to improve the tracking of hate incidents and crimes, and intelligence capabilities and community policing efforts.
City Councilor Andrew Zarro believes those steps are a good start.
“In the moment, it was scary for our community. And we all wanted to act immediately. I think we have a roadmap in front of us now that’s showing that we’re going to do everything we can to make sure this won’t happen again in our community,” Zarro said.
But several Portland councilors said they’d like to see the city do more after an outpouring of concern from local residents.
A few of them, including Councilor Regina Phillips, said they don’t see the neo-Nazi rally as a First Amendment issue, and that the city’s plan doesn’t go far enough.
“I need more. I just need more. I actually need some kind of a plan that says that we’re going to specifically address bias in the police department,” Phillips said.
Portland officials said citywide staffing shortages have prevented the department from expanding its community policing division, but they hope that proposed pay increases will attract more candidates to the job.
This article appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.
