Anti-Trump protester sues Portland police, claims he was mistaken for car vandal

A Forest Grove man who says he was tackled and wrongfully detained when cops mistook him for a vandalism suspect at an anti-Donald Trump demonstration filed a $76,000 lawsuit against the Portland Police Bureau and Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, records show.

Daniel Martinez says he was among a throng of protesters marching against the newly minted president-elect on November 13, 2016, when officers threw him to the sidewalk on Southwest Yamhill Street, held him down with their knees and zip-tied his wrists.

The reason? Police believed he was a man suspected of vandalizing a car several days earlier, according to the suit filed Thursday in Multnomah County Circuit Court and first reported by Willamette Week.

The problem? That suspect — later arrested — was a black man who "bore no resemblance to Mr. Martinez," a Latino. In fact, Martinez was walking with a United Farm Workers flag — an emblem associated with Hispanic heritage — when he was tackled, the lawsuit alleges.

Martinez says he suffered injuries to his knees, chest and left shoulder. He also suffered lasting nerve damage to both  wrists, according to the lawsuit, which also lists the city of Portland and Multnomah County as defendants.

None of the listed defendants comment on pending litigation against them, per policy.

Martinez's legal claims are the latest to raise questions about the use of force by police in Portland.

In March, six protesters alleged in lawsuits filed by the ACLU of Oregon that Portland police, who have become "increasingly militarized in their tactics," assaulted them during a series of turbulent protests between October 2016 and June 2017.

Last month, two demonstrators filed separate notices of their plans to sue Portland police for injuries they claim they suffered while protesting a Patriot Prayer rally on Aug. 4.

-- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh
skavanaugh@oregonian.com
503-294-7632 || @shanedkavanaugh

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