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Unger Incident Fire is North of Colton and 211. Any idea of cause on this fire? It was about 500 acres in size yesterday afternoon.
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Evacuation Orders
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Riverside Fire now 3% contained. I haven't seen anything listing it as human-caused, but if anyone has that I would like to see it.
I believe I heard that the Unger Road incident was entirely contained over last weekend. It's downwind proximity to the Riverside Fire implies burning ash fall, but with the humidity and wind we had last week it could easily have been a cigarette butt, backfiring car, lawn mower, or power line. Hopefully we get some answers from the eventual investigations; speculation is all over the place right now.
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For those of you still in harms' way, the rest of us are hoping you and yours make it through this safe and sound. For those of you who have been impacted/had lost, we hope you find peace in knowing these things are only temporary and you'll rebuild better than before.
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Riverside Fire is listed as human caused.
Source: Riverside Fire Information - InciWeb the Incident Information System
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Here's what I wrote elsewhere for the people arguing who's fault all of this is politically:
For those of you who want to argue over the cause of the devastating fires on the West Coast for political gain, here's a reality check...
"Meanwhile, husband and father Chris Tofte drove through roadblock after roadblock trying to get to the home near Lyons [Oregon]... He had left earlier to buy a generator and was frantic to return when he nearly ran over a badly burned woman crawling in the road.
"He helps her into the car and then he's saying, 'I'm really sorry but I've got to keep going because my family is up there,'" said relative Susan Vaslev... 'He said, "I got to get up to my son and my wife."'
'I am your wife,' whispered Angela Mosso, ...critically burned, she had run three miles. If she'd been wearing shoes, they had melted off her feet before her husband found her."
At this point it's not about fault finding and politics. It's about human beings dying and losing everything they have. It's about fleeing into the night not knowing where to go, leaving everything behind, never to see it again.
The cold truth is that the Beachie Creek fire that killed these people smoldered for weeks on a few acres, was reported repeatedly, and was not addressed until it blew up into a 200,000 acre fire. The truth is that the climate is getting drier and hotter. The truth is that historical logging and forest maintenance has been curtailed over the last 30 years. The truth is that dozens of individuals have been arrested for setting wild fires. The truth is that government policy has tied the hands of fire fighters and prevented them from doing their jobs.
Instead of defending the people who let this happen because of partisan politics, we need to address the causes of all of these factors that permitted this disaster to happen. Real people died. Real people had their lives ruined. Real people need our help NOW!
For those of you who want to argue over the cause of the devastating fires on the West Coast for political gain, here's a reality check...
"Meanwhile, husband and father Chris Tofte drove through roadblock after roadblock trying to get to the home near Lyons [Oregon]... He had left earlier to buy a generator and was frantic to return when he nearly ran over a badly burned woman crawling in the road.
"He helps her into the car and then he's saying, 'I'm really sorry but I've got to keep going because my family is up there,'" said relative Susan Vaslev... 'He said, "I got to get up to my son and my wife."'
'I am your wife,' whispered Angela Mosso, ...critically burned, she had run three miles. If she'd been wearing shoes, they had melted off her feet before her husband found her."
At this point it's not about fault finding and politics. It's about human beings dying and losing everything they have. It's about fleeing into the night not knowing where to go, leaving everything behind, never to see it again.
The cold truth is that the Beachie Creek fire that killed these people smoldered for weeks on a few acres, was reported repeatedly, and was not addressed until it blew up into a 200,000 acre fire. The truth is that the climate is getting drier and hotter. The truth is that historical logging and forest maintenance has been curtailed over the last 30 years. The truth is that dozens of individuals have been arrested for setting wild fires. The truth is that government policy has tied the hands of fire fighters and prevented them from doing their jobs.
Instead of defending the people who let this happen because of partisan politics, we need to address the causes of all of these factors that permitted this disaster to happen. Real people died. Real people had their lives ruined. Real people need our help NOW!
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I went to high school with Chris, he and my brother were quite good friends. He went through a lot trying to get to his family, such a sad story.
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How does arguing over the cause of a tragedy take away from the reality of the tragedy?
Yes, it's horrible and people have died, suffered immeasurably, and lost everything. Debating as to why it happened and who is at fault does not mean that those doing so do not grasp the level of suffering or are dismissive of it.
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We live in an age of political correctness. The reports from all agencies are processed to put the best "spin" possible on the narrative. Remember the first victim of war is the truth.
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Claiming that one thing or another was *THE* cause in order to deflect blame and score political points is what's going on. That's despicable.
Agreed. It can be mismanaged forests. It can be climate change. It can be arson. It can be human caused but unintentional. It can be natural. In fact, there is evidence of all of the above over the past week alone.
The only people with an agenda are those saying it's entirely caused by one thing.
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Humans have contributed to the wildfire problem by interrupting nature. We have populated forested areas and we attempt to extinguish just about every fire that comes along. The forest burned long before climate change became trendy. This was natural and healthy for the forest. Humans today for many reasons, don't allow that natural process to occur very often any more. The result will be times when we can't control nature and humans will suffer. The humans who have populated forested areas or areas bordering forest will suffer the most. If we are going to continue extinguishing most wildfires then we will have to find another way to recreate what those wildfires did for the forest in the past. It will not be cheap! I know first hand what it takes to clean up even a small section of forest. It is hard work and takes a lot of time. Controlled burning would be much more efficient but not an option in the forest where I have been working.
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I could do a controlled burn on my property today and have no problems. The flames wouldn't get over 12" tall.
But my neighbor's property, the City of Eugene, would be like lighting a fire bomb.
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Your place looks great. I have done the same to my place which is dominated by Ponderosa, Juniper, etc in a drier part of the State. Before we came along a majority of the forest likely looked like your place but now much of the forest looks worse than your neighbors place. I have the same problem with my absentee neighbors. I have extended my work in to the forest but it is slow going. I hope one day my neighbors will show up and take care of their properties. For now I enjoy the peace and quiet of no neighbors.
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ARMED CIVILIAN ROADBLOCKS: interesting how this was played in the media. PLEASE SEE BELOW....
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Armed civilian roadblocks in Oregon town fuel fears over vigilantism
Oregon
People driving in Corbett describe being stopped by militias and asked to identify themselves as fires burn
Jason Wilson in Portland
@jason_a_w
Wed 16 Sep 2020 16.33 EDT Last modified on Wed 16 Sep 2020 17.29 EDT
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A fire warning sign is seen through the smoke in Sandy, Oregon, on Monday. Photograph: Rachel La Corte/AP
As Oregon battles more than a dozen wildfires and rumors about looters and arsonists flare, the appearance of armed civilian checkpoints has sparked a fierce debate about vigilante activity and how law enforcement should respond.
Residents of the unincorporated town of Corbett in Multnomah county met with law enforcement officials on Saturday evening, after several people complained of being subjected to illegal roadblocks the previous night.
Vigilante groups had sprung up on Friday afternoon, after the detonation of a firecracker led to a brushfire on private property that was quickly extinguished.
Civilian residents, some heavily armed, set up at least two roadblocks with cars and household chairs, according to residents and recordings obtained by the Guardian. Drivers who were stopped said they were asked to identify themselves and their connection to the town and claimed that on at least two occasions, police were on the scene and did not intervene in the illegal traffic stops.
One of those stopped, Latoya Robinson, had recently evacuated with her family from Sandy, Oregon, to what she thought would be the relative safety of Corbett, where she was staying with a friend.
Firefighters battle on in Oregon, scouring ruins for the missing
Read more
Robinson said she and her children were stopped in their car between 6.30 and 7pm on Friday at the junction of Louden and Littlepage Roads, at a roadblock with "at least four vehicles" parked nearby.
Her description is confirmed by a cellphone video made of the aftermath of the stop by one of her children.
The men who stopped her, most of whom were armed, were dressed in "hunting style clothes, camouflage", she said, and did not identify themselves or mention any legal authority under which they were acting.
Robinson said she was questioned by a "heavily armed" man carrying a AR-style long gun and a visible sidearm. She said the man asked at one point: "You're not from around here, are you?" which Robinson, who is African American, understood as having racist overtones.
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A sign reads 'Looters Get Shot' outside a residence in Molalla, Oregon, on Sunday. Photograph: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images
Eventually the men let her pass on to her friend's place. On her return journey, she was stopped again. She said she saw two Multnomah county sheriff's office (MCSO) cruisers stopped by the roadblock, and an officer talking with one of the people running it. She said the deputies did nothing to intervene in the illegal stop.
Another local resident, who asked not to be named due to safety concerns, said she had been stopped on Friday evening in a similar fashion on Louden. She said she saw an MCSO cruiser driving in her direction, away from a second roadblock structure 50 yards ahead, leading her to assume that police were aware of the vigilante activities.
Concerns over a town meeting
Multnomah is the state's most populous county, taking in the city of Portland and points east, including outer-metropolitan Gresham and several unincorporated communities near the entrance of the Columbia River Gorge, including Bridal Veil, Orient, and Corbett.
Social media appeared to have played a central role in setting up the events in Corbett. Corbett's main (and private) local Facebook group last week was consumed with rumors of "antifa" militants traveling up into the Columbia River Gorge to set fires and destroy the town.
On Friday, one member of the Corbett area group wrote: "It seems like the militants are burning out/up the rural folks closest to the cities because the only way they can fight is dirty vs the more conservative/rural folks would hand them their @$$es in an altercation."
In response, a member who had been promoting an armed response wrote: "That's exactly what we were thinking. At least most of us can mobilize and bring our arsenal with us."
The same day, elsewhere, another wrote: "Residents are guarding at the bottom of Louden on their own with the blessing of police … Police said to do what you must. I thank these residents for being our watchdog."
The Multnomah county sheriff, Michael Reese, however, put out a video on Saturday warning residents to not set roadblocks or "stand in a travel lane".
Reese would go on to issue another statement on Friday's events later that night, saying: "The sheriff's office will not tolerate illegal activity of any kind, including illegal roadblocks."
Town residents gathered outside the Corbett fire station later that night. Videos on YouTube show a Corbett school board member, Todd Redfern, opening the meeting by referring to the previous night's events. "A couple of people were upset that we were stopping them. I mean, we weren't stopping them, that we were there: they were upset we were there," Corbett told residents gathered in the car park of the Corbett fire station.
Redfern ran through logistical details for further patrols. "We've been running good and strong at both checkpoints, Louden and Larch Mountain, until the wee hours – two o'clock or something," he said, according to the video. "If anybody here can actually come in at one o'clock, two o'clock and release the guys until the next morning when more people can come, that would be greatly appreciated."
A separate audio recording obtained by the Guardian documents the sheriff's sergeant Bryan White speaking after Redfern and echoing the sheriff's warning about setting up roadblocks. But White did not explicitly discourage further citizen patrols and went on to indicate that the MCSO would be comfortable with a range of actions that stopped short of that, saying that "openly displaying firearms ... is not something we're gonna get excited about"; that taking "photos of cars and even license plates" could produce "a great resource" for police; and that "standing on the side of the road, parking on the side of the road, 20 deep, with signs and flashers on, that's fantastic".
Instead of stopping cars, White says, residents can take pictures and record license plates.
"It's a great way to make folks know that they're being watched without actually standing in the middle of the road and making people feel like they are going to have to stop," White said.
He added such actions may be useful to police, since "if we need help later to track down a car, you guys are a great resource, as far as photos of cars and even license plates. If you want to sit there and write down license plates of cars as they drive by, obviously that's fine."
Asked to clarify the meaning of "suspicious", the deputy said "suspicious is anything that feels out of place to you", adding "you know your neighborhood and know what your neighbor drives" and "anything that feels out of place to you, just listen to your gut because nine times out of 10 your gut is right".
White also warns that Oregon's strict laws on menacing have a low threshold. "Most folks here have been around firearms long enough, have been responsible firearms owners and understand that you can still protect yourself with a firearm and do so in a tactful manner that does not necessarily draw attention to it right away, or make anybody else feel uneasy while you're having a conversation with them," he said.
Hope Beraka, a local resident who attended the meeting, said she viewed it as a "recruiting and organizing event" for local vigilante groups and that she saw comments made by White as "an hour of encouragement" for vigilante action short of roadblocks.
The Multnomah county sheriff's office (MCSCO) said the meeting and the deputy's remarks were in no way meant to encourage vigilante patrols. "MCSO does not support or tolerate such activity, and it is illegal," the department said.
"Sgt White was asked to speak on our efforts to keep the community safe, through high-visibility and other special patrols, and to inform residents what they legally could and could not do," the department said.
In response to further, detailed questions on White's remarks, and whether it would be better to explicitly discourage citizen patrols, MCSO said it would not comment without access to the full audio recording, provided by a confidential source, but it added: "At the onset of the reports of roadblocks on Friday night, we published a thread message on social media strongly discouraging the activity."
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A firefighter surveys a field near the Riverside fire on Sunday in Glen Avon, Oregon. Photograph: Nathan Howard/Getty Images
Other residents were uncomfortable with the tenor of the meeting. At one point, a resident takes issue with the group and its methods. "I own firearms, I believe in firearms, I believe in the second amendment. I also believe that an armed group of citizens is a militia. I also believe that checkpoints with armed citizens is against the law," he said.
The man tells the group to "drop the guns", adding that "I don't feel safe in my community" before being shouted down and briefly approached by another man seeking to stop him from talking.
Here in fire-stricken Oregon, an old way of life is gone
Erica Berry
Read more
Redfern, the school board member who addressed the meeting, did not respond directly to detailed questions about his role in the events and directed the Guardian to another resident who had been involved in the militia patrols.
Fears of emboldened vigilantes
Reports of vigilante activity in rural Oregon have multiplied as first responders struggle to keep up with the wildfire emergency, and baseless rumors that "antifa" arsonists are to blame spread rapidly on social media. On Thursday, a photojournalist reported being held up by armed men in Estacada, Oregon, and three journalists were confronted by civilians armed with assault rifles in Molalla.
Several local residents told the Guardian the sheriff's office instructions to halt illegal stops had immediate effect, and that there had been no further checkpoints or roadblocks since Saturday's meeting.
But some also said they were worried that the meeting would embolden armed vigilantism in a town where they say some nurse a profound suspicion of outsiders and newcomers, and others are openly racist.
One local resident, who asked not to be named, citing safety concerns, said the incidents were in line with the experiences of her family and others, including people of color.
"The more people we meet, especially people of color, the more we learn about these experiences. It's really disappointing," the resident said.
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Armed civilian roadblocks in Oregon town fuel fears over vigilantism
Oregon
People driving in Corbett describe being stopped by militias and asked to identify themselves as fires burn
Jason Wilson in Portland
@jason_a_w
Wed 16 Sep 2020 16.33 EDT Last modified on Wed 16 Sep 2020 17.29 EDT
Shares
1296
A fire warning sign is seen through the smoke in Sandy, Oregon, on Monday. Photograph: Rachel La Corte/AP
As Oregon battles more than a dozen wildfires and rumors about looters and arsonists flare, the appearance of armed civilian checkpoints has sparked a fierce debate about vigilante activity and how law enforcement should respond.
Residents of the unincorporated town of Corbett in Multnomah county met with law enforcement officials on Saturday evening, after several people complained of being subjected to illegal roadblocks the previous night.
Vigilante groups had sprung up on Friday afternoon, after the detonation of a firecracker led to a brushfire on private property that was quickly extinguished.
Civilian residents, some heavily armed, set up at least two roadblocks with cars and household chairs, according to residents and recordings obtained by the Guardian. Drivers who were stopped said they were asked to identify themselves and their connection to the town and claimed that on at least two occasions, police were on the scene and did not intervene in the illegal traffic stops.
One of those stopped, Latoya Robinson, had recently evacuated with her family from Sandy, Oregon, to what she thought would be the relative safety of Corbett, where she was staying with a friend.
Firefighters battle on in Oregon, scouring ruins for the missing
Read more
Robinson said she and her children were stopped in their car between 6.30 and 7pm on Friday at the junction of Louden and Littlepage Roads, at a roadblock with "at least four vehicles" parked nearby.
Her description is confirmed by a cellphone video made of the aftermath of the stop by one of her children.
The men who stopped her, most of whom were armed, were dressed in "hunting style clothes, camouflage", she said, and did not identify themselves or mention any legal authority under which they were acting.
Robinson said she was questioned by a "heavily armed" man carrying a AR-style long gun and a visible sidearm. She said the man asked at one point: "You're not from around here, are you?" which Robinson, who is African American, understood as having racist overtones.
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Pinterest
A sign reads 'Looters Get Shot' outside a residence in Molalla, Oregon, on Sunday. Photograph: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images
Eventually the men let her pass on to her friend's place. On her return journey, she was stopped again. She said she saw two Multnomah county sheriff's office (MCSO) cruisers stopped by the roadblock, and an officer talking with one of the people running it. She said the deputies did nothing to intervene in the illegal stop.
Another local resident, who asked not to be named due to safety concerns, said she had been stopped on Friday evening in a similar fashion on Louden. She said she saw an MCSO cruiser driving in her direction, away from a second roadblock structure 50 yards ahead, leading her to assume that police were aware of the vigilante activities.
Concerns over a town meeting
Multnomah is the state's most populous county, taking in the city of Portland and points east, including outer-metropolitan Gresham and several unincorporated communities near the entrance of the Columbia River Gorge, including Bridal Veil, Orient, and Corbett.
Social media appeared to have played a central role in setting up the events in Corbett. Corbett's main (and private) local Facebook group last week was consumed with rumors of "antifa" militants traveling up into the Columbia River Gorge to set fires and destroy the town.
On Friday, one member of the Corbett area group wrote: "It seems like the militants are burning out/up the rural folks closest to the cities because the only way they can fight is dirty vs the more conservative/rural folks would hand them their @$$es in an altercation."
In response, a member who had been promoting an armed response wrote: "That's exactly what we were thinking. At least most of us can mobilize and bring our arsenal with us."
The same day, elsewhere, another wrote: "Residents are guarding at the bottom of Louden on their own with the blessing of police … Police said to do what you must. I thank these residents for being our watchdog."
The Multnomah county sheriff, Michael Reese, however, put out a video on Saturday warning residents to not set roadblocks or "stand in a travel lane".
Reese would go on to issue another statement on Friday's events later that night, saying: "The sheriff's office will not tolerate illegal activity of any kind, including illegal roadblocks."
Town residents gathered outside the Corbett fire station later that night. Videos on YouTube show a Corbett school board member, Todd Redfern, opening the meeting by referring to the previous night's events. "A couple of people were upset that we were stopping them. I mean, we weren't stopping them, that we were there: they were upset we were there," Corbett told residents gathered in the car park of the Corbett fire station.
Redfern ran through logistical details for further patrols. "We've been running good and strong at both checkpoints, Louden and Larch Mountain, until the wee hours – two o'clock or something," he said, according to the video. "If anybody here can actually come in at one o'clock, two o'clock and release the guys until the next morning when more people can come, that would be greatly appreciated."
A separate audio recording obtained by the Guardian documents the sheriff's sergeant Bryan White speaking after Redfern and echoing the sheriff's warning about setting up roadblocks. But White did not explicitly discourage further citizen patrols and went on to indicate that the MCSO would be comfortable with a range of actions that stopped short of that, saying that "openly displaying firearms ... is not something we're gonna get excited about"; that taking "photos of cars and even license plates" could produce "a great resource" for police; and that "standing on the side of the road, parking on the side of the road, 20 deep, with signs and flashers on, that's fantastic".
Instead of stopping cars, White says, residents can take pictures and record license plates.
"It's a great way to make folks know that they're being watched without actually standing in the middle of the road and making people feel like they are going to have to stop," White said.
He added such actions may be useful to police, since "if we need help later to track down a car, you guys are a great resource, as far as photos of cars and even license plates. If you want to sit there and write down license plates of cars as they drive by, obviously that's fine."
Asked to clarify the meaning of "suspicious", the deputy said "suspicious is anything that feels out of place to you", adding "you know your neighborhood and know what your neighbor drives" and "anything that feels out of place to you, just listen to your gut because nine times out of 10 your gut is right".
White also warns that Oregon's strict laws on menacing have a low threshold. "Most folks here have been around firearms long enough, have been responsible firearms owners and understand that you can still protect yourself with a firearm and do so in a tactful manner that does not necessarily draw attention to it right away, or make anybody else feel uneasy while you're having a conversation with them," he said.
Hope Beraka, a local resident who attended the meeting, said she viewed it as a "recruiting and organizing event" for local vigilante groups and that she saw comments made by White as "an hour of encouragement" for vigilante action short of roadblocks.
The Multnomah county sheriff's office (MCSCO) said the meeting and the deputy's remarks were in no way meant to encourage vigilante patrols. "MCSO does not support or tolerate such activity, and it is illegal," the department said.
"Sgt White was asked to speak on our efforts to keep the community safe, through high-visibility and other special patrols, and to inform residents what they legally could and could not do," the department said.
In response to further, detailed questions on White's remarks, and whether it would be better to explicitly discourage citizen patrols, MCSO said it would not comment without access to the full audio recording, provided by a confidential source, but it added: "At the onset of the reports of roadblocks on Friday night, we published a thread message on social media strongly discouraging the activity."
Facebook Twitter
Pinterest
A firefighter surveys a field near the Riverside fire on Sunday in Glen Avon, Oregon. Photograph: Nathan Howard/Getty Images
Other residents were uncomfortable with the tenor of the meeting. At one point, a resident takes issue with the group and its methods. "I own firearms, I believe in firearms, I believe in the second amendment. I also believe that an armed group of citizens is a militia. I also believe that checkpoints with armed citizens is against the law," he said.
The man tells the group to "drop the guns", adding that "I don't feel safe in my community" before being shouted down and briefly approached by another man seeking to stop him from talking.
Here in fire-stricken Oregon, an old way of life is gone
Erica Berry
Read more
Redfern, the school board member who addressed the meeting, did not respond directly to detailed questions about his role in the events and directed the Guardian to another resident who had been involved in the militia patrols.
Fears of emboldened vigilantes
Reports of vigilante activity in rural Oregon have multiplied as first responders struggle to keep up with the wildfire emergency, and baseless rumors that "antifa" arsonists are to blame spread rapidly on social media. On Thursday, a photojournalist reported being held up by armed men in Estacada, Oregon, and three journalists were confronted by civilians armed with assault rifles in Molalla.
Several local residents told the Guardian the sheriff's office instructions to halt illegal stops had immediate effect, and that there had been no further checkpoints or roadblocks since Saturday's meeting.
But some also said they were worried that the meeting would embolden armed vigilantism in a town where they say some nurse a profound suspicion of outsiders and newcomers, and others are openly racist.
One local resident, who asked not to be named, citing safety concerns, said the incidents were in line with the experiences of her family and others, including people of color.
"The more people we meet, especially people of color, the more we learn about these experiences. It's really disappointing," the resident said.
America faces an epic choice ...
... in the coming months, and the results will define the country for a generation. These are perilous times. Over the last three years, much of what the Guardian holds dear has been threatened – democracy, civility, truth.
The country is at a crossroads. Science is in a battle with conjecture and instinct to determine policy in the middle of a pandemic. At the same time, the US is reckoning with centuries of racial injustice – as the White House stokes division along racial lines. At a time like this, an independent news organization that fights for truth and holds power to account is not just optional. It is essential.
Like many news organizations, the Guardian has been significantly impacted by the pandemic. We rely to an ever greater extent on our readers, both for the moral force to continue doing journalism at a time like this and for the financial strength to facilitate that reporting.
You've read more than 17 articles in the last year. We believe every one of us deserves equal access to fact-based news and analysis. We've decided to keep Guardian journalism free for all readers, regardless of where they live or what they can afford to pay. This is made possible thanks to the support we receive from readers across America in all 50 states.
As our business model comes under even greater pressure, we'd love your help so that we can carry on our essential work. If you can, support the Guardian from as little as $1 – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.
Support The Guardian
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Armed civilian roadblocks in Oregon town fuel fears over vigilantism
Oregon
People driving in Corbett describe being stopped by militias and asked to identify themselves as fires burn
Jason Wilson in Portland
@jason_a_w
Wed 16 Sep 2020 16.33 EDT Last modified on Wed 16 Sep 2020 17.29 EDT
Shares
1296
A fire warning sign is seen through the smoke in Sandy, Oregon, on Monday. Photograph: Rachel La Corte/AP
As Oregon battles more than a dozen wildfires and rumors about looters and arsonists flare, the appearance of armed civilian checkpoints has sparked a fierce debate about vigilante activity and how law enforcement should respond.
Residents of the unincorporated town of Corbett in Multnomah county met with law enforcement officials on Saturday evening, after several people complained of being subjected to illegal roadblocks the previous night.
Vigilante groups had sprung up on Friday afternoon, after the detonation of a firecracker led to a brushfire on private property that was quickly extinguished.
Civilian residents, some heavily armed, set up at least two roadblocks with cars and household chairs, according to residents and recordings obtained by the Guardian. Drivers who were stopped said they were asked to identify themselves and their connection to the town and claimed that on at least two occasions, police were on the scene and did not intervene in the illegal traffic stops.
One of those stopped, Latoya Robinson, had recently evacuated with her family from Sandy, Oregon, to what she thought would be the relative safety of Corbett, where she was staying with a friend.
Firefighters battle on in Oregon, scouring ruins for the missing
Read more
Robinson said she and her children were stopped in their car between 6.30 and 7pm on Friday at the junction of Louden and Littlepage Roads, at a roadblock with "at least four vehicles" parked nearby.
Her description is confirmed by a cellphone video made of the aftermath of the stop by one of her children.
The men who stopped her, most of whom were armed, were dressed in "hunting style clothes, camouflage", she said, and did not identify themselves or mention any legal authority under which they were acting.
Robinson said she was questioned by a "heavily armed" man carrying a AR-style long gun and a visible sidearm. She said the man asked at one point: "You're not from around here, are you?" which Robinson, who is African American, understood as having racist overtones.
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A sign reads 'Looters Get Shot' outside a residence in Molalla, Oregon, on Sunday. Photograph: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images
Eventually the men let her pass on to her friend's place. On her return journey, she was stopped again. She said she saw two Multnomah county sheriff's office (MCSO) cruisers stopped by the roadblock, and an officer talking with one of the people running it. She said the deputies did nothing to intervene in the illegal stop.
Another local resident, who asked not to be named due to safety concerns, said she had been stopped on Friday evening in a similar fashion on Louden. She said she saw an MCSO cruiser driving in her direction, away from a second roadblock structure 50 yards ahead, leading her to assume that police were aware of the vigilante activities.
Concerns over a town meeting
Multnomah is the state's most populous county, taking in the city of Portland and points east, including outer-metropolitan Gresham and several unincorporated communities near the entrance of the Columbia River Gorge, including Bridal Veil, Orient, and Corbett.
Social media appeared to have played a central role in setting up the events in Corbett. Corbett's main (and private) local Facebook group last week was consumed with rumors of "antifa" militants traveling up into the Columbia River Gorge to set fires and destroy the town.
On Friday, one member of the Corbett area group wrote: "It seems like the militants are burning out/up the rural folks closest to the cities because the only way they can fight is dirty vs the more conservative/rural folks would hand them their @$$es in an altercation."
In response, a member who had been promoting an armed response wrote: "That's exactly what we were thinking. At least most of us can mobilize and bring our arsenal with us."
The same day, elsewhere, another wrote: "Residents are guarding at the bottom of Louden on their own with the blessing of police … Police said to do what you must. I thank these residents for being our watchdog."
The Multnomah county sheriff, Michael Reese, however, put out a video on Saturday warning residents to not set roadblocks or "stand in a travel lane".
Reese would go on to issue another statement on Friday's events later that night, saying: "The sheriff's office will not tolerate illegal activity of any kind, including illegal roadblocks."
Town residents gathered outside the Corbett fire station later that night. Videos on YouTube show a Corbett school board member, Todd Redfern, opening the meeting by referring to the previous night's events. "A couple of people were upset that we were stopping them. I mean, we weren't stopping them, that we were there: they were upset we were there," Corbett told residents gathered in the car park of the Corbett fire station.
Redfern ran through logistical details for further patrols. "We've been running good and strong at both checkpoints, Louden and Larch Mountain, until the wee hours – two o'clock or something," he said, according to the video. "If anybody here can actually come in at one o'clock, two o'clock and release the guys until the next morning when more people can come, that would be greatly appreciated."
A separate audio recording obtained by the Guardian documents the sheriff's sergeant Bryan White speaking after Redfern and echoing the sheriff's warning about setting up roadblocks. But White did not explicitly discourage further citizen patrols and went on to indicate that the MCSO would be comfortable with a range of actions that stopped short of that, saying that "openly displaying firearms ... is not something we're gonna get excited about"; that taking "photos of cars and even license plates" could produce "a great resource" for police; and that "standing on the side of the road, parking on the side of the road, 20 deep, with signs and flashers on, that's fantastic".
Instead of stopping cars, White says, residents can take pictures and record license plates.
"It's a great way to make folks know that they're being watched without actually standing in the middle of the road and making people feel like they are going to have to stop," White said.
He added such actions may be useful to police, since "if we need help later to track down a car, you guys are a great resource, as far as photos of cars and even license plates. If you want to sit there and write down license plates of cars as they drive by, obviously that's fine."
Asked to clarify the meaning of "suspicious", the deputy said "suspicious is anything that feels out of place to you", adding "you know your neighborhood and know what your neighbor drives" and "anything that feels out of place to you, just listen to your gut because nine times out of 10 your gut is right".
White also warns that Oregon's strict laws on menacing have a low threshold. "Most folks here have been around firearms long enough, have been responsible firearms owners and understand that you can still protect yourself with a firearm and do so in a tactful manner that does not necessarily draw attention to it right away, or make anybody else feel uneasy while you're having a conversation with them," he said.
Hope Beraka, a local resident who attended the meeting, said she viewed it as a "recruiting and organizing event" for local vigilante groups and that she saw comments made by White as "an hour of encouragement" for vigilante action short of roadblocks.
The Multnomah county sheriff's office (MCSCO) said the meeting and the deputy's remarks were in no way meant to encourage vigilante patrols. "MCSO does not support or tolerate such activity, and it is illegal," the department said.
"Sgt White was asked to speak on our efforts to keep the community safe, through high-visibility and other special patrols, and to inform residents what they legally could and could not do," the department said.
In response to further, detailed questions on White's remarks, and whether it would be better to explicitly discourage citizen patrols, MCSO said it would not comment without access to the full audio recording, provided by a confidential source, but it added: "At the onset of the reports of roadblocks on Friday night, we published a thread message on social media strongly discouraging the activity."
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A firefighter surveys a field near the Riverside fire on Sunday in Glen Avon, Oregon. Photograph: Nathan Howard/Getty Images
Other residents were uncomfortable with the tenor of the meeting. At one point, a resident takes issue with the group and its methods. "I own firearms, I believe in firearms, I believe in the second amendment. I also believe that an armed group of citizens is a militia. I also believe that checkpoints with armed citizens is against the law," he said.
The man tells the group to "drop the guns", adding that "I don't feel safe in my community" before being shouted down and briefly approached by another man seeking to stop him from talking.
Here in fire-stricken Oregon, an old way of life is gone
Erica Berry
Read more
Redfern, the school board member who addressed the meeting, did not respond directly to detailed questions about his role in the events and directed the Guardian to another resident who had been involved in the militia patrols.
Fears of emboldened vigilantes
Reports of vigilante activity in rural Oregon have multiplied as first responders struggle to keep up with the wildfire emergency, and baseless rumors that "antifa" arsonists are to blame spread rapidly on social media. On Thursday, a photojournalist reported being held up by armed men in Estacada, Oregon, and three journalists were confronted by civilians armed with assault rifles in Molalla.
Several local residents told the Guardian the sheriff's office instructions to halt illegal stops had immediate effect, and that there had been no further checkpoints or roadblocks since Saturday's meeting.
But some also said they were worried that the meeting would embolden armed vigilantism in a town where they say some nurse a profound suspicion of outsiders and newcomers, and others are openly racist.
One local resident, who asked not to be named, citing safety concerns, said the incidents were in line with the experiences of her family and others, including people of color.
"The more people we meet, especially people of color, the more we learn about these experiences. It's really disappointing," the resident said.
America faces an epic choice ...
... in the coming months, and the results will define the country for a generation. These are perilous times. Over the last three years, much of what the Guardian holds dear has been threatened – democracy, civility, truth.
The country is at a crossroads. Science is in a battle with conjecture and instinct to determine policy in the middle of a pandemic. At the same time, the US is reckoning with centuries of racial injustice – as the White House stokes division along racial lines. At a time like this, an independent news organization that fights for truth and holds power to account is not just optional. It is essential.
Like many news organizations, the Guardian has been significantly impacted by the pandemic. We rely to an ever greater extent on our readers, both for the moral force to continue doing journalism at a time like this and for the financial strength to facilitate that reporting.
You've read more than 17 articles in the last year. We believe every one of us deserves equal access to fact-based news and analysis. We've decided to keep Guardian journalism free for all readers, regardless of where they live or what they can afford to pay. This is made possible thanks to the support we receive from readers across America in all 50 states.
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Armed civilian roadblocks in Oregon town fuel fears over vigilantism
Oregon
People driving in Corbett describe being stopped by militias and asked to identify themselves as fires burn
Jason Wilson in Portland
@jason_a_w
Wed 16 Sep 2020 16.33 EDT Last modified on Wed 16 Sep 2020 17.29 EDT
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A fire warning sign is seen through the smoke in Sandy, Oregon, on Monday. Photograph: Rachel La Corte/AP
As Oregon battles more than a dozen wildfires and rumors about looters and arsonists flare, the appearance of armed civilian checkpoints has sparked a fierce debate about vigilante activity and how law enforcement should respond.
Residents of the unincorporated town of Corbett in Multnomah county met with law enforcement officials on Saturday evening, after several people complained of being subjected to illegal roadblocks the previous night.
Vigilante groups had sprung up on Friday afternoon, after the detonation of a firecracker led to a brushfire on private property that was quickly extinguished.
Civilian residents, some heavily armed, set up at least two roadblocks with cars and household chairs, according to residents and recordings obtained by the Guardian. Drivers who were stopped said they were asked to identify themselves and their connection to the town and claimed that on at least two occasions, police were on the scene and did not intervene in the illegal traffic stops.
One of those stopped, Latoya Robinson, had recently evacuated with her family from Sandy, Oregon, to what she thought would be the relative safety of Corbett, where she was staying with a friend.
Firefighters battle on in Oregon, scouring ruins for the missing
Read more
Robinson said she and her children were stopped in their car between 6.30 and 7pm on Friday at the junction of Louden and Littlepage Roads, at a roadblock with "at least four vehicles" parked nearby.
Her description is confirmed by a cellphone video made of the aftermath of the stop by one of her children.
The men who stopped her, most of whom were armed, were dressed in "hunting style clothes, camouflage", she said, and did not identify themselves or mention any legal authority under which they were acting.
Robinson said she was questioned by a "heavily armed" man carrying a AR-style long gun and a visible sidearm. She said the man asked at one point: "You're not from around here, are you?" which Robinson, who is African American, understood as having racist overtones.
Facebook Twitter
A sign reads 'Looters Get Shot' outside a residence in Molalla, Oregon, on Sunday. Photograph: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images
Eventually the men let her pass on to her friend's place. On her return journey, she was stopped again. She said she saw two Multnomah county sheriff's office (MCSO) cruisers stopped by the roadblock, and an officer talking with one of the people running it. She said the deputies did nothing to intervene in the illegal stop.
Another local resident, who asked not to be named due to safety concerns, said she had been stopped on Friday evening in a similar fashion on Louden. She said she saw an MCSO cruiser driving in her direction, away from a second roadblock structure 50 yards ahead, leading her to assume that police were aware of the vigilante activities.
Concerns over a town meeting
Multnomah is the state's most populous county, taking in the city of Portland and points east, including outer-metropolitan Gresham and several unincorporated communities near the entrance of the Columbia River Gorge, including Bridal Veil, Orient, and Corbett.
Social media appeared to have played a central role in setting up the events in Corbett. Corbett's main (and private) local Facebook group last week was consumed with rumors of "antifa" militants traveling up into the Columbia River Gorge to set fires and destroy the town.
On Friday, one member of the Corbett area group wrote: "It seems like the militants are burning out/up the rural folks closest to the cities because the only way they can fight is dirty vs the more conservative/rural folks would hand them their @$$es in an altercation."
In response, a member who had been promoting an armed response wrote: "That's exactly what we were thinking. At least most of us can mobilize and bring our arsenal with us."
The same day, elsewhere, another wrote: "Residents are guarding at the bottom of Louden on their own with the blessing of police … Police said to do what you must. I thank these residents for being our watchdog."
The Multnomah county sheriff, Michael Reese, however, put out a video on Saturday warning residents to not set roadblocks or "stand in a travel lane".
Reese would go on to issue another statement on Friday's events later that night, saying: "The sheriff's office will not tolerate illegal activity of any kind, including illegal roadblocks."
Town residents gathered outside the Corbett fire station later that night. Videos on YouTube show a Corbett school board member, Todd Redfern, opening the meeting by referring to the previous night's events. "A couple of people were upset that we were stopping them. I mean, we weren't stopping them, that we were there: they were upset we were there," Corbett told residents gathered in the car park of the Corbett fire station.
Redfern ran through logistical details for further patrols. "We've been running good and strong at both checkpoints, Louden and Larch Mountain, until the wee hours – two o'clock or something," he said, according to the video. "If anybody here can actually come in at one o'clock, two o'clock and release the guys until the next morning when more people can come, that would be greatly appreciated."
A separate audio recording obtained by the Guardian documents the sheriff's sergeant Bryan White speaking after Redfern and echoing the sheriff's warning about setting up roadblocks. But White did not explicitly discourage further citizen patrols and went on to indicate that the MCSO would be comfortable with a range of actions that stopped short of that, saying that "openly displaying firearms ... is not something we're gonna get excited about"; that taking "photos of cars and even license plates" could produce "a great resource" for police; and that "standing on the side of the road, parking on the side of the road, 20 deep, with signs and flashers on, that's fantastic".
Instead of stopping cars, White says, residents can take pictures and record license plates.
"It's a great way to make folks know that they're being watched without actually standing in the middle of the road and making people feel like they are going to have to stop," White said.
He added such actions may be useful to police, since "if we need help later to track down a car, you guys are a great resource, as far as photos of cars and even license plates. If you want to sit there and write down license plates of cars as they drive by, obviously that's fine."
Asked to clarify the meaning of "suspicious", the deputy said "suspicious is anything that feels out of place to you", adding "you know your neighborhood and know what your neighbor drives" and "anything that feels out of place to you, just listen to your gut because nine times out of 10 your gut is right".
White also warns that Oregon's strict laws on menacing have a low threshold. "Most folks here have been around firearms long enough, have been responsible firearms owners and understand that you can still protect yourself with a firearm and do so in a tactful manner that does not necessarily draw attention to it right away, or make anybody else feel uneasy while you're having a conversation with them," he said.
Hope Beraka, a local resident who attended the meeting, said she viewed it as a "recruiting and organizing event" for local vigilante groups and that she saw comments made by White as "an hour of encouragement" for vigilante action short of roadblocks.
The Multnomah county sheriff's office (MCSCO) said the meeting and the deputy's remarks were in no way meant to encourage vigilante patrols. "MCSO does not support or tolerate such activity, and it is illegal," the department said.
"Sgt White was asked to speak on our efforts to keep the community safe, through high-visibility and other special patrols, and to inform residents what they legally could and could not do," the department said.
In response to further, detailed questions on White's remarks, and whether it would be better to explicitly discourage citizen patrols, MCSO said it would not comment without access to the full audio recording, provided by a confidential source, but it added: "At the onset of the reports of roadblocks on Friday night, we published a thread message on social media strongly discouraging the activity."
Facebook Twitter
A firefighter surveys a field near the Riverside fire on Sunday in Glen Avon, Oregon. Photograph: Nathan Howard/Getty Images
Other residents were uncomfortable with the tenor of the meeting. At one point, a resident takes issue with the group and its methods. "I own firearms, I believe in firearms, I believe in the second amendment. I also believe that an armed group of citizens is a militia. I also believe that checkpoints with armed citizens is against the law," he said.
The man tells the group to "drop the guns", adding that "I don't feel safe in my community" before being shouted down and briefly approached by another man seeking to stop him from talking.
Here in fire-stricken Oregon, an old way of life is gone
Erica Berry
Read more
Redfern, the school board member who addressed the meeting, did not respond directly to detailed questions about his role in the events and directed the Guardian to another resident who had been involved in the militia patrols.
Fears of emboldened vigilantes
Reports of vigilante activity in rural Oregon have multiplied as first responders struggle to keep up with the wildfire emergency, and baseless rumors that "antifa" arsonists are to blame spread rapidly on social media. On Thursday, a photojournalist reported being held up by armed men in Estacada, Oregon, and three journalists were confronted by civilians armed with assault rifles in Molalla.
Several local residents told the Guardian the sheriff's office instructions to halt illegal stops had immediate effect, and that there had been no further checkpoints or roadblocks since Saturday's meeting.
But some also said they were worried that the meeting would embolden armed vigilantism in a town where they say some nurse a profound suspicion of outsiders and newcomers, and others are openly racist.
One local resident, who asked not to be named, citing safety concerns, said the incidents were in line with the experiences of her family and others, including people of color.
"The more people we meet, especially people of color, the more we learn about these experiences. It's really disappointing," the resident said.
America faces an epic choice ...
... in the coming months, and the results will define the country for a generation. These are perilous times. Over the last three years, much of what the Guardian holds dear has been threatened – democracy, civility, truth.
The country is at a crossroads. Science is in a battle with conjecture and instinct to determine policy in the middle of a pandemic. At the same time, the US is reckoning with centuries of racial injustice – as the White House stokes division along racial lines. At a time like this, an independent news organization that fights for truth and holds power to account is not just optional. It is essential.
Like many news organizations, the Guardian has been significantly impacted by the pandemic. We rely to an ever greater extent on our readers, both for the moral force to continue doing journalism at a time like this and for the financial strength to facilitate that reporting.
You've read more than 17 articles in the last year. We believe every one of us deserves equal access to fact-based news and analysis. We've decided to keep Guardian journalism free for all readers, regardless of where they live or what they can afford to pay. This is made possible thanks to the support we receive from readers across America in all 50 states.
As our business model comes under even greater pressure, we'd love your help so that we can carry on our essential work. If you can, support the Guardian from as little as $1 – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.
Support The Guardian
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- Messages
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Quoting the whole article verbatim is unnecessary (just put in a link to the article, the forum software will do the rest), quoting it twice is overkill.
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First of all, it's the Guardian. That should tell you something right there. Beyond that, take a look at the author's twitter feed. That will tell you where he's coming from. Here are a few posts:
Last Edited:
Two wrongs don't make a right.
The bottom line is that private citizens can't create an armed roadblock on public roads. Do whatever you want on private land.
If you want to make an exception to that rule because of a wildfire, get ready to make more exceptions to it.
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I believe the exception was already made by the Marxist protesters...
So you're fine allowing an armed civilian stopping another civilian on public property to "vet" them without probable cause? Please, tell us more about how you respect personal freedoms.
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