Below is a full statement from Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill:
"The Multnomah County District Attorney's Office finds the actions of these three youths to be alarming, hurtful and completely contradictory to the values our community has of being open and accepting of each other's differences. After carefully reviewing all of the police reports and evidence in this case, the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office determined that from a legal perspective, it is quite clear that this type of behavior cannot be punished criminally. We hope these youths are able to learn from this incident and can appropriately and meaningfully repair the harm caused."
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###ORIGINAL MESSAGE###
On Monday, February 24, 2020, three Benson High School students voluntarily came forward and claimed responsibility for the noose that was discovered on the roof of the school on Friday, February 21, 2020.
School Resource Officers conducted thorough interviews and collected additional evidence. In addition, the case was also reviewed by the Portland Police Bureau's Bias Crimes detectives.
Through the investigation, the Police Bureau found no evidence to suggest that the noose was placed on the roof with intent to threaten and alarm another person based on the person's perception of race, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability or national origin of another person.
In an effort to be thorough, the facts of the case were presented to the Multnomah County District Attorney's office for review.
Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill released the following statement:
"After carefully reviewing all of the police reports and evidence in this case, the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office determined that from a legal perspective, this type of behavior cannot be punished criminally."
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###ORIGINAL MESSAGE###
On Friday, February 21, 2020 at 9:17a.m., the Portland Police Bureau's Youth Services Division (YSD) responded to Benson High School located at 546 Northeast 12th Avenue on a report that a noose was located on school campus.
School Resource Officers (SRO) responded to investigate. The noose was discovered by a maintenance employee in a secure area within the school that was not in view of the student population. Officers consulted with the Portland Police Bureau's Bias Crimes Detectives and School Resource Officers are continuing to investigate the incident.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the non-emergency line at (503)823-3333 and reference case number 20-60092.
The Bureau investigates all reports of bias-motivated crimes and encourages any member of our community who is the victim of such crime to contact law enforcement. Under Oregon law, bias crimes are defined as any criminal act that targets a victim based on the suspect's perception of the victim's race, color, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity or national origin. Detectives work to determine whether or not bias elements are present during the reported crime that align with Oregon law as defined in the Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS):
* ORS 166.165 -- Bias crime in the First Degree - https://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/166.165
* ORS 166.155 -- Bias crime in the Second Degree - https://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/166.155
If you have been the victim of a bias crime assault or you are witnessing one, immediately call 9-1-1. If you have been the victim of a different bias crime and the suspect is no longer present, such as vandalism or graffiti, please call the non-emergency line at 503-823-3333.
To learn more about bias crime investigations and reported bias/hate crime statistics within the City of Portland, please visit https://www.portlandoregon.gov/police/77066
Additionally, the City of Portland is a partner in Portland United Against Hate, which is a community initiated partnership of Community Based Organizations, Neighborhood Associations, concerned communities and the City. To learn more, please visit https://www.portlandoregon.gov/oni/72583
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