Portland Commissioner Rene Gonzalez beefs up security after threat
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Portland City Commissioner, and mayoral candidate, Rene Gonzalez has ramped up security after receiving a death threat, according to Gonzalez’s office.
A spokesperson for the City of Portland said they learned about the threat on July 14, but it is unclear when the online threat was initially made, as first reported by The Oregonian/OregonLive.
According to Gonzalez’s Chief of Staff Shah Smith, “enhanced protection” has been placed at Gonzalez’s office.
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The Portland Police Bureau confirmed the agency is investigating the threat.
A City of Portland spokesperson told KOIN 6 News that all current elected officials receive the same resources when threats require additional security — noting the city does not provide security or unelected members of the community running for office.
The social media post in question that raised concerns was on X (formerly Twitter). It depicted an altered picture of Gonzalez on his bike to show him in the crosshairs of a gun with the comment “You can always clean up Portland by getting rid of Rene.”
The head of security recommended and approved additional security for the commissioner after the post was discovered over the weekend. The City of Portland provides city commissioners with security detail 24/7 based on if they determine a higher threat level.
“It’s already changed the way my family lives, in some respects. So if I’m going to be out in public, I evaluate whether we need security in that instance,” Gonzalez told KOIN 6 News on Wednesday. “It’s affecting the way we campaign. It’s affecting the way we live. But you’re also trying to continue to be accessible.”
The enhanced security for the mayoral candidate comes months after he announced plans to stop riding MAX after claiming he was “accosted” on the train.
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“For my entire career, I have been multimodal: A frequent TriMet user and regular cyclist,” Gonzalez said of the MAX incident in January. “Last Friday, I was accosted by a woman on the train. What I experienced was deliberate, unwanted physical contact, followed by criticisms of the city’s policies regarding homelessness.”
The public argument occurred two weeks after a family car caught fire outside Gonzalez’s Sellwood-Moreland home on Jan. 12. The fire is being investigated as a possible arson case.
“Given the targeted events my family has endured, city security and my family have asked that I stop taking public transit for a period of time,” Gonzalez said. “It is unfortunate, because I have always viewed taking our public transit system as a core part of Portland’s identity.”
This is a developing story.
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