As I mentioned earlier, three people filed lawsuits today against the Portland Police Bureau, and one person has filed a tort claim. It’s almost four lawsuits in one day. Later, I’ll post about what the four suits mean, when put together, but let’s hit the cases one by one, first? First up:

A man arrested in downtown Portland last October—after yelling “we pay your salaries” at the cops during an anti-Bush protest—is suing for retaliation against the expression of, and violation of, his first amendment right to free speech, and for the cops’ hurting his swearing finger, or “bird.”
LAWSUIT: Back at you, man…

Ryan Dunn says he decided to join the World Can’t Wait demonstration after coming across it by chance on his way home from work at the nonprofit charity p:ear on October 5, 2006. He was standing on the sidewalk at 12th and Jefferson, complying with police orders to stay off the road and shouting “Freedom of speech or traffic?…Who are you protecting?” when Sergeant James Dakin ordered his arrest, according to the suit, which is seeking $30,000 in damages. Dakin wrote in his arrest report that Dunn had been “inciting riotous behavior.”

Dunn’s arrest, which was captured by local TV cameras, involved him being shoved up against the wall of a building by two officers, grabbed by his hair and beard and dragged through a police line while another officer shot several beanbag rounds at the crowd from a “less-lethal” gun.

“During this hostile arrest, the officers injured Mr.Dunn’s middle finger on his right hand as they aggressively attempted to pry open his right hand immediately after seizing him,” reads the suit filed today by civil rights attorneys Haile Greenwald, which is also seeking $116 for subsequent medical treatment of Mr.Dunn’s bird. As far as Dunn is concerned, what happened last October is no laughing matter.

“I believe I was targeted for my speech, and for my appearance,” Dunn says. “I’m 6’2” and 190lbs, and at the time I had a long beard which meant the cops could pick me out easily. They came into the crowd and targeted me to try to scare off the other protesters.”PROTECTING THE CONSTITUTION FROM THE POLICE: Ryan Dunn (top) stands with attorney J.Ashlee Albies (center), who filed suit in a different case today, and Alejandro Queral (bottom) from the Northwest Constitutional Rights Center, at the Gus Solomon Courthouse this afternoon…

As a result of his arrest, Dunn was issued criminal citations but was acquitted of all charges. It’s against police bureau policy to comment on lawsuits.