Portland commissioner, already provided 24/7 security, receives enhanced protection following online threat

Portland Commissioner Rene Gonzalez is getting beefed-up security protection from the city after a recent online threat against him, according to officials and staff.

Two private security guards stationed themselves inside Gonzalez’s City Council offices at the Portland Building on Tuesday after police began investigating the new threat, Shah Smith, his chief of staff, told The Oregonian/OregonLive. The city already provides the commissioner with a 24/7 security detail, Smith said.

The enhanced protection was recommended and approved by Manny Guerra, City Hall’s security manager, following a threat assessment this week, Smith said. It’s unclear how long the guards will remain inside Gonzalez’s office.

“Portland police and Portland security staff are taking these matters seriously and have stepped up protection,” Smith said in a statement.

Carrie Belding, a city spokesperson, said all Portland elected officials are entitled to additional security services “with no added budgetary implications.” Last month the City Council approved a three-year, $8.5 million contract extension with private contractor Allied Security Services.

“The decision was made recently to increase security measures for Commissioner Gonzalez in response to a heightened level of threats,” Belding said. “An increased security footprint is a standard response to safeguarding the city’s elected officials when there are evolving threats and escalating tensions, ensuring their ability to carry out their duties effectively and securely.”

Mayor Ted Wheeler has had his own security detail for going out in public after a lawyer aggressively confronted him outside a McMenamin’s pub in 2021, leading him to pepper spray the man.

The latest move for Gonzalez comes after staffers learned of a social media post Sunday that depicted the commissioner inside the red crosshairs of a firearm along with the message, “You can always clean up Portland by getting rid of Rene,” according to a copy provided to The Oregonian/OregonLive.

That threat, originally published in late June, was discovered one day after former President and Republican Party nominee Donald Trump was wounded during an assassination attempt at a campaign stop in Pennsylvania.

Portland police are investigating the online post about Gonzalez, said bureau spokesperson Mike Benner. No arrests have been made.

The city has provided Gonzalez, a first-term commissioner and mayoral hopeful, with a 24/7 security detail since soon after a car belonging to relatives was torched in front of his Eastmoreland home in January, according to Smith.

Gonzalez’s campaign previously provided a timeline of more than a dozen concerning incidents it says Gonzalez, his staff or his family and supporters have faced since July 2022.

In February, Gonzalez said he would temporarily stop using public transit after he alleged that a woman “accosted” him aboard a MAX train, including subjecting him to “deliberate, unwanted physical contact.”

Video later obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive showed that the woman may have at most brushed Gonzalez’s arm as she moved to the front of the nearly empty train car, where, according to the commissioner, she began criticizing him over the city’s homelessness policies.

The commissioner has repeatedly claimed that his unwavering support for law enforcement and aggressive measures to curb homeless street camping have made him a target among detractors.

“This is part of a consistent pattern against Commissioner Gonzalez in particular, but also more generally against those who voice support for law enforcement in Portland,” Smith said. “What has not changed — Commissioner Gonzalez’s commitment to a safer and more livable Portland.”

-- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh covers Portland city government and politics, with a focus on accountability and watchdog reporting.

Reach him at 503-294-7632

Email at skavanaugh@oregonian.com

Follow on Twitter @shanedkavanaugh

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