A long-time top aide to Portland Commissioner Nick Fish is retiring after an activist publicized controversial Facebook posts the aide had written on Facebook since October.

Jim Blackwood Jr., Fish's senior policy director, will retire Saturday after working in the commissioner's office for more than seven years, said Sonia Schmanski, chief of staff to Fish.

Blackwood's retirement comes weeks after Portland activist Gregory McKelvey shared 11 of Blackwood's Facebook posts. One called the shooting of a protester during an anti-Trump demonstration "inevitable." Two others highlighted cases where black men killed police officers. One post said "it's only fair" to name the races of "cop killers."

Other posts criticized City Hall protesters, Measure 97 and Portland Commissioner Amanda Fritz.

"Lawlessness and violence always begets more of the same," Blackwood wrote in a Facebook post about the shooting of an unarmed protester during a late-night march against Donald Trump's election victory. "If you are 'protesting' in the middle of the night, you don't have a cause. You are merely doing it because it is fun."

Blackwood, 61, told The Oregonian/OregonLive in a text that he decided to retire in February after talking to his family and friends. But Schmanski said Blackwood announced his retirement in mid-March.

McKelvey shared Blackwood's Facebook posts on March 3. He said he shared Blackwood's posts because they confirmed many protesters' concerns that Portland policymakers see protesters as a problem rather than a productive part of the political process.

"Nick became aware of comments made by Jim on Jim's personal Facebook page," Schmanski said. "Nick does not agree with many of the comments, and no, the comments do not reflect his values."

Schmanski would not say whether Blackwood was asked to retire due to his Facebook posts. She emphasized that he announced his retirement plans after returning from vacation in March.

Fish was not available for comment Monday.

"It's never easy to be down a person on a small team," Schmanski said.

McKelvey said he's glad to see Blackwood go.

"It's sad because everyone has to make a living, but when your job affects the rest of the city, we can't have somebody with those views determining policy," McKelvey said.

"I don't think the timing of this retirement is coincidental," he added.

--Jessica Floum

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