Portland man sues police for refusing to take hate crime report

Chuck Crockett said the employee at the precinct desk refused to take his report and he had to ask several officers before approaching a black officer, who agreed to help.

A man is suing the Portland Police Bureau after he said officers ignored his report on a possible hate crime.

Chuck Crockett, who is black, said he reported the crime to the North Portland Precinct on March 15, a couple days after the incident took place. He said the tepid response from police officers made him feel like his trauma did not matter.

According to Crockett, on March 13, he was driving in Northeast Portland when he encountered a car that was driving well below the speed limit. He honked his horn and the car proceeded to go even slower. Crockett said he eventually went around the car and it tried to hit him. At the intersection of NE 92nd Place and E Burnside Street, Crockett said he took a left and the car followed him. Crockett said he eventually pulled over and when he got out of the car, a white man approached him and asked, "N——-, you want some?"

Crockett said he told the man it was not necessary to use the epithet. The man proceeded to rush toward Crockett and repeated himself. Crockett said he told the man to stop, but the man continued yelling and using racial slurs. Crockett told the man he was going to get his phone and record the incident. The man then allegedly ran back to his car and drove off, but not before Crockett got a photo of the car's license plate.

Crockett said he went to the North Portland Police Precinct to report the incident. He asked the clerk at the front desk if there was an officer available to write a report. The clerk told him to file a complaint through the non-emergency line because no officers were available to help him. Crockett said he told the clerk that it was an emergency because there was someone trying to harm him and possibly other black people. Crockett said the two went back and forth and the conversation escalated to shouting, yet none of the officers around intervened or came to take a report. Crockett exited the station, stopping a white officer on the way out asking if he was busy. The officer allegedly said he was available to assist Crockett.

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