PORTLAND, Ore. – Video of a young man’s tirade filled with threats and repeated homophobic slurs against a same-sex Portland couple went viral after the women posted it on Facebook, and a Portland Police Bureau spokesman says authorities are investigating the confrontation.
Wendy Blitz Dragoon and Trudy Dragoon said they were trying to find the owners of a lost dog in their neighborhood when a young man behind the wheel of a truck revved up its engine and sped up in an apparent attempt to hit the women as they crossed a street. He called them a homophobic slur, parked the truck, got out and began threatening the women, they said. That’s when Wendy Dragoon started recording the confrontation near Southeast Duke Street and 63rd Avenue.
In the video, the young man hurls homophobic and derogatory slurs, and threatens to assault Trudy Dragoon. Watch the video (Warning: graphic language)
At the end of the 3-minute video, a police officer arrives, but cannot be seen on the recording. According to Wendy Dragoon, the officer told the couple to ignore the young man and walk away. The officer refused to take a report and said it wasn’t against the law to say mean things, Dragoon said.
Portland police Sgt. Chris Burley told KGW the officer advised the groups to avoid each other and they separated. He said the video did not necessarily convey everything that happened during the encounter.
The police bureau is now investigating the incident, and officers have interviewed the people involved. Police reports will be sent to the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office, Burley said.
"The Police Bureau is aware that speech, such as the speech present in this video, instills fear in members of our community," Burley said.
Under Oregon law, bias crimes are defined as any criminal act that targets a victim based on the suspect's perception of the victim's race, color, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or national origin.