PORTLAND, Ore. — In a video message posted to the social media platform X on Friday, Portland Commissioner Rene Gonzalez said that he would avoid public transit indefinitely after being "accosted" on a MAX train last week.
"Last Friday, I was accosted by a woman on the train," Gonzalez said in the video. "What I experienced was deliberate, unwanted physical contact, followed by criticisms of the city's policies regarding homelessness. I got off the train and walked the rest of the way to city hall."
Gonzalez said he's a frequent TriMet user and cyclist. But after this incident last Friday and the suspected arson of a family member's car several weeks ago, he said he's taking a break from public transit.
"Given the targeted events my family has endured, city security and my family have asked that I stop taking public transit for a period of time," Gonzalez continued. "It is unfortunate because I have always viewed taking our public transit system as a core part of Portland's identity.
"Not only have I wanted to be accessible as a public servant, but as a dad and husband, I feel a responsibility to remain present on public transit as the system works to restore safe ridership. But rest assured, once we have the security solution to these targeted attacks figured out, I'll be back on the MAX again."
In a follow-up interview with KGW, Gonzalez said he was sitting on the train for his morning commute, looking at his phone, when he felt a "bump" on his shoulder and another on his leg from someone behind him.
"No one has permission to touch someone else on a train," he said. "I just had a woman staff member make that point, that it's never welcomed on a train."
A woman sat down in front of Gonzalez and wanted to "exchange in a heated conversation about the city's treatment of houseless camps," he said. Gonzalez said he responded to several questions and then stopped engaging with the woman. He disembarked at the next MAX station.
Gonzalez acknowledged that he's a public official and people will want to engage him in discussions of policy, saying that those are fine if they're civil. But unwelcome physical contact is never acceptable, he said.
"Since 2020, our political environment in the city of Portland has taken a turn for the worst," Gonzalez said. "And the conduct of a very small subset — I want to be crystal clear: this is a very small subset of our citizenry ... but their conduct towards public officials has been abhorrent."
Gonzalez said that for a period of time, city elected officials did not require security details — although he acknowledged Mayor Vera Katz had a security team during her tenure, and she served until January 2005. He indicated that incidents involving Mayor Ted Wheeler, Commissioner Dan Ryan and himself demonstrated that there is a need for security details now.
When Gonzalez stood for election against then-Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty in 2022, he ran on a law-and-order platform that contrasted with her progressive policies, and he particularly staked out crackdowns on crime and homelessness as major tentpoles for his campaign. He won the election after securing endorsements from the city's police and firefighter unions.
As commissioner, Gonzalez took control of the Fire Bureau and other departments in a public safety portfolio, though Wheeler maintained control of the Portland Police Bureau. Some of his decisions at the head of the Fire Bureau, particularly concerning the Portland Street Response team that Hardesty championed, have rankled advocates for the city's homeless population.
Trimet addressed the incident in a statement Friday, saying, "It's unfortunate when community leaders feel they cannot travel freely in public. We are grateful Commissioner Gonzalez and his family are safe and look forward to welcoming him back on board when he feels safe to go out in public again."