The latest news stories and stories of interest in Eugene-Springfield area and around the state of Oregon from the online digital home of the valley, WillametteValleyMagazine.com.
Friday, October 23, 2020
Willamette Valley Weather
Today A 30% chance of rain. Cloudy, with a high near 56. South wind 6 to 11 mph. Overnight a 40% chance of showers, low of 46.
Saturday Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 56. Calm wind becoming north northeast 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon.
Sunday Sunny, with a high near 51. North northeast wind 7 to 9 mph.
Monday Sunny, with a high near 53.
Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 58.
Today’s Headlines
On Friday, Lane County Public Health added 69 coronavirus cases overnight.
This brings the total of confirmed and presumptive cases to 2,312in Lane County as of Friday. Of those, 27 have died, 14 are in the hospital, 207 remain infectious and 738 are under monitoring.
There have been about 80,000 negative tests. The highest case rate in the age groups listed was among people aged 21 to 30 at over 24%, with the second-highest being 11 to 20 with just three fewer cases.
Eleven more people died from COVID-19, the Oregon Health Authority said today, the same day another 373 new confirmed/presumptive cases were recorded.
The deaths raised the cumulative Oregon total since the pandemic began to 646. The 11 people, who ranged in age from 53 to 96, lived in a total of eight counties. Nine of them had underlying health conditions, and tests continue on the other two, officials said.
The new cases were recorded in 25 of Oregon’s 36 counties. The tri-county region accounted for 165 cases, with dozens more recorded in Marion and Lane counties.
The new cases are in the following counties: Benton (6), Clackamas (25), Clatsop (3), Columbia (1), Coos (2), Crook (6), Deschutes (13), Douglas (8), Harney (3), Hood River (1), Jackson (31), Jefferson (2), Josephine (3), Klamath (4), Lane (29), Linn (6), Malheur (18), Marion (37), Multnomah (81), Polk (3), Umatilla (13), Union (6), Wasco (10), Washington (59), and Yamhill (4).
Governor Kate Brown is considering whether to ease rules on schools to allow in-person learning.
The Healthy Schools Reopening Council is reviewing whether the limits for COVID-19 and safety protocols are too strict.
Currently, rates of COVID-19 are too high for most counties to have in-person learning. The council says virus levels need to be reduced and schools need to have plans to keep students from spreading the virus. The governor will use the recommendations in making a final decision about when schools can reopen.
In Sutherlin, Oregon, a man who was involved in a September crash that killed two people has been charged with two counts of manslaughter, driving under the influence and reckless driving.
Dustin Patrick Robinson, 36, was charged in an indictment filed Thursday afternoon in Douglas County Circuit Court. Robinson was reportedly driving a pickup truck on Highway 42 in Douglas County when he hit a car driven by William McCullough IV, 20, of Roseburg. McCullough and his passenger Mark Ritter, 20, of Roseburg, died in the crash. Robinson sustained minor injuries.
The crash happened at about 9:15 p.m. on Sept. 19 on Highway 42 near milepost 74. This was also near the intersection of Highway 42 and Jackie Avenue.
Robinson was driving a Dodge Ram pickup truck and McCullough was driving a Pontiac Grand AM. Oregon State Police investigated the crash and was assisted by Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Winston Police Department, Douglas County Fire District 2, the Oregon Department of Transportation and the Douglas County District Attorney’s office.
A police officer with the Roseburg Veteran’s Administration was arrested Thursday evening, accused of hiding cameras in a 14-year-old girl’s room.
Robert Wayne Roady, 48, of Roseburg was taken to the Douglas County Jail on nine counts of first-degree invasion of personal privacy, a felony. Additional charges are being considered.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office took a report on Thursday that hidden cameras had been discovered in the bedroom of a girl known to Roady.
Detectives conducted interviews and searched Roady’s home in the 2000 block of Linnell Avenue. The sheriff’s office said they found evidence related to the investigation. Roady reportedly admitted to detectives that he had placed the cameras in the room for sexual purposes. Two additional victims were identified through the investigation, detectives said. If you have any information, contact detectives at 541-440-4458 and reference case number 20-4914.
Sweet Home Junior High School will be closed through the rest of the week after a staff member was diagnosed with COVID-19.
Superintendent Tom Yahraes said in a letter to staff and families that a student-athlete at the high school has a presumptive case, as well.
District officials are working with the Linn County health department to conduct contact tracing and notify people who may have been exposed. Those individuals will be asked to self-isolate for two weeks and follow health and safety protocols from the Oregon Health Authority.
The school closure will allow for deep cleaning, Yahraes said. Teachers will continue to deliver distance learning to all students remotely. High school athletics have been canceled through next week.
Around the state of Oregon
New York, Seattle and Portland — three cities recently labeled “anarchist jurisdictions” by the U.S. Justice Department — filed a lawsuit Thursday to invalidate the designation and fight off the Trump administration’s efforts to withhold federal dollars.
President Donald Trump issued a memorandum last month that sought to identify localities that permit “anarchy, violence and destruction in American cities” following riots that took place during anti-police and anti-racism protests after George Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police. The Justice Department last month identified New York City, Portland, Oregon, and Seattle as three cities that could have federal funding slashed. The lawsuit ridiculed the designation, calling the president’s action “offensive to both the Constitution and common sense” and describing the notion of anarchist jurisdictions “an oxymoronic designation without precedent in American jurisprudence.”
The Oregon Supreme Court has ruled against a pair of young plaintiffs who sued the state and Governor of Oregon for allegedly failing to address climate change.
The ruling marks a penultimate stage in the lawsuit, which has been ongoing since 2011. Originally filed against then-Governor John Kitzhaber and his administration, the case that eventually became Chernaik v. Brown made its way to the state Supreme Court last year after a long series of arguments, rulings, and appeals. The plaintiffs argued that the “public trust doctrine,” which covers the state’s responsibility to steward and protect certain natural resources, includes the atmosphere — alleging that Oregon’s failure to comprehensively address climate change represents a betrayal of the public trust.
The Oregon Supreme Court’s opinion, issued on Wednesday, rejected the plaintiffs’ argument for an expanded definition of the public trust — affirming the earlier decision by the Court of Appeals and sending the case back to the circuit court for judgment. Though Governor Kate Brown and state officials were defendants in the case — and ultimately successful in arguing against the state’s responsibility for climate change impacts — Brown said in a statement issued on Wednesday that she “agrees” with the plaintiffs and other young climate change activists who argue for action.
SNAP Program Waiver Approved
A waiver approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) allows Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Disaster SNAP recipients in the following 23 counties to purchase hot or prepared foods from authorized SNAP retailers until Nov. 20.
Approved counties: Benton, Clackamas, Columbia Coos, Curry, Deschutes, Douglas, Hood River, Jackson, Josephine, Jefferson, Klamath, Lake, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Tillamook, Wasco, Washington, and Yamhill.
Normally, SNAP benefits cannot be used to purchase “hot food products prepared for immediate consumption.” This restriction is being waived following the severe winds and wildfires that led to the displacement of many residents and left them without access to a kitchen to prepare meals. Examples of allowable prepared foods include hot deli foods, fountain drinks, including but not limited to coffee and tea, a slice of hot/prepared pizza, hot soup, salad bars, and sandwiches.
This waiver will last through Nov. 20 and allows SNAP and DSNAP recipients to use their benefits to buy prepared food at any participating retailer that accepts SNAP EBT cards. Restaurant purchases are still prohibited.
For more information about the hot food waiver, visit https://www.oregon.gov/dhs/ASSISTANCE/FOOD-BENEFITS/Pages/DSNAP-Hot-Foods-Waiver.aspx.
(Salem, Ore.) – Mya Miranda, age 16, a foster child who went missing from Boardman, Ore. on Oct. 17, 2020, was found on Oct. 22, 2020. The Oregon Department of Human Services, Child Welfare Division is thankful for the community support to find her.
A small number of children in foster care may be in significant danger when they run away or have gone missing. As DHS works to do everything it can to find these missing children and ensure their safety, media alerts will be issued in some circumstances when it is determined necessary. Sometimes, in these situations, a child may go missing repeatedly, resulting in more than one media alert for the same child.
Report child abuse to the Oregon Child Abuse Hotline by calling 1-855-503-SAFE (7233). This toll-free number allows you to report abuse of any child or adult to the Oregon Department of Human Services, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year.
The Coronavirus is cutting into the revenues of the state’s budget in Oregon. Less gas tax is being collected as thousands of people are still working from home. People are driving less — few are on the roads to work, to schools, or for fun and Oregon is losing in gas tax money.
The state said it’s received $27 million less in gas tax money between January and August 2020 than the same time period last year. The gas tax also helps Oregon pay for road repairs and road construction projects. On Thursday, the Oregon Transportation Commission held a regular meeting and talked about the funding forecast.
The Oregon Highway Division also gets federal money and is in better shape right now than local transportation bureaus but there is an impact from so many people either not driving or driving less.
“For the money we have available just to have our crews out there patching potholes, plowing snow, responding to wildfires, all those things we do on a daily basis to keep the roads open and safe is primarily where you are going to see the impact,” said Travis Brouwer, the Assistant Director of Revenue for ODOT.
ODOT officials pointed out two things: The 2020 gas tax is 36-cents-per-gallon, which is 2-cents more than last year. Also, the diesel fuel totals “are not bad” because they do not include fuel used in trucks that pay a weight-mile tax. The diesel fuel totals “include medium duty trucks, and with home delivery up, these (numbers) make sense,” officials told reporters on Friday;.
When the pandemic hit in April, taxable gas revenues dropped 32.33%, then another 26.21%. June, July and August were better but still decidedly down from last year — off by 6.98%, 5.29% and 5.30% in the most recent months available.
The diesel numbers in the same time frame show a 15%-27% increase in the first 3 months of the year. In April that fell to 0.92% increase, then a 3.83% gain in May. June, July and August rebounded but still way down from earlier in the year — up by 10.25%, 18.03% and 19%.
DEA is holding its 19th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, Oct. 24 with 145 collection sites throughout the Pacific Northwest. The nationwide event aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications.
Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.
Collection sites will adhere to local COVID-19 guidelines and regulations in order to maintain the safety of all participants and local law enforcement. There are 16 collection sites in Alaska, 40 in Idaho, 33 in Oregon and 56 in Washington State.
“The initiative – now in its tenth year – addresses a vital public safety and public health issue,” said DEA Acting Administrator Timothy Shea. “Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Together with our partners, we are not only holding National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, but offering other ways to dispose of unwanted, unused, and expired prescription medications.”
?“Stop, drop and roll, no questions asked,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Keith Weis. He further stated that, “With more people staying at home, we must remain vigilant, keeping our loved ones safe by cleaning out our medicine cabinets.”
If you can’t find a Take Back Day drop-off site near you, there are other ways to keep your medications safe until the next Take Back Day, dispose of them, or drop them at a year-round collection location. Given the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency, DEA wants to ensure that the public is aware of other ways they can dispose of unwanted prescription drugs without having to leave their homes. Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency have tips on how to safely dispose of drugs at home.
In addition to DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, prescription drugs can be disposed of at any of the 11,000 DEA authorized collectors at any time throughout the year. For more information, visit: https://apps2.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubdispsearch/spring/main?execution=e1s1.
DEA also encourages the public to reach out to their local law enforcement to find out if they have any permanent drug disposal locations throughout their local community.
DEA and its partners will collect tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms. DEA will also accept vape pens or other e-cigarette devices from individual consumers, only after the batteries are removed from the devices. If the battery cannot be removed, individual consumers can check with large electronic chain stores who may accept the vape pen or e-cigarette devices for proper disposal. Liquids, including intravenous solutions, syringes and other sharps, and illegal drugs cannot be dropped off. This service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
For more information on DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, and to find a collection site near you, visit www.deatakeback.com
Democrats in the Oregon Legislature are split over Portland metro’s 5.2 billion regional transportation measure on the Nov. 3 general election ballot.
Measure 26-218 is intended to help fund transportation projects and program in Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties, including a new light rail line between Portland and Tualatin through Tigard.
The measure is endorsed by Third District U.S. Rep. Congressman Earl Blumenauer, Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek (D-Portland), state Sen. Chuck Riley (D-Hillsboro), state Sen. Michael Dembrow (D-Portland), state Rep. Jeff Reardon (Happy Valley), state Rep. Rob Nosse (D-Portland), state Rep. Chris Gorsek (D-Troutdale), state Rep. Alissa Keny-Guyer (D-Portland), state Rep. Sheri Schouten (D-Beaverton), state Rep. Margaret Doherty (D-Tigard), state Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-Portland), state Rep. Ken Helm, and (D-Washington County).
But it is now opposed by State Treasurer Tobias Read, Fifth District U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader, Senate Revenue Committee Chair Mark Hass (D-Beaverton), Senate Ways & Means Committee Co-Chair Betsy Johnson (D-Scappoose), state Rep. Janelle Bynum (D-Happy Valley), and House Ways & Means Committee member Jeff Barker (D-Aloha).
A vacant Greyhound bus station in downtown Portland will be opened temporarily as a homeless shelter, Mayor Ted Wheeler announced yesterday.
The site will have around 100 beds and be open 24 hours a day until the end of March, 2021. Priority will be given to people experiencing homelessness who are over 55, have disabilities or are military veterans, according to Portland and Multnomah County officials. It’s tentatively planned to open in mid-November.
The bus terminal operated for over 30 years until Greyhound moved from the 30,000 square-foot space last year and it was put up for sale. Portland and Multnomah County, through the Joint Office of Homeless Services, agreed to pay $30,000 a month for the site’s main floor and outdoor loading area for the temporary shelter, according to the city and county. The bus site is among three Portland locations recently announced as temporary homeless shelters planned to be open 24 hours until the end of March.
Western Oregon University (WOU) has announced several admissions policy changes, effective immediately. There is no application fee for freshman and transfer students until Sept. 1, 2021. Also, high school seniors and transfer students can self-report their cumulative grade point average when completing their admissions application.
“Western Oregon University recognizes that students are facing challenges with regard to their college search process,” said WOU Admissions Director Rob Findtner. “Families across Oregon and beyond are dealing with financial hardship and uncertainty. The elimination of the application fee removes a financial barrier and encourages students to apply for admission.”
Admitted students will be required to provide final official transcripts prior to enrolling at WOU. Students who wish to receive consideration for WOU scholarships must provide official transcripts by February 1 as the WOU scholarship application is due March 1.
“WOU also recognizes the pandemic has impacted our K-12 and higher education partners on many fronts, including the processing of official transcript requests,” Findtner said. “The opportunity for students to self-report their cumulative grade point average will alleviate the concerns associated with providing WOU an official transcripts at the time of application. The policy change also expedites the processing and response time for the Admissions office.”
Freshman admission will be based upon a student’s self-reported cumulative grade point average and their high school courses. WOU does not require the submission of ACT or SAT scores for freshmen. Transfer students are asked to provide their cumulative grade point average for each college or university attended when completing their application. Transfer admission will be based upon a student’s academic performance and the successful completion of college-level mathematics and writing courses.
WOU’s Admissions office is hosting several online events. The events listing is available here: https://network.wou.edu/portal/campus_visit
About Western Oregon University Western Oregon University, founded in 1856 and located in Monmouth, is the state’s oldest public university.
In another somewhat wild timetable fantasy, Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley is sponsoring a bill that would end the sale of gas-powered vehicles in the U.S. by 2035. Several states including Oregon and California have their own goals. This would put the U.S. on a path to increase production of electric and hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicles. By 2025, half of vehicles would have to be electric. Then, every year that’s increased by five-percent until 100-percent is reached by 2035.
OHA sees 70% increase in Oregon opioid deaths during April, May
TheOregon Health Authority saw an alarming spike in opioid overdose deaths in Oregon this past spring compared to last year, and public health experts believe use of illicit fentanyl and methamphetamine is driving the increase.
Analysts in the Injury and Violence Prevention Section at the OHA Public Health Division found that Oregon saw a nearly 70% increase in the number of overdose deaths during April and May 2020 compared to the same time in 2019. There also was a nearly 8% increase in the number of overdose deaths during the first quarter of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019.
The preliminary data come from the State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS), which includes combined and abstracted data from medical examiners and death certificates.
Additionally, the analysis found, between April and May 2020 there was a 28% increase in overdose deaths, and a more than 15% increase in overdose deaths between March and April. And opioid-involved deaths accounted for almost 73% of total overdose deaths in May 2020.
Of opioid-involved deaths, the data show, fentanyl and heroin continue to be the drugs most frequently involved, and fentanyl-involved deaths accounted for almost 40% of total overdose deaths in May 2020.
The analysis also uncovered a continuing alarming trend in methamphetamine use: Methamphetamine/amphetamine-involved deaths accounted for more than 40% of all overdose deaths in May 2020.
What’s unclear is what effect the COVID-19 pandemic may have had on opioid misuse in Oregon.
“Until more data become available, it is premature to say how much of the spike in overdose deaths is attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Tom Jeanne, M.D., MPH, deputy state health officer and deputy state epidemiologist at the Public Health Division. “However, the realization that we will be dealing with COVID-19 for some time, and other stressors related to jobs, school and social isolation, may increase feelings of anxiety and depression, and that can lead to a harmful level of alcohol or other drug use.”
OHA continues to monitor and post finalized opioid data on its Prescribing and Drug Overdose Data Dashboard at https://www.oregon.gov/oha/ph/preventionwellness/substanceuse/opioids/pages/data.aspx.
The next regular public meeting of the Oregon Cannabis Commission will be Nov. 2, 2020, 1-4pm.
On the agenda is a review and vote to finalize recommendation letter; legislative strategy; Cannabis Equity bill; OLCC update – legislative concept; Oregon Medical Marijuana Program procedure change on inspections; vote on amending bylaws; final remarks and next steps; voting on chair and co-chair for 2021; public comment.
Where: By conference at 669-254-5252, meeting ID 161-464-4853.
The Oregon Cannabis Commission was established in the 2017 legislative session through HB 2198. The commission consists of the state health officer or designee and eight members appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the senate. The commission is tasked with determining a possible framework for future governance of the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program, steps to address research on cannabis in areas of public health policy and public safety policy, agronomic and horticultural best practices, and medical and pharmacopoeia best practices. The commission also advises the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Liquor Control Commission regarding statutes governing medical and retail cannabis. Visit www.Healthoregon.org/cannabiscommission for more information.
Lithia Motors Inc. (LAD) this week reported third-quarter earnings of $158.8 million. The Medford, Oregon-based company said it had net income of $6.86 per share. Earnings, adjusted for costs related to mergers and acquisitions and non-recurring costs, came to $6.89 per share. The results topped Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of five analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $6.21 per share.
The auto dealership chain posted revenue of $3.62 billion in the period, also surpassing Street forecasts. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $3.57 billion.
As the next step in Oregon’s wildfire rebuilding and recovery, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been asked by the Federal Emergency Management Agency(FEMA) and the State of Oregon to collect household hazardous materials from burned properties to protect residents and to ensure these materials are disposed of properly and safely.
To accomplish this task and aid Oregon’s recovery, EPA is now assembling teams and setting up a temporary equipment staging area to help residents in Marion County and surrounding counties recover from the fire and begin rebuilding their lives. This Response Staging Area will be similar to the one recently established in Central Point, Oregon, as part of EPA’s operations in Jackson County.
The Response Staging Area will occupy 5.4 acres of a parking areawithin the Oregon State Fair and Expo Center, located at 2330 17th Street NE, in Salem. Additional, satellite “Transfer Station” areas are being planned for other areas as cleanup operations expand and accelerate.
The staging area is expected to be operational by October 26, 2020. EPA is deeply grateful for the State Fair, State of Oregon and City of Salem’s assistance and flexibility, allowing EPA’s Response Staging Area to temporarily share the fairgrounds property and assist the community in recovery.
EPA and their contractors will operate the facility, which will be secured 24 hours a day, where response workers will evaluate, organize and consolidate materials that EPA field teams will be recovering from burned properties in the area. It will also serve as the main assembly, assignment and dispatch point for agency responders and contractors each morning as they head to area worksites.
To protect workers and neighbors, air monitors will be used around the work site to be sure asbestos fibers and other harmful chemicals are not released to the air. In addition, locals may see the workers in HAZMAT suits to protect them from prolonged exposure to potentially harmful materials. EPA response officials ask everyone except authorized personnel to avoid the area due to the expected volume of vehicle traffic and construction activity over the next few months.
Fire-affected Oregon property owners now have a dedicated phone number – 541-225-5549 – to ask questions about EPA’s work at their property or to provide additional details about their property that will help speed the EPA removal work. The hotline offers service in both English and Spanish. Property owners now have another tool, the EPA Fire Recovery Story Map to view work progress in the area and get the latest information available about their property.
EPA and state officials want to stress that Response Staging Areas are NOT Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) drop-off centers for the community. Only authorized personnel will be allowed access to the site. Residents should contact their city or county recycling coordinators or public works departments to learn more about HHW collection services in their area.
Once the materials and containers arrive on site in sealed plastic containers and packaging, they will be inspected, organized and secured for shipment. They will be removed promptly by truck to be safely disposed of at a licensed & permitted disposal facility. Materials handled at the site may include:
- BBQ & outdoor stove propane tanks
- Cylinders, contents unknown, that can be transported safely
- Batteries, ballasts, full and partial containers of household chemicals
- Pool chemicals and household cleaners, polishes, varnish solvents and degreasers
The Response Staging Area is expected to operate between 7:00 am and 7:00 pm, seven days a week, for approximately two months. EPA expects moderate levels of vehicle activity during operating hours, there will be bright lights illuminating the area for safety and unfortunately some unavoidable noise. Response officials are thanking local residents in advance for their patience and understanding during the construction, operation and dismantling of the facility when EPA’s work in the area is complete.
EPA’s Response Staging Area is part of federal, state and local actions responding to the recent tragic wildfires, aimed at helping Oregon residents recover and rebuild their lives. For more information about the Wildfire Response please visit: Wildfire.oregon.gov/cleanup
The City of Portland along with the Portland Police Bureau and Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office are preparing for days of civil unrest following the Nov. 3 general election, Mayor Ted Wheeler said in a press conference.
Wheeler says the winner of the presidential race likely will not be known on election night because so many states are increasing vote-by-mail for the first time, compared to Oregon, which has used it exclusive for decades.
“Every city in the county is preparing for it. There will probably be delays in the announcement of results. There will be glitches. But that is no excuse for anyone to engage in violence and property destruction,” said Wheeler, who added that all police officers and sheriff’s deputies are being called in and activated for election night and the following days.
Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell and Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese issued a joint statement last week that said their agencies are working together to prevent protest-related violence and property destruction.
“We want our community to know we are prioritizing public safety by adding resources and collaboration during this important time. We ask for the public to help us by reporting criminal activity, staying informed and engaging in lawful activities,” Lovell said.
“Safe elections are critical to a healthy democracy. The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office is dedicated to ensuring community members can safely exercise their right to vote and peacefully gather to engage in free speech events,” Reese said.
Recent elections, especially the 2016 election, saw significant protests and property damage. In their statement, Lovell and Reese said while they “support the exercise of the First Amendment rights to assemble and engage in free speech, engagement in criminal activity will not be tolerated.” Examples of what won’t be tolerated included blocking streets, blocking traffic, blocking freeways or major roads, lighting fires, vandalism, property damage, assaults and unlawful possession or use of weapons.