By now most of Portland has viewed the cowardly and vicious kicking assault by Portland Fire Lt. Robert Bedgood against Terry DeGeorge in the lobby of downtown Portland’s Fairfield Apartments. Previously, we’d seen how three firefighters pounced upon DeGeorge and then roughly wrestled him to the ground. We’ve also seen how a pair of Portland police officers further humiliated DeGeorge, already subdued and handcuffed, by dragging him through the front entry by his left arm.
It all stands as a classic example of what not to do when attempting to manage a tense situation.
Anyone who hasn’t already seen the video, can view it at oregonlive.com.
A spokesman for the Portland Fire Bureau claimed a different story likely would emerge if the videotape had also recorded what was said in the lobby because the man was being aggressive and the firefighters felt threatened. Fat chance of that! They ought to count their blessings, since it was their own anger and aggression that further escalated the tensions in that lobby.
A poster named Dave J. shared the following observation on Jack Bog’s blog (bojack.org):
"Something tells me that the Fire Department is going to end up being very GLAD there's no audio, because this guy (Bedgood) really looks like a loose cannon, trying to mix it up with every person who so much as looks at him funny. I mean, c'mon: there's the guy with the original medical problem, the guy who he has just stomped, and what does he try to do? Attend to either of them? Naw, he spends another 20 seconds or so yelling and finger-pointing at another resident."
A fellow resident of the Fairfield myself, when I spoke with Mr. DeGeorge on Saturday, he told me that Lt. Bedgood had actively escalated the tension by repeatedly yelling at DeGeorge that “you don’t mess with the (Portland) Fire Bureau.” We can actually see Bedgood verbally assault DeGeorge as he proceeds towards the street door a second time. Not merely content to engage DeGeorge during a single brief exchange, Bedgood actually stalks DeGeorge as he tries to leave the building, all the while continuing to verbally assail him.
That was when DeGeorge turned around to confront Bedgood. That simple act was all the other firefighters needed as their excuse to attack and subdue DeGeorge. We saw how one firefighter in particular, with no physical provocation, proceeded to shove DeGeorge nearly 6 feet across the floor toward Koddy Hart, the person that they were supposed to be attending to in the first place.
As for Bedgood’s allegations that DeGeorge shoved him as he went past — pure fabrication! The video clearly shows that DeGeorge avoided any contact whatsoever with Bedgood as he repeatedly entered and exited the building, despite the fact that Bedgood was physically blocking the entrance, making passage extremely difficult.
Why Bedgood would claim otherwise, and why other police observers would back him up, escapes me. Maybe it’s mandatory public safety bureau "policy" (from high up) to spin every potentially embarrassing incident to the bureau’s advantage, without the slightest regard to the truth. Sounds like "business as usual" to me.
We’ve also seen, after the cowardly lieutenant had already assaulted DeGeorge, how Bedgood then proceeded to assault another resident, who was posing absolutely no threat, by violently shoving his finger at his chest.
My point is this. Portland’s public safety officials can dramatically benefit from the conscious practice of nonviolence. By avoiding the tendency to escalate tensions, they can lay solid groundwork to decrease the hatred and mistrust rampant in our lowest-income communities.
Paraphrasing the words of the great Martin Luther King Jr.:
Nonviolence is not a method for cowards. The nonviolent practitioner is just as formidable as the person who uses violence. Instead, his method is passive or non-aggressive in the sense that he is not physically aggressive toward his opponent. But his mind and emotions are always active, constantly seeking to persuade the opponent that he is mistaken.
Nonviolence does not seek to defeat or humiliate the opponent, but to win his friendship and understanding. The aim is redemption and reconciliation. The aftermath of nonviolence is the creation of beloved community, while the aftermath of violence is tragic bitterness.
Although DeGeorge himself would be the first to claim he’s no King, he told me that he has grown weary of the anger raging inside him. He is seriously considering the pursuit of a wholly peaceful presence. During our interview, he repeatedly remarked how the whole ugly situation could have been avoided had the firefighters, Bedgood, in particular, simply treated him with respect and dignity — two of the key tenets of nonviolence.
Instead, the officers chose to cop the haughty attitude that many of us who live close to the streets witness all too often, as if to say, we’re the almighty men in uniform; who the fuck are you (low lifes) to question us!
I don’t know about you, but I sincerely believe that that we as responsible citizens must expect so much more from the men and women of public safety, in whom we have placed our precious trust to be protected and served.
