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The Oregon State Police denied that a trooper made a racist hand signal during a rally in front of the Oregon State Capitol on Saturday.
During a Black Lives Matter protest on Court Street in Salem, Oregon State Police troopers stood between groups of protesters and counterprotesters.
One man with a group chanting “All Lives Matter” was pushed to the ground by a protester, OSP body-camera footage showed.
The man who pushed the other to the ground was identified as 50-year-old Christopher Davis of Salem, who was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct and harassment and transported to Marion County Jail.
The man who was knocked to the ground stood up and had a brief interaction with OSP troopers who asked about his condition and asked him to stay near so they could get his information in connection with the incident.
trooper wearing a mask approached the man and asked if he was OK and gave him the hand signal associated with “OK.”
Video clips of the officer making that sign were shared on social media.
″@ORStatePolice Flashing a “White Power” Sign at a Proud Boy and hugging him, during a Black Lives Matter event. #SalemOregon #SalemOR #Oregon #ReclaimThe4th,” posted Toshii Lynn on Twitter with a clip of the event.
The Anti-Defamation League added the “Okay” sign to its database of “Hate on Display” because in recent years it has been associated with white supremacy and far right organizations, such as The Proud Boys.
On Sunday, the Oregon State Police denied the hand signal was a racist signal after a review of body-cam footage.
“Best available evidence indicates the trooper was simply checking on the man’s status and used the universal signal to signify this inquiry, which the man gestured he was — then patted this trooper and a second trooper on their shoulders in an apparent signal of appreciation. The man was the victim of a crime,” Oregon State Police said in a statement.
Natascha Antes, one of the organizers of the protest, said she was “not fond” of the Oregon State Police’s statement about the event.
“If you’re in law enforcement, you should probably be aware of what symbols you should and shouldn’t be using,” Antes said. “If you aren’t in that kind of training, you should be.”
The Oregon State Police said some members of the public have misidentified the trooper involved.
“We appreciate that the public would be concerned and rightfully outraged if an OSP trooper were to flash an offensive gesture. We would share in that outrage and concern. In this instance, we would ask the public to await the complete information before condemning a trooper with an irreparable and harmful label,” OSP said.