District attorney to drop charges against hundreds of Portland protesters

Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced his office will not prosecute nonviolent misdemeanor charges that have been levied against hundreds of Portland protesters over the past couple months.

"We recognize that we undermine public safety, not promote it, if we leverage the force of our criminal justice system against peaceful protesters who are demanding to be heard," Schmidt said Tuesday.

A new policy from Multnomah County’s top prosecutor stated that only rioters involved in "deliberate property damage, theft, or force against another person or threats of force" could face charges. 

Schmidt said 550 protest-related cases have been referred to his office since late May and that only 133 were felony referrals.