Description

Originally published in the Oregon Journal, this photograph shows mounted police looking on as people protest the “Opossum Incident.” Two Portland policemen, Craig Ward and Jim Galloway, dropped four dead possums in front of the black-owned Burger Barn on NE Union Avenue on March 12, 1981. The racist “prank” led to massive protests and public denouncements by city and state leaders, including Gov. Vic Atiyeh, and the establishment of a public police review board. The policemen were fired by Commissioner Charles Jordan (who was African American), but they were reinstated months later after Mayor Frank Ivancie removed Jordan as head of the Police Bureau and replaced him with Ron Still, a former commander of the Special Investigation Division in charge of investigating the Black Panthers. Through the efforts of civil rights leaders such as Ron Herndon, however, the incident served as a catalyst for police reform, including the creation of a public police oversight commission. Learn more about the Opossum Incident on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54v5GW5h_rk

Record Contributed By

Oregon Historical Society Research Library

Record Harvested From

Northwest Digital Heritage