Portland Councilor Loretta Smith Proposes Open-Carry Exception After Disrupted Meeting

Lead

After a city council meeting was interrupted by protesters this week, Portland City Councilor Loretta Smith introduced a draft ordinance to allow councilors to openly carry firearms while conducting city business. The move follows a disruption in which roughly 40 protesters affiliated with the group Revoke the ICE Permit PDX interrupted testimony and one activist, Susan Anglada Bartley, was arrested. Smith, who says she has never carried a gun, told reporters she wants the option as a defensive measure. The proposal has not yet been reviewed by the city attorney and has already drawn sharp criticism from activists and some constituents.

Key Takeaways

• Councilor Loretta Smith proposed a city ordinance to permit open carry by Portland city councilors while on official business; the draft is pending legal review.
• About 40 members of Revoke the ICE Permit PDX disrupted the meeting; organizer Susan Anglada Bartley says she presented a petition she says contains 19,000 signatures.
• When security tried to remove Anglada Bartley, she moved past the public table toward the dais; Smith recorded the interaction and later posted video to social media.
• Portland Police Bureau says roughly 26 officers responded to the scene; four people, including Anglada Bartley, were arrested and charged with trespassing; no injuries were reported.
• Under Oregon law, concealed carry in many public buildings is allowed with a license; open carry of a loaded firearm in public is generally unlawful, and Smith seeks a local exception for councilors.
• Revoke organizer Holly Brown criticized Smith’s plan as threatening to protesters; Mayor Keith Wilson acknowledged safety concerns but did not endorse the specific proposal.

Background

Portland has a long tradition of public protest and frequent attention focused on the City Council chambers. In recent months, a coordinated campaign by activists calling themselves Revoke the ICE Permit PDX has repeatedly pressed councilors to act to close the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in South Portland. Those actions have included sustained lobbying, repeated appearances at council meetings, and at least two disruptions that have led to partial or full moves to remote meetings.

Security at City Hall has been a recurring issue: previous council members, including former Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, reported extensive threats while in office; the city retrofitted windows in one office with bulletproof glass after a wave of threats. Portland’s public-safety rules allow licensed concealed carry in many public places, but Oregon state law and local ordinance restrict open carry of loaded firearms in public with limited exceptions. Any local change to permit open carry by elected officials would likely require legal review and raise constitutional and public-safety questions.

Main Event

The council meeting was interrupted when a contingent of roughly 40 protesters began chanting and shouting demands. According to accounts from councilors and video shared by Loretta Smith, Susan Anglada Bartley stepped past the public testimony table and held up a petition at the dais. Anglada Bartley told reporters she had collected 19,000 signatures and intended to present them directly to councilors after repeated attempts to get their attention.

Security personnel attempted to escort Anglada Bartley away; in the course of that effort a guard’s arm was placed around her neck while she stood near Smith’s seat, a moment Smith captured on her phone. Police later arrested Anglada Bartley and three others on trespassing charges. The meeting was paused for about 40 minutes and then resumed with councilors appearing remotely; this was the second meeting in recent weeks that switched to an online format due to protest disruptions.

Smith told reporters she felt rattled by the close contact and by what she described as escalating aggressiveness from some demonstrators. She said the ordinance she drafted is intended to create a legal exception permitting councilors to openly carry firearms while performing city business. Smith emphasized she has not carried a firearm in the past and framed the ordinance as a defensive option, not an immediate plan to arm herself.

Analysis & Implications

If the city moves to create an exception for elected officials to openly carry while on duty, it would raise complex legal and policy issues. Oregon state law governs firearms broadly, and local governments can only act within the scope allowed by state statutes and constitutional protections. Any local ordinance would require review by the city attorney to assess compatibility with state law and potential liability for the city.

The proposal also has political and symbolic implications. Allowing open carry by councilors could alter the dynamics of public meetings, potentially chilling protest participation or heightening tensions between elected officials and constituents. Activists who frame their actions as civil resistance may see such a policy as an escalation that shifts the balance between preserving safety and protecting first-amendment activity.

Practically, enforcing an exception would require clear rules about where, when and how councilors could carry, storage and handling standards, and procedures for responding if councilors choose to bring firearms into meetings. The city would need to consider training, background checks beyond existing licensing, insurance and whether other staff or visitors would be affected. There is also a reputational risk for the council and the city if a weapon were used or brandished during a dispute.

Comparison & Data

The two meetings show an escalation in both frequency and tactics of disruptions tied to the same campaign. The city’s operational response included deploying about 26 Portland police officers to the most recent meeting and switching to a remote format to complete business. Those metrics matter for policymakers weighing changes to access rules at City Hall.

Reactions & Quotes

City leadership and activist groups have offered sharply different readings of the incident and Smith’s proposal. Council President Jamie Dunphy, who controls ejection decisions in chambers, has not publicly endorsed the ordinance and did not immediately comment on the draft ordinance.

“It’s a defensive mechanism. If people know that you’re a serious person and you’re going to protect yourself they’re not going to be as quick to mess with you.”

Loretta Smith, Portland City Councilor

Smith framed the proposal as a response to a perceived increase in aggressive behavior. Activists disputed the depiction of the event and the need for firearms at council meetings.

“Councilor Smith is so afraid of constituents using First Amendment rights that she wants to shoot people? No one was threatening her.”

Holly Brown, Organizer, Revoke the ICE Permit PDX

Revoke organizers said their demonstrations are non-violent and intended to pressure elected officials through direct action. One activist directly involved in the incident said she carried no weapon and questioned why she would be treated as a threat.

“I didn’t have a weapon, I didn’t hit anyone. Why am I now being threatened with violence?”

Susan Anglada Bartley, Activist

Portland Police Bureau emphasized balancing protest rights with public safety in a public statement and confirmed arrests and officer response numbers to reporters.

“We fully recognize and respect the community’s right to peaceful protest. Our goal is always to balance protecting constitutional rights with maintaining safety for the entire community.”

Portland Police Bureau Chief Bob Day

Unconfirmed

• Whether the city attorney will approve or find legal grounds for a local open-carry exception for councilors remains unconfirmed.
• It is not confirmed that Loretta Smith will immediately seek a concealed-carry permit or that she will carry a firearm even if an exception is created.
• Claims about escalating threats toward specific councilors beyond the videos and statements published have not been independently verified.

Bottom Line

Loretta Smith’s draft ordinance highlights tensions between elected officials’ sense of personal safety and protesters’ use of direct action to press policy demands. The proposal is likely to prompt legal review, public debate and political backlash from activists who view the measure as a deterrent to protest rather than a safety fix.

Practical next steps include a legal assessment by the city attorney, public discussion at future council meetings, and possible policy proposals on meeting security that fall short of an open-carry exception. Portland officials will need to balance constitutional protest rights, community safety, and clear operational rules if they pursue changes to how City Hall manages armed presence.

Sources

• Oregon Public Broadcasting (news report)
• Portland Police Bureau (official police bureau site)
• City of Portland (official municipal website)