The Portland Police Department was forced to clarify “concerns” that an officer was showing support for a Proud Boys rally when he wore a hat with a ‘P’ on it. The ‘P’ in question actually represents a police union.
“We have heard concerns with a hat being worn by some police officers that has a ‘P’ on it,” city police tweeted on Saturday afternoon in the midst of separate Proud Boys and Black Lives Matter events. “Some say this is to support of one of the groups gathering. That is not true. The P represents the Portland Police Association, is approved for uniform wear, and is commonly seen on patrol.”
The photo posted by the police department was credited by police to New York Times correspondent Mike Baker who shared a video of officers talking to the organizers of the Proud Boys event. Though he did not make the direct connection as many others did on social media, Baker did say that two officers were wearing the ‘P’ hats and that several people at the rally told them, “nice hats.”
In the video posted, one of the officers can be seen and the back of his hat reads ‘PPA,’ standing for Portland Police Association, a labor union.
Still, complaints rolled in and police had to respond, which has led many social media users to mock the overly sensitive critics and to post more clothing sporting the letter ‘P’ on it.
The Proud Boys rally took place in Delta Park and was surrounded by police, who closely monitored the situation following Oregon Gov. Kate Brown ordering a state of emergency in anticipation of the right-wing group’s event.
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