I have been a full time, sworn Police Chaplain for 10 years with the Portland Police Bureau. I spend most days responding to Officers experiencing traumatic events as part of our employee assistance wellness program. The entire time I have been at PPB there has been consistent riots and occasional problems with anarchists – now rebranded as Antifa – and constant scrutiny from the DOJ and our own city leadership.
The past 6 months have been historic. We have seen almost constant violence in our country and especially our city. Portland Police had city council members betray us, making accusations of the Police causing the violence, and even saying the Police started the fires during the nightly violence. The Officers in Portland were broken and discouraged, and many felt hated by their city -- and even some of their churches.
During this dark time, I was connected with Tom Langan of Morale Boosters and we received some of their "morale boosts." The officers were amazed, thankful, and surprised that people down in southern California cared enough about them to send Bibles, gifts, and even a banner. God has not been silent during this difficult time, and I get to have a front row seat to the work His people, like those at Morale Boosters, have in answering this call to action.
A few years ago I asked a local pastor about why he felt called to support the Police. His statement to me was "When I came home from Vietnam, after serving as a combat Marine there, the way we were treated is the same way they treat cops today." A few weeks ago, I saw a protester with a sign outside our Central Precinct that could have been a Vietnam War protest sign. The sign simply said "murderers, baby killers". After a short, tense conversation, he decided to leave, but that ideology permeates the anti-police protests.
Thank you, Morale Boosters, for supporting Portland Police at a time when many Police feel completely abandoned.