More Oregon leaders call on state lawmaker to resign for aiding Oregon Capitol invasion

(The Center Square) — Weeks after he was seen letting a violent mob of Trump supporters into his workplace, Mike Nearman is still a state lawmaker, but critics say that needs to end now.

A total of 24 Oregon civic leaders and elected officials have now signed on to a statement by the nonprofit social justice group, The Western States Center, calling for Nearman, a Republican representing District 23, to resign.

They include members of the Oregon Food Bank, the Oregon Nurses Association, three Salem City Council members, and the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education.

On December 21, Nearman was seen on camera letting in a mob of some 100 supporters of then-President Donald Trump into the Oregon Capitol building in Salem where his colleagues were meeting for a special legislative session.

The day saw two journalists and seven police officers assaulted by members of the mob which shattered doors and windows while bashing health restrictions.

A total of seven men have been arrested in connection with the invasion of the state Capitol building, which was closed to the public during the pandemic.

The last man, arrested on Thursday, is Richard Braatz of Eugene, who was taken into custody while protesting outside the Marion County District Attorney’s office.

Since December 21, Nearman has been fined for damages to the Capitol building, lost his badge access to it, and been stripped of his committee assignments.

Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek, who has also called on Nearman to resign, has filed a joint complaint with the Oregon Legislature’s Equity Office against the politically isolated lawmaker.

In statement earlier this month, Nearman offered no apologies and denied any wrongdoing, claiming he and his wife have been harassed themselves since December 21.

He remains under an ongoing criminal investigation by the Oregon State Police.

On Monday, signatories of the Western States Center statement also slammed Nearman for his work with the anti-immigrant group Oregonians for Immigration Reform, which they hailed as emblematic of growing racism around the country.

“Over the last four years, white nationalists and others have grown bolder and increasingly their narrative has been normalized,” Eric Richardson of the Eugene-Springfield NAACP. “Unfortunately, that’s due to elected officials in the Republican party supporting this narrative.”

Since December 21, Oregon House Minority Leader Christine Drazan, R-Canby, has avoided pointing fingers at Nearman and has instead criticized Democrats for closing the state Capitol to the public.

The Western States Center is among the groups calling on Nearman’s colleagues to remove him from office under Article IV, Section 15 of the Oregon Constitution.

“Since he has so far refused to resign, he needs to be removed,” Amy Herzfeld-Copple of the Western States Center said. “This is the Legislature’s right, it’s their duty, and the evidence is clear that they can act now and don’t need to wait to remove him from office.”

The state constitution allows for the removal of a state lawmaker for “disorderly behavior” by two-thirds of the Oregon Legislature.

Should Nearman’s removal come down to a party-line vote, Oregon’s Democratic majority would fall four votes short between the House and Senate.

If he resigns, he would be the first state lawmaker to do so since former Oregon Sen. Jeff Kruse left his seat in 2018 for sexual harassment allegations.

Nearman is among a host of pro-Trump Oregon Republicans who have shrugged off state health restrictions, including Oregon Sen. Dallas Heard, R-Roseburg, who took off his face mask on the floor of the Oregon Senate on December 21.

On January 8, talkshow host and ex-Oregon Rep. Jeff Kropf shared pleasantries with a member of the far-right Proud Boys group while part of an anti-mask protest at a Salem WinCo.

Tensions have boiled over in Salem in past months as residents of color say they have been harassed by racist and far-right groups following pro-Trump rallies in the city.

In response, the Salem City Council passed a resolution earlier this month denouncing white supremacy, which comes not long after the harassment of a Black Salem business owner by a pro-Trump mob on New Year’s Day.

Little activity was seen outside the Oregon Capitol building on Inauguration Day despite warnings from local and federal authorities of potential unrest. But Kotek has said tighter security at the legislature may remain for some time.

The Salem City Council has other anti-racist legislation in the works, such as declaring racism a public health crisis and fostering diversity and inclusion.

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