PORTLAND, Ore. – Sixteen days before the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and nearly 2,900 miles away, an eerily similar incident occurred at the Oregon Capitol when 50 protesters breached the building — where lawmakers were working — and clashed with law enforcement.
Security video shows a Republican lawmaker, Rep. Mike Nearman, had physically opened the Capitol's door — letting protesters gain access to the building.
Since then, there have been calls for Nearman, a representative from the small northwest Oregon town of Independence, to resign ahead of the upcoming Legislative session that begins Tuesday.“Representative Nearman put every person in the Capitol in serious danger,” Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek said. “As we tragically saw.