Jason Washington’s family holds a press conference on the Portland State University campus on the week anniversary of his death.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra/OPB
David O’Bryant has done a lot of things in his life to protect himself. He’s studied self-defense. He’s taken time to learn about white supremacist groups that operate in Oregon.
And he bought a gun.
“I do think that it behooves marginalized communities to at least explore the possibilities of firearms for self-defense,” O’Bryant said.
O’Bryant is among many people reflecting on the complex interplay of firearm ownership and the realities of being black in Oregon, following the shooting death of Jason Washington[1] in June.
Washington was a Navy veteran, a grandfather and licensed to carry a concealed handgun[2]. He was shot and killed by Portland State University campus police in the early morning hours of June 29. Investigators have said little since the incident, but witnesses said Washington was attempting to break up a fight when his handgun fell out of its holster.
Video of the shooting shows Washington attempt to retrieve the firearm, someone shouting “gun,” and then police opening fire.
According to the Washington Post’s “Fatal Force Project[3],” police have killed at least 110 black people in America in 2018, as of early July. But Washington’s death doesn’t fit neatly into the national discussion of unarmed black men being gunned down by police.
By Andre Washington’s account, his brother Jason was a supporter of the Second Amendment, social issues and “perhaps the most ironic of them all is [he] supported the police.”
“When there’s this demand for public safety, like having armed officers on PSU’s campus in the
