to "create a more positive space for expression and emphasize tactics that de-escalate tensions," and he and Police Chief Mike Marshman have begun meetings with community leaders.

Last Friday, they discussed police tactics and crowd control policies with the ACLU of Oregon, the Portland chapter of the National Lawyers Guild and Oregon Lawyers for Good Government. Wheeler met this week with Portland NAACP President Jo Ann Hardesty and plans to have more community meetings in the future, said mayoral spokesman Michael Cox.

The effort is a good start, said Mat dos Santos, legal director for the ACLU of Oregon, but more progress still needs to be made.

"The existence of (Friday's) meeting is not necessarily a sign of progress. Neither the Mayor nor the Police Chief committed to anything concrete," dosdraw the same attention as those in the street, he said.

McKelvey applied for a permit to march to Wheeler's house last week, but canceled the march after the city and he could not agree on traffic safety precautions. When the permit was approved, it only allowed the group to march on the sidewalk and not the street.

McKelvey likely will not apply for a permit again, he said.

"Oftentimes we're protesting our city government, and we can't just work with them to determine how we are going to protest them," he said.

Whether a group has a permit should not affect how police respond, lawyers from the group Oregon Lawyers for Good Government said.

"I think the city and police bureau are not adequately supporting and protecting free speech rights when a