Oregon DOJ Contracts Portland Law Firm For Internal Investigation

By Kimberley Freda

Published August 21, 2018 at 11:30 AM PDT

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<p>Protestors hold up signs while chanting "Black Lives Matter" during a demonstration against the deaths of two unarmed black men at the hands of white police officers in New York City and Ferguson, Mo., in Boston, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2014.</p> — Protestors hold up signs while chanting "Black Lives Matter" during a demonstration against the deaths of two unarmed black men at the hands of white police officers in New York City and Ferguson, Mo., in Boston, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2014.

The Oregon Department of Justice has contracted a Portland law firm to conduct a human resources investigation into the actions of at least one employee.

State Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum has acknowledgedthat employee surveilled people who used the hashtag “Black Lives Matter” on social media.

The agreement obtained by OPB shows the DOJ will pay attorney Carolyn Walker of law firm Stoel Rives $440 an hour to investigate the conduct of Criminal Justice Division employees.

The contract also shows the DOJ will pay up to $88,000 for the investigation.

Urban League of Portland President & CEO Nkenge Harmon Johnson called for a criminal investigationinto the Oregon DOJ in a conversation with OPB on Sunday.