Revolt.tv describes some of Portland’s history:
In 1985, Portland Police choked Lloyd “Tony” Stevenson to death after mistaking him for a suspect. Following Stevenson’s death and the subsequent banning of “sleeper” holds, on the day of his funeral, Portland Police Association members distributed t-shirts emblazoned with the slogan “Don’t Choke ‘Em, Smoke ‘Em’’ asserting that officers should use their firearms instead of their hands to execute Black Portlanders.