PORTLAND, Maine (WGAN) A Portland man says he believes police arrived at his home to serve him a summons in retaliation for his social media posts.
Christian MilNeil is a former data reporter for the Portland Press Herald and editor for a Massachusetts-based transit blog according to his Twitter. That was where he posted a photo of officers standing on his lawn Tuesday morning.
IDK if this is related to my recent tweets but #portlandme police are at my home now and threatening arrest, they won’t say why pic.twitter.com/Me2YXm5ohh
— Christian Neal MilNeil (@c_milneil) June 9, 2020
He says officers threatened to obtain a warrant for his arrest if he didn’t come down to talk to them, and that one officer mentioned his “preconceived notions about police.” MilNeil says he believes the officer was referring to his social media posts which have been critical of the city’s police department and police in general, calling for the department to be defunded.
Such demands have been amplified among activists in recent weeks amid protests demanding justice for George Floyd, including some in Portland. MilNeil says he’s taken part in a couple of them.
However, the city of Portland says the summons had nothing to do with MilNeil’s posts. He’s been accused of vandalizing property with graffiti, specifically two community policing substations in the Bayside neighborhood.
Officers were there to serve him with a court summons for criminal mischief for damaged city property via graffiti. Milneil refused service. Case is being submitted to DA’s office, but @PolicePortland is hopeful he’ll contact them to accept service prior to DA review. #portlandme https://t.co/eLj5LXdfGr
— City of Portland (@CityPortland) June 9, 2020
MilNeil, a public housing commissioner for Portland Public Housing Authority, denied the accusations, telling the Portland Press Herald in an interview, “The East Bayside police station is in the Bayside anchor, it’s a building I’m very proud of.”
It’s not yet clear what, if any, evidence exists that MilNeil was responsible for the graffiti.
MilNeil says police eventually left his property.
He said on Twitter that he’s hired an attorney.
