A black state lawmaker in Oregon said one of her constituents called the police on her when she was knocking on doors to meet prospective voters, according to a report.
Rep. Janelle Byrun, a Democrat running for a second term this fall, said she had been out for about two hours meeting with residents in the Portland suburb of Clackamas on Tuesday when she was approached by a county deputy as she typed notes into her cellphone.
“I don’t believe this,” Bynum told The Oregonian after spotting the deputy in his cruiser.
Bynum, 43, said he asked if she was selling door-to-door.
She said she was a state legislator trying to canvass constituents.
The deputy said somebody called 911 to say she appeared to be lingering around homes while on her phone and feared she was casing the neighborhood.
“It was just bizarre,” Bynum told The Oregonian. “It boils down to people not knowing their neighbors and people having a sense of fear in their neighborhoods, which is kind of my job to help eradicate. But at the end of the day, it’s important for people to feel like they can talk to each other to help minimize misunderstandings.”
Bynum said she asked the deputy to reach out to the caller and he got the woman on the phone.
The lawmaker said the woman apologized and said she called 911 to protect the neighborhood.
Bynum later posted a photo of her and the deputy on her Facebook page and praised him for his professionalism.
”Live from the mean streets of Clackamas!!! Big shout out to Officer Campbell who responded professionally to someone who said that I was going door to door and spending a lot of time typing on my cell phone after each house – aka canvassing and keeping account of what my community cares about!,” Bynum wrote.



