Black Lives Matter, Protest Policing, and Voter Support for Police Reform in Portland, Oregon.

This article examines how perceptions of police use of force against Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters influence voter support for police reform, focusing on data from a 2020 survey of Portland, Oregon voters conducted before a local police reform ballot measure. Using an extended process-based model of policing integrated with theories of legitimacy and collective action framing, the study finds that voters who perceive police responses to protests as inappropriate are more likely to support police reform, an effect mediated by increased resonance of pro-reform frames and decreased resonance of anti-reform frames. These findings suggest that perceived unjust protest policing undermines police legitimacy in the public eye and shapes political behavior, highlighting the importance of procedural justice in protest policing for democratic accountability. The study is limited to one city and time period and calls for further research on protest policing’s broader political effects and actual voting behavior.