The Portland police and two officers have reportedly agreed to pay Jo Ann Hardesty, former commissioner, $680,000 in a settlement after information was leaked that falsely implicated her in a hit-and-run incident.

Hardesty, a Black woman who was an advocate and behind defunding Portland police by tens of millions of dollars, was briefly implicated in a 2021 collision after a 911 caller mistakenly identified her as the driver who fled the scene after being rear-ended.

An officer leaked the allegation to an activist friend who later shared the information on a livestream.

Hardesty's lawsuit sought $5 million and was scheduled to go to trial this week.

Brian Hunzeker, who was the president of the police union at that time, also leaked the false information to a reporter, the lawsuit alleged. The suit characterizes the leaks as racially and politically motivated.

Portland settled its part in the lawsuit by paying $5,000 to Hardesty and providing a written apology from Mayor Ted Wheeler.

“Portland Police Bureau employees acting outside the course and scope of their employment leaked confidential information about Commissioner Hardesty. The leaks negatively impacted Commissioner Hardesty's public image and undermined her efforts to bring about police transformation and reform, Wheeler said in the letter obtained by KGW.

Had no settlement been reached, a jury would have deliberated on whether the Portland police racially discriminated against Hardesty.

Hardesty claimed in 2020 that Portland police were “saboteurs” who were infiltrating protesters and setting fires as “justification for attacking community members.”

You know, the ‘Fiery, but mostly peaceful protests’ that went on that year.

She later apologized for those claims.

You think those false accusations negatively impacted the police department's public image and undermined their efforts to do their job?

Because that is what Wheeler claimed happened to her.

Well, I guess in that situation, an apology was enough. But in regards to the mistaken allegations against her, that needed significant compensation. Probably because of ‘white privilege’ or something like that. You know, because the police are racist.

It is not like the leak was made up out of thin air. It was an actual witness statement that was leaked.

And how is that even racist? If she was white I am sure it would have still been leaked.

It is pretty obvious the witness statement was shared because of her anti-police rhetoric, not because of her race.

But despite all that, Hardesty once called the police on her Lyft driver after getting in an argument over covid-19 regulations.

Even Portland Progressives had enough of her as Hardesty lost reelection last November to someone who ran on a campaign of anti-crime and public safety.

It is pretty ironic how the person who was one of the loudest voices behind defunding Portland police, is also getting funds from Portland police.

And the anti-police narrative in Portland caused over $2 billion in damages.

But her rhetoric had nothing to do with that, right?

One way or another, she really made sure that department had less funds.

But again, she gets away with an apology and the police have to pay her hundreds of thousands of dollars because of racism.