I'm hoping for a speedy recovery, too. He has nothing but my respect, and if there's anything that any of us can do to help out, here's hoping that someone may pass on word.

I teach my kids that a hero is somebody who puts themselves in harms way to save somebody else. This guy is a hero.

Best wishes to Lionel!
Broken ribs hurt...a lot!

Ayres' fellow ranger, D'Agrosa, is a woman about 5' 6" and 115 lbs dripping wet. She charged bare handed into a knife assault with the man who had Ayres down. Either by instinctual selflessness or by willfully overcoming her fear she got the guy off Ayres.

Citizens like Ayres and A'Agrosa are thin on the ground around these parts. Lucky to have them.

I guess this is why the PPB prefers to bring a gun to a knife fight.

Put another uniform on him and put him under the Morrison bridge in the same circumstances and this blog, would be calling for an investigation of police overreaction. What's the difference?

Do we need a better mental health system?

Don,

Don't you remember? We chose to short-change our county mental health system (along with schools) in order to funnel corporate welfare to connected developers.

What's the difference?

The park ranger risked grave injury to himself in a situation in which force was warranted. Portland police kill first, usually from a distance, and then go out for coffee.

I'm not at all certain that a PPB Officer responding to a 911 call is able to ascertain who the knife wielding subject intends to harm upon arriving on scene.

If you don't respond to a Police Officer's command to drop the knife, and then advance towards the officer, you will be shot. History (and the above example of the Park Rangers) suggests that it's dangerous to try and wrestle with somebody holding a knife.

It is an apples to apples comparison of why the PPB protocol doesn't permit the officer to get close enough to the knife to lose their tactical advantage.

it's dangerous to try and wrestle with somebody holding a knife.

Yes, God forbid the Portland police should ever do anything dangerous. They don't get paid enough for that, and besides, they're already in danger from taking steroids.

There is this other thing, called running away and calling for backup. No situations ever warrant a-tail-between-the-legs-approach for a PPB officer, apparently.

We saw one way, way, over the rainbow character in 3 weeks in Australia. One.
There, the press coversation about the mentally ill goes something like this: "Advocate groups are calling on the XXX commission to quit filing their reports so late. These reports justify why such-and-such an unfortunate was taken off the streets, for his and everyone-else'sake, and brought in to the corral. The law says they have only two weeks to file those public reports! Sometimes they are late! Sometimes they take SIX WEEKS! This is a human rights violation!"

Dear heaven, we would wish to have their problems.

Gaye, what if the PPB officer retreats (seeking to avoid confrontation), and the knife-wielding schizophrenic stabs a passerby?

What if you, or a family member, was that passerby?

Hi Jack-- I just wanted to thank you and your readers for the well wishes for my husband and his ranger partner. He is recovering and is overwhelmed by the positive response from the community!

Sincerely, Kristie

Are you really one of the Bug Chicks? When it's all better, we want you back on the blog in that capacity!

I believe one of the media reports indicated the lowlife might have received "paralyzing injuries." That may keep him out of the parks and no longer harassing anyone, but it could mean we, the taxpayers, get to pay for him living out his life in a nursing home. There's a choice.

OTOH - glad the ranger is recovering.

I think it's a bit much to say that the cops should blow away every homeless miscreant who pulls an exacto/pen knife on them. If it's a big knife, and it looks like the guy/gal has the means to use it, shoot'em. All in all this was a great job done on the part of both of these rangers, and they acted within the scope of their training. Hopefully they get some pepper spray or night stick to make the next person think twice before pulling this crap.

Kudos to Ranger Lionel Eyres and his erstwhile colleague and adoring entomologist. I'm very glad neither Ranger sustained the paralyzing injury.

They both need training in hand-to-hand combat if they're going to continue to patrol the public parks unarmed.

Oh man I hate it when the good guys get hurt. Keep up the good fight brother.