Roseburg, OR – Alek Skarlatos, Candidate for Oregon’s 4th Congressional District, released a statement today calling on incumbent Peter DeFazio to answer whether or not he supports the growing calls amongst members of his party to defund police.
“Defunding police departments is not only radical, it is flat out dangerous,” said Skarlatos. “Reforms must be made, but the answer to solving these issues is not disbanding police departments. We deserve to know where DeFazio stands.”
While DeFazio has stayed silent on the issue, a growing number of high-profile Democratic figures have come out in support of defunding, or flat out abolishing, police departments across the country. The Mayors of both New York City and Los Angeles have pledged massive cuts from their police departments’ budgets.
Alek is a former Oregon National Guardsman. He attended both Air Assault School and Sniper School, achieving the rank of Specialist. He completed a nine-month deployment in Afghanistan with the US Army National Guard’s 186th Infantry Regiment, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team in 2015. Alek, along with four others, stopped an armed terrorist on a Paris-bound train traveling from Amsterdam to Paris in August 2015. His heroism earned him several awards and medals around the world including, the United States’ Soldier’s Medal. In addition, he received the Chevalier of the Legion of Honour and the medal of the City of Arras, France.
After serving with the National Guardsman for 5 years, Alek left military service in November 2017. Upon completing his service, Alek voiced his inspiring experience by authoring 15:17 to Paris: The True Story of A Terrorist, A Train, and Three American Heroes describing the events that led up to the attack on the train ride to Paris from Amsterdam. Alek later had the privilege of working with legendary director Clint Eastwood on the film 15:17 to Paris that portrayed the harrowing attack in which Alek starred as himself. He went on to tour the country on public speaking engagements encouraging others to take control of their lives and the importance of duty to the community.
| Alek’s experience stretches beyond the military. With a strong belief in service to his community, Alek stays active by advocating for responsible forest management in Southern Oregon. He lives in Roseburg where he spends his free time hiking and exploring all that Oregon has to offer. Visit www.alekfororegon.com to learn more. |
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