Multnomah County’s New D.A. Nathan Vasquez

PORTLAND, Ore.– For years, Eric Bergstrom worked in the Multnomah County D.A.’s office alongside a young lawyer.  “If you had told me when Nathan started in the office that, Hey, you know, one day this guy is going to be the District Attorney of Multnomah County, I would have said, That, that guy?”

But eventually the soft-spoken and thoughtful lawyer won him over.

“He didn’t shy away. He worked in hard units. He tried gang cases. He tried murders.”

Multnomah County Chief Deputy District Attorney Kirsten Snowden also talks about working with Vasquez.

“It’s not just about hard work. But the hard work follows his heart. His heart is truly in this work. He has earned his reputation. as an advocate for justice. He is dedicated to upholding the rights of crime victims in our community and to ensuring accountability within the criminal justice system.”

Retired Judge Bergstrom led Vasquez taking his oath of office Tuesday, wearing him in to his new job.

Vasquez told a crowd, it was a fulfillment of his life’s ambition to become Multnomah County’s new District Attorney.

“24 years ago, on August 29th of 2000, my first day as an intern in the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office. I walked into the courthouse, a young man full of optimism.  It didn’t take me long to know in my heart that this was my life’s calling. Working at the district attorney’s office, it’s more than a job. It’s a duty and a responsibility. I feel so fortunate that each day I get to walk into court and stand up for victims and fight for the safety of the community.”

Vasquez says he promises, “To use all the resources of this office to ensure that our communities are as safe as possible, that offenders are held accountable for their actions, and at the utmost, that victims and their families are heard and treated with humanity and respect. The families that I have had the distinct honor and privilege of fighting for justice for them and their lost loved ones, I carry in my heart each day.”