“The city of Portland has been under siege for 47 straight days by a violent mob while local political leaders refuse to restore order to protect their city. Each night, lawless anarchists destroy and desecrate property, including the federal courthouse, and attack the brave law enforcement officers protecting it.It's not clear who exactly he's meeting with. Presumably the cops and federal law enforcement. Oregon Democratic leaders are determined to gut out the strategy of acquiescence and play this against Trump.
“A federal courthouse is a symbol of justice - to attack it is to attack America. Instead of addressing violent criminals in their communities, local and state leaders are instead focusing on placing blame on law enforcement and requesting fewer officers in their community. This failed response has only emboldened the violent mob as it escalates violence day after day.
“This siege can end if state and local officials decide to take appropriate action instead of refusing to enforce the law. DHS will not abdicate its solemn duty to protect federal facilities and those within them. Again, I reiterate the Department’s offer to assist local and state leaders to bring an end to the violence perpetuated by anarchists,” said Acting Secretary Chad Wolf
Mayor Ted Wheeler says he's neither received nor would accept an invite.
Governor Kate Brown:A number of people have asked if I know DHS leadership is in town, and if I’m going to meet with them. We’re aware that they’re here. We wish they weren’t. We haven’t been invited to meet with them, and if we were , we would decline.— Mayor Ted Wheeler (@tedwheeler)
This political theater from President Trump has nothing to do with public safety. The President is failing to lead this nation. Now he is deploying federal officers to patrol the streets of Portland in a blatant abuse of power by the federal government.— Governor Kate Brown (@OregonGovBrown)
I told Acting Secretary Wolf that the federal government should remove all federal officers from our streets. His response showed me he is on a mission to provoke confrontation for political purposes. He is putting both Oregonians and local law enforcement officers in harm’s way. — Governor Kate Brown (@OregonGovBrown) July 16, 2020One local lawman refused to meet with Wolf and toed the "politicization" line (apparently for Wolf's "under siege" comments):
Senators WydenI was under the impression this was going to be a thoughtful, honest and open discussion, but following statements made by Sec. Wolf, it became clear law enforcement in the City of Portland was becoming highly politicized, and for that reason, I declined to meet.— Mike Reese (@SheriffReese) July 17, 2020
A peaceful protester in Portland was shot in the head by one of Donald Trump’s secret police. Now Trump and Chad Wolf are weaponizing the DHS as their own occupying army to provoke violence on the streets of my hometown because they think it plays well with right-wing media.— Ron Wyden (@RonWyden)and Merkley:
Congressman Blumenauer:Federal forces shot an unarmed protester in the face. These shadowy forces have been escalating, not preventing, violence. If @DHS_Wolf is coming here to inflame the situation so @realDonaldTrump can look like a tough guy, he should turn around and leave our city now.— Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley)
Democratic leadership is united.BREAKING: Chad Wolf just arrived in Portland. Here’s my message: #GoHomeChad and take your unlawful DHS agents with you. The Trump admin has no place occupying and inciting violence in our community.— Earl Blumenauer (@repblumenauer)
Around 7 AM a motley collection of antifa sympathizers and homeless jeered police who'd set up a line around the park blocks adjacent to the target buildings, and now there's fencing encompassing all the real estate antifa had owned after dark since the siege began.
— Untethered (@UntetheredDale) July 16, 2020
Reports are they swept through at 5 AM and made nine arrests. I saw them make one later. Later in the day handfuls of cops rested on benches within the fence. The crowd lined up along the street bordering the zone was small and very rough. Antifa Twitter activity suggests they're rallying at a park elsewhere tonight, but that could be a head fake. I can't imagine they won't challenge the cops in their new pen tonight.
— Untethered (@UntetheredDale) July 16, 2020Meanwhile Portland is experiencing the same release of criminal violence outside of its siege as other affected cities, and here too it's a total mystery [boldface added]:
Beyond the protests, it was a violent few days in Portland.
Statistics show there has been a 380% increase in shootings over the past year and this weekend saw a number of homicides.
“Each of these numbers represents a human being, we must not lose sight of that,” Chief Lovell said. “5 victims of homicide within 24 hours is staggering.”
Lovell said the bureau does not know what is causing the uptick in violence.And nobody in the local media is interested in asking the obvious question.
Nadezhda Volobuev, 61, died Friday in Southeast Portland. Her daughter, 29-year-old Angelina Volobuev, is charged with second-degree murder. Police responded to the 13600 block of SE Powell Boulevard shortly after 9 p.m. Friday after witnesses reported hearing 7 to 10 shots fired. Julian Heredia, 19, died.
An 18-year-old girl was killed in a shooting in the area of SE 84th Avenue around 1 p.m. Friday. Shai-India Harris died at the scene.
Despite rumors, Portland police don’t believe racism was a motive in a shooting that left a man dead in the 8300 block of SW Barbur around 8:15 p.m.Thursday. Detectives interviewed multiple witnesses to this crime and “there is no information at this time to support race was a factor that played a role in this case.”A local black activist tried to gin up a hoax on Twitter that white supremacists executed a black man outside a strip club. Distraught relatives of the deceased came out of the woodwork. There was never any question the shooter was another black guy, and the motive is allegedly a coke deal gone wrong. The suspect is fair, probably bi-racial, and I genuinely think the would-be hoaxer thought he might elicit what they used to call a "light skin pass" into whiteness. No local press interest in a state Democratic Black Caucus aide trying to pull a fast one, of course.
A man was charged with second-degree murder for allegedly stabbing and killing a person in Southeast Portland’s Buckman neighborhood around 3:45 p.m. Wednesday.
And though no one died in these incidents, bullets were fired:
A fusillade of bullets hit 2 vehicles in Southeast Portland around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, injuring a 10-year-old girl who was in one car with her mother and 3 other children. More than 25 bullet casings were found on the street in the 13400 block of SE Harold Street.
Gunshots rang out around 1:15 a.m.Thursday after demonstrators in downtown Portland and the driver of a car going the wrong way confronted each other, police said.As the driver and the demonstrators faced off, “several shots were fired from the vehicle as it drove away,” police said.
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