Media Flip Out As Feds Descend On Portland to Bring Peace to the Streets – Democrat Leaders Blame Trump For Violence While Ignoring BLM Rioters
(Brock Simmons) In the wake of the George Floyd death, the protests and riots in most cities ground to a halt after a week so. But not in Portland. Portland has been protesting literally every night since late May. Many of these protests devolve into unlawful assemblies as violent leftists start to throw rocks and other debris at police, and it’s not uncommon for the police to declare these riots.
But mayor Ted Wheeler, governor Kate Brown, and the Portland police command staff seemingly let the rioters take the city, as police are told to stand down and not impede the mob as businesses are destroyed and looted, fires are started in the streets, random bystanders are assaulted, and government buildings are vandalized and set on fire.
However, once the Black Lives Matter mob set their sites on the Hatfield Federal Courthouse, they opened up a new front. After the building was hit with all sorts of graffiti, windows were smashed, and fireworks were shot inside, federal agents and officers then got involved. These are evidently a mixture of Federal Protective Services officers, Customs and Border Protection, US Marshals, and other federal agents.
Since the rioters aren’t dealing with the weak kneed city and county leaders on federal property, US District Attorney Billy Williams is pursuing charges against several of the terrorists, and the feds have been making several arrests over the last week or so.
This drew national attention when one protester was hit in the head with some kind of less than lethal round and ended up in the hospital, undergoing reconstructive facial surgery. Of course the fake news media only showed the part where the fed fired the non lethal round. What they didn’t show was why. Turns out dude lobbed one of the tear gas canisters back at the feds, and that led to the round being fired.
Graphic video of Donovan Labella being shot in the face by feds while holding a speaker over his head. He's carried out unconscience (video by @hungrybowtie). His skull was fractured and surgery required. Police hide behind a badge to commit violence. #PortlandProtests pic.twitter.com/fsahbaTCU4
— John #WET'SUWET'ENStrong (@Johnnthelefty) July 13, 2020
Then the other night federal agents in camo rushed up on some dude and brought him into custody, and escorted him into a plain ol’ minivan.
These federal officers (?) just rushed up and arrested someone for no reason pic.twitter.com/xcFVuoMZmN
— Matcha chai (@matcha_chai) July 15, 2020
Note that it was only two officers, the guy immediately complied and put his hands up, there was no resisting, no yelling “F*** THE POLICE”, and the kid calmly went with them.
WTH?
This led to the community flipping out.
Oregon Public Broadcasting reports:
In the early hours of July 15, after a night spent protesting at the Multnomah County Justice Center and Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse, Mark Pettibone and his friend Conner O’Shea decided to head home.
It had been a calm night compared to most protesting downtown. By 2 a.m. law enforcement hadn’t used any tear gas and, with only a few exceptions, both the Portland Police Bureau and federal law enforcement officers had stayed out of sight.
A block west of Chapman Square, Pettibone and O’Shea bumped into a group of people who warned them that people in camouflage were driving around the area in unmarked minivans grabbing people off the street.
“So that was terrifying to hear,” Pettibone said.
They had barely made it half a block when an unmarked minivan pulled up in front of them.
“I see guys in camo,” O’Shea said. “Four or five of them pop out, open the door and it was just like, ‘Oh shit. I don’t know who you are or what you want with us.’”
Federal law enforcement officers have been using unmarked vehicles to drive around downtown Portland and detain protesters since at least July 14. Personal accounts and multiple videos posted online show the officers driving up to people, detaining individuals with no explanation of why they are being arrested, and driving off.
Officers from the U.S. Marshals Special Operations Group and Customs and Border Protection’s BORTAC, have been sent to Portland to protect federal property during the recent protests against racism and police brutality.
It turns out one of the guys they nabbed was suspected of assaulting an officer, as KATU reports:
The U.S. Attorney for Oregon says he is asking the Department of Homeland Security to review reports of federal officers arresting people in unmarked vans.
KATU News has confirmed that U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents took at least one protester into custody, saying the person was suspected of assaulting federal officers or damaging federal property. The agency said they took the suspect to another location for “further questioning” citing safety issues amid the protest.
“The CBP agents identified themselves and were wearing CBP insignia during the encounter. The names of the agents were not displayed due to recent doxing incidents against law enforcement personnel who serve and protect our country,” a CBP spokesperson said.
The 3rd world scenes of mayhem in Portland drew the attention of acting Department of Homeland Security director Chad Wolf, who paid a pay a visit to the Rose City on Thursday.
Our men and women in uniform are patriots. We will never surrender to violent extremists on my watch. pic.twitter.com/kG8w8kyw9E
— Acting Secretary Chad Wolf (@DHS_Wolf) July 17, 2020
But it turns out the pro antifa, pro riots, pro destruction elected officials in the area don’t want any involvement from the feds. They are perfectly happy watching the city get destroyed on a nightly basis.
In fact they take it a step further and blame Trump for escalating the violence.
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. https://t.co/PdlZkmW0mQ
— Governor Kate Brown (@OregonGovBrown) July 16, 2020
In a press conference today, Portland mayor @tedwheeler blames @realDonaldTrump & @DHSgov for the antifa riots in Portland. A reporter then points out the riots were already happening for 5 straight weeks before DHS came. https://t.co/mapGK7zRGx pic.twitter.com/rwIZobnYdV
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) July 18, 2020
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) July 16, 2020
BREAKING: Chad Wolf just arrived in Portland.
— Earl Blumenauer (@repblumenauer) July 16, 2020
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. https://t.co/BdmKbnc0L7
Perhaps the most vocal has been hackjob senator Jeff Merkley.
Authoritarian governments, not democratic republics, send unmarked authorities after protesters. These Trump/Barr tactics designed to eliminate any accountability are absolutely unacceptable in America, and must end. pic.twitter.com/PE4YfZ9Vqd
— Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) July 16, 2020
Merkley said, “DHS and DOJ are engaged in acts that are horrific and outrageous in our constitutional democratic republic. First, they are deploying paramilitary forces with no identification indicating who they are or who they work for. Second, these agents are snatching people off the street with no underlying justification. Both of these acts are profound offenses against Americans. We demand not only that these acts end, but also that they remove their forces immediately from our state. Given the egregious nature of the violations against Oregonians, we are demanding full investigations by the Inspectors General of these departments.”
Oddly enough, though, these “leaders” are deafeningly silent when it comes to the antics of the antifa and BLM terrorists, as none of these “esteemed” figures are criticizing the nightly violence and riots.
Only one significant figure actually wanted to meet with Mr. Wolf, and that was Portland Police union president Darryl Turner, who has long been a critic of the city’s excuse for leadership.
In the eyes the deranged elected democrats, the rioters aren’t the problem, the people trying to stop the rioters are the problem.