Posted on 07/15/2020 6:43:11 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
Nearly two months of nightly protests that have devolved into violent clashes with police have prompted soul-searching in Portland, Oregon, a city that prides itself on its progressive reputation but is increasingly polarized over how to handle the unrest.
President Donald Trump recently deployed federal agents to “quell” the demonstrations in Portland that began after George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police, shining an unwelcome spotlight as the city struggles to find a way forward. The national attention comes as divisions deepen among elected officials about the legitimacy of the more violent protests - striking at the heart of Portland’s identity as an ultraliberal haven where protest is seen as a badge of honor.
“I was born and raised here, and I’m a graduate of the local public school system. I chose to make my livelihood here, I chose to raise my daughter here,” said Mayor Ted Wheeler, who has faced criticism from all sides. “And in all the years that I have lived here, I have never seen the community more divided. Nor have I seen it look worse.”
Small groups of protesters have set fires, launched fireworks and sprayed graffiti on public buildings, including police precincts and the federal courthouse, leading to nearly nightly clashes with police who have used force that’s caused injuries. Similar unrest engulfed many U.S. cities when Floyd died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee to his neck on May 25. But in Portland, which is familiar ground for the loosely organized, far-left activists known as “antifa,” or anti-fascists, the protests never stopped.
Lost in the debate are the downtown businesses racking up millions in property damage and lost sales and the voices of the hundreds of thousands of Portland residents who have stayed off the streets.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
“President Donald Trump recently deployed federal agents to “quell” the demonstrations in Portland “
Ummm...no. They are there to protect federal property that the city refuses to protect
They voted for it. Let them have it.
Good and hard.
L
I have no questions on the legitimacy of terrorism - defined in the dictionary as "the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims". Terrorism is pure evil. Terrorists need to be prosecuted and sent to prison for the rest of their natural lives, or they can be permanently stopped when they attack. They have no legitimacy except in the sense that they are a legitimate threat to all that is civilized and decent.
The “searching” ought to be for the living places of these vermin so that they can be cornered and have the shi....er...Obama beaten out of them.
Rinse, repeat.
What an embarrassing, incompetent city. Two months and still fretting about using force to stop rioting. Pathetic.
“soul searching”.....presumes facts not in evidence.
Searching for something that can’t be found.
And you have no one to blame but yourself ted. All the violence, all the destruction, all the misery, all the bloodshed is on your hands. Now go do the right thing (for once) and kill yourself.
“ small groups of protestors”
Gee, whatever can be done?
Which is more likely? Those businesses will go into great debt and sacrifice to rebuild in the same area?
Or they'll depart to "greener" pastures where the local government supports them and they can turn a profit?
Forget it Jake....its the AP.
I was going to say the same.
Someone get this retard a mirror so he can find who divided his city!
Agreed!
The premise is flawed
Portland has no soul to search
Looks like there could be a heck of a lot of material for a new season of Portlandia.
The peace-loving tree hugging flakes in Oregon and Washington have proven to be the biggest hypocrites in the world.
They’re so concerned with micro aggression but yet they show up at these protests with baseball bats and other weapons. Micro aggression bad. Real aggression okay.
They’re lost souls trying to cling from one cause to the next. They have life better than 99% of the world but yet they angry. They look for any excuse they can to release their pent up anger and they do it on innocent people.
A Federal officer was assaulted by Antifa. There must be arrests for this flony. Also when Antifa membership or those participing in the violence is made public, wonder how many Democrat “elected public officials” will be found to be members.
Also need some creative law enforcement. Arrest the “elected public officials” who gave orders for the police to stand down and charge them with a conspiracy to violate the Federal civil rights of victims and property owners. Lets have a few arrests and an some trials.
So his policies have failed.
Not
Enough
Force
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