Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler slammed president Trump after a weekend of unrest in the city that left one man dead.
“President Trump, you bring no peace, you bring no respect to our democracy,” Mayor Wheeler said. “Your campaign of fear is as anti-democratic as anything you have done to create hate and vitriol in our beautiful country. And now you want me to stop the violence that you helped create. What America needs is for you to be stopped.”
After the death of George Floyd in May, Portland has seen three months of intense protests with demonstrators demanding the mayor, who also serves as the police commissioner, put an end to police brutality and racial injustice.
But on Saturday, protesters against police brutality clashed with a caravan of Trump supporters.
According to the New York Times, one video shows counter-protesters shooting a paintball gun into a crowd of protesters from the back of a truck. Then later in the night, gunshots were heard and a man was shot and killed.
The New York Times reports the victim was wearing a hat with the insignia of the far-right group “Patriot Prayer.”
Police have not yet released the name of the victim or any information about the suspect in the shooting who remains at large.
Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell said, “And it’s critical that everyone refrain from conjecture. Our constitution permits freedom of speech and assembly and individuals are free to disagree, but criminal activity, especially violence, is out of bounds.”
The president responded to the mayor’s attack in a string of tweets calling Wheeler “weak and pathetic” and even “wacky” and a “dummy.”
Earlier Sunday, the Trump administration threatened to step in if Portland doesn’t gain control of its city. Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said, “We’ve been asking Portland to do their job really for over three months now. We need them to step up, and if they can’t or they don’t have the ability or the resources, ask the federal government, and we’ll provide the resources.”
President Trump has tried to vilify Black Lives Matter protesters in Democratic cities as violent agitators, a theme that is becoming a focal point of his re-election campaign. “You know what I say about protesters?” Trump said. “Protesters, your ass. I don’t talk about my ass. They’re not protesters, those aren’t protesters. They’re anarchists, they’re agitators, they’re rioters, they’re looters.”
Oregon Governor Kate Brown says the pro-Trump group “Patriot Prayer” and other militia groups were “looking for a fight” when they drove through Portland. She said she will not allow them to create any more bloodshed in the city.
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