What's With 57+ Days of Portland Riots? Mayor Ted Wheeler is a Fellow Traveler

Portland, Oregon, the Rose City, Stumptown, has a recent history of riots. Much of urban America demonstrated and marched in protest of President Trump’s election in 2016. Portland rioted. Peaceful demonstrations against the George Floyd murder were first in the nation. Riots, looting and arson soon sprang out of the peaceful protests. The protests on May 28 turned into riots, looting, and torching. 57 days and counting. Portland Police officers took a knee with protestors on May 31. Solidarity did not last - Tear gas by the afternoon. Thomas Jefferson was pulled down on June 14 in front of Jefferson high school. George Washington was toppled on June 18. An autonomous social media group called the Pacific Northwest Youth Liberation Front claims credit for serving as information hubs for the protests. It described itself as a “decentralized network of autonomous youth collectives dedicated to direct action toward total liberation.” At one time during the daily protests, they unsuccessfully tried to emulate their compatriots in Seattle by creating their own autonomous zone, The Chinook Land Autonomous Territory (CLAT). On the other hand, Representative Earl Blumenauer, whose Congressional District includes part of Portland, said the Portland protests weren’t as bad as they appear: “To be sure, there are some people who have strong feelings and there are some who have done things that are inappropriate and unlawful.” He said “the challenge of our local officials and our state officials to manage it. Not having someone unwelcome, uninvited and unprepared coming in to take this difficult situation and make it worse.” Molotov cocktails and laser blinding flashes into the eyes of law enforcement officers is apparently nothing serious with the Representative. Nor apparently are protestors with hard-knuckled gloves, firearms, batons, and knives. Just a few spoiled wokes blowing off steam! Scores of officers have been doxed. One assumes that even if it autonomous, someone controls the web site. One further assumes the federal government is monitoring the site and putting together a criminal case against several posters. Membership in the Communist Party was illegal for several years during the Cold War. Those not formally members, but aligned with the Communist Party, were called “Fellow Travelers.” Mayor Wheeler is not apparently a member of Antifa or BLM, but he is clearly a fellow traveler, very simpatico with them with hatred towards law enforcement and the federal government. His power is enhanced because he also serves as the Police Commissioner. The “demonstrators” are his people. He is one with them. Portland protestors rallied against ICE in June 2018 seeking to abolish ICE and end the Trump Administration zero tolerance immigration policy. They blocked the entrances to the ICE field office. They erected tents around the building. ICE agents during the July 2018 protests called 911 several times while being harassed, threatened and followed home. Their calls were ignored because Mayor Wheeler ordered the Portland Police to not assist the federal agents or agencies. The feds are on their own. The federal government thereupon sent extra forces to Portland to protect federal assets, such as the Mark Hatfield Federal Building and Courthouse. A 2018 video showed Aitifa protestors blocking traffic and harassing motorists. The police stayed aside even as the protestors smashed the window of a 74 year old driver. The car sustained thousands of dollars in damages. Mayor Wheeler said “motorists should feel completely safe coming into downtown Portland.” Andy Ngo, a conservative social media activist, was severely beaten by Antifa thugs on June 29, 2020. Motorcycle officers a block away watched and did not intervene. The Portland Police Association President issued a statement the next day, saying the Mayor must “remove the handcuffs from our officers and let them stop the violence through strong and swift enforcement action.” The Mayor claims to have been in Ecuador at the time on a wildlife tour. A courthouse is a symbol of justice and the rule of law. The rioters are constantly attacking the federal Mark Hatfield Federal Courthouse with Molotov cocktails. They are throwing objects at the federal officers and shining lasers into the officers’ eyes. Three officers may be permanently blinded by the lasers. A federal officer was struck with a hammer on June 11 outside the federal courthouse. DHS released a timeline showing the rioters assaulting law enforcement officers with hammers, lasers, slingshots, and fireworks. Other had sledgehammers, tasers and “flaming debris.” These rioters are not peaceful protestors. Mayor Wheeler on the federal officers: ”They’re not welcome here. We haven’t asked them here. In fact we want them to leave.” “They are sharply escalating the situation. Their presence here is actually leading to more violence and more vandalism.” He said “Keep your troops in your own buildings, or have them leave our city.” He asked they remove the graffiti on the way out. He further accused President Trump: “This is part of the core media strategy out of Trump’s White House: to use federal troops to bolster his sagging poll data.” It’s even worse. Mayors like Ted Wheeler, Lori Lightfoot, Jenny Durkan, and Keisha Lance Bottoms, refuse to believe that it’s their people rioting, looting, and torching. They further do not want to admit they failed. They are failures. Appeasement did not stop Hitler. Nor does it stop Antifa and their thugs. Mayor Wheeler appeared Wednesday night at a “listening session.” He stood in front of a fence outside the federal court house. He went to say he was with them; the feds must go. He was doing everything possible “to get federal officers out of Portland.” “I am here tonight to stand with you.” He thanked the protestors for opposing the federal “occupation” of Portland. He shouted “Black Lives Matter.” He added “so if they’re launching tear gas against you, they’re launching tear gas against me.” They did. None of that mattered to the Portland mob. He wouldn’t promise to abolish the police. He was greeted with obscenities: “Fuck Ted Wheeler,” “He doesn’t get to speak; he’s a fucking fascist. Fuck Ted Wheeler.” Another called the mayor a “fucking asshole.” Chants went up “tear gas Ted has got to go.” One ominously warned “Your house next.” They demanded his resignation. Objects were thrown at the Mayor. His security team escorted him out, but not before being tear gassed by the feds. The “protestors” followed him and tried to assault him.” His response: the tear gas was unjustified and called it an “egregious overreaction,” and “urban warfare.” He had shouted “Black Lives Matter,” but the rioters and protestors are overwhelmingly young whites. Mayor Wheeler may not have noticed the protestor demands projected on the Portland Justice Center behind him: 1) Defund @PortlandPolice by at least 50% 2) Free all protestors from jail 3) Get feds out of #Portland 4) Resignation of @tedwheeler. Mayor Wheeler and his ilk are the pale imitations of the ineffectual Alexander Kerensky between the fall of the Tsar and the Bolshevik Revolution. Portland’s City Council passed an ordinance Wednesday that banned the Portland police from working with federal law enforcement officers. The Council on June 17 voted to cut $15 million from the Police Department budget. The only negative vote was from a council members who thought the cuts were not deep enough. Jo Ann A Hardesty is a Portland Commissioner. She accused the Portland police on July 15 of being “saboteurs” who sat the fires after infiltrating crowds of protestors. She said: “I want people to know that I do not believe that there are any protestors in Portland that are setting fires, that are creating crisis. I absolutely believe it’s police action, and that they’re sending in saboteurs and provocateurs into peaceful crowds so they can justify their inhumane treatment of people who are standing up to their rights.” That was an absolutely false statement. Yet it reflects the mindset of several in the Portland area. Commissioner Hardesty and Governor Brown accused the police of being “too aggressive.” The Commission also volunteered to take over the police from the mayor. The latest is Portland issuing a cease and desist order to the federal government to remove the fencing protecting the courthouse. The city claims the fencing is blocking a bike lane. They claim the barriers and unpermitted and represent a hazard to the traveling public. The bike lane “is the premier bike facility into downtown Portland.” These civic officials are living in LaLa land, and I don’t mean Los Angeles. Portland will get no relief on November 3. Mayor Wheeler is in a runoff with Sarah Iannarone for mayor. She Is a community activist and democratic socialist, far to the left of Mayor Wheeler.