A group from Portland, Ore, protested inside the lobby of Mayor Ted Wheeler’s condominium building on Friday evening, while others held a huge concert outside.
Protesters said they would not leave until Wheeler met with them to demand their resignation, cut the Portland Police Bureau’s budget and never vote to increase police spending.
The protest was reportedly peaceful until 10pm local time, although red paint handprints were found on the glass outside the lobby, independent journalist Garrison Davis said.
Davis’s report said some protesters had left by 10 p.m. for security reasons.
“We are monitoring the situation and hope the protesters remain peaceful for the safety of other residents,” Wheeler’s office fee said in a statement late Friday, according to KIN-TV reporter Jennifer Dowling.
It was not immediately clear if Wheeler was at home during the protest.
Earlier, Wheeler tweeted a message praising the protesters’ efforts.
The Fed says furt charges are maintained by Portland incentives
He tweeted, “Thank you Portlanders for the powerful display of unity in last night’s show.” “Ethnic justice requires the whole community to come together. Let’s continue to focus on the work ahead and move forward with improvement, recovery and resilience plans for PDX. “
Earlier Friday, Wheeler wrote a letter to President Trump, rejecting an offer by more federal officials to stir up a commotion in the city over the death of George Floyd in police custody on May 25 in Minneapolis.
He wrote, “We do not need your divisive and demographic politics. “You made the situation worse when you sent feeds to Portland last month. Your fur to repeat that disaster is a reckless attempt to instill fear and distract us from the real work of our city. “
Wheeler also condemned the violence and vandalism that have largely demonstrated peaceful protest.
“There is no place for looting, arson or vandalism in our city,” he wrote. “There is no room here for racist violence or for those who want to bring their hate ideology into our community. Those who commit a criminal act will be arrested and prosecuted under the law. “
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The presence and tactics of federal agents sent to the city last month to secure the federal building downtown amid overnight protests were highly controversial. The agents are then pulled down.
Local U.S. The attorney general announced Thursday that 74 people are now facing federal misconduct and criminal charges related to the protest, including attacks on federal officials, arson and damage to federal property.
In a tweet a few hours later, Trump called Wheeler “incompetent” and said, “If he can’t get control of the city, we’ll go and take care of things the way they should 100 days ago!” “
The Associated Press contributes to this report.
