Those who incite unrest and violence in Portland are not peaceful protesters, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Ken Cuccinelli said Friday.
In an interview on “Fox & Friends,” Cuccinelli said that those trying to create an autonomous zone in the Oregon metropolis are “criminals” and “looters” who are “looking for opportunities to destroy” and harm enforcement officials. the law.
NEARBY PORTLAND POLICE PARKS, REMOVE BARRICADES TO AVOID THE REPETITION OF THE SEATTLE AUTONOMOUS ZONE
“I spoke to the head of the [police] marriage there earlier this week … Daryl Turner, and, he [and] his fellow officers are very frustrated at how people like Mayor Wheeler are tying hands instead of letting them do their job. And it is exactly that kind of stimulus for the mafia that intensifies the violence, “he said.” It is not advancing in more responsible surveillance. It’s … tying the hands of the responsible police officers. “
Gripped by violent protests for weeks following the death of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, local businesses have reported losses of $ 23 million due to looting and riots that have gripped their downtown area, and has been seen protesters lighting burning mattresses and lighting fireworks in the streets.
Police confront protesters as demonstrated by supporters of the Black Lives Matter in Portland, Oregon, on July 4, 2020 for the thirty-eighth day in a row. (Photo by John Rudoff / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Protesters also attempted to imitate the Seattle Capitol organized protest zone by installing tents in the park near federal court barricaded streets. However, efforts were thwarted on Thursday when city police temporarily closed the two parks and withdrew the camps.
“Well, you know, from a DHS perspective, it includes things like moving more police to places like Portland. And that’s exactly what we did there,” Cuccinelli said.
The undersecretary said part of the city’s problem was that they did not immediately accept federal aid. DHS officers began covering the streets of Portland on Thursday afternoon, even as local, state and federal leaders asked Homeland Security to withdraw their officers.
“And, you know, it’s interesting to say ‘Gee, we provoke violence’ when this has been going on longer than the Noah’s Ark rains,” he added. “It’s been over 40 days in a row in Portland.”
Cuccinelli said Portland, like “many other cities,” simply “has not received the memo” even though “where responsible police advance, violence recedes.”
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He assured that President Trump is “determined” to do “what we can within our jurisdiction to help restore peace in these besieged cities.”
“We are seeing the violent results. And Donald Trump, the president of the United States, is determined to do what he can to reduce that,” Cuccinelli concluded. “We cannot do it everywhere. But he is determined to bring more peace to some of these violent cities.”
Fox News’s Danielle Wallace and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
