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SAN FRANCISCO: A man was shot and killed in the protests-hit US city of Portland, police said Sunday (Aug. 30), during clashes between Black Lives Matter activists and supporters of President Donald Trump.
Detectives said they had opened a homicide investigation after the victim was struck in the chest when gunfire erupted Saturday night in Oregon City, an epicenter of near-night protests for three months.
The shooting followed a week of protests across the country, including the cancellation of numerous sporting events, over the Kenosha, Wisconsin police shooting of African-American Jacob Blake.
Officers responded to reports of gunfire when violence erupted during a pro-Trump rally involving hundreds of vehicles “caravanning through downtown Portland.”
“They responded and located a victim with a gunshot wound to the chest. Medics responded and determined that the victim was deceased,” Portland police said in a statement.
OregonLive reported “clashes” and “tense moments” between protesters and counter-protesters, although police did not say whether the shooting, around 8:45 pm, was related to the rally.
Photographs from the scene showed the victim wearing a hat with the “Patriot Prayer” logo, described by local media as a far-right group at the center of multiple demonstrations in Portland that ended in violence.
Trump supporters drive downtown during a rally in support of the president on August 29, 2020 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo: Nathan Howard / Getty Images / AF)
Police said they made 10 arrests, though they did not specify whether the detainees were pro-Trump protesters or counter-protesters.
The clashes in Portland followed riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where prosecutors charged 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse with gunning down two men and wounding another protesting the Blake shooting.
‘LAW AND ORDER’
Anti-racism protests affecting American cities have become a major issue in the campaign for the November presidential election, with Trump presenting himself as the “law and order” option and characterizing his Democratic challenger Joe Biden as weak. in violent crimes.
READ: Anti-racism protesters in Kenosha, watched by National Guard reinforcements
Biden, who has condemned the violent protests, was due to deliver a speech Monday noting that “chaos has developed” under Trump’s supervision, according to The New York Times.
In an interview with MSNBC last week, he said that Trump was “encouraging violence” and “putting gasoline on the fire”, considering it useful for his re-election.
Trump spent Sunday morning tweeting and retweeting dozens of posts purporting to show violence in Democrat-run cities, and especially Portland.
The president has repeatedly threatened to send federal government forces to the west coast city if Mayor Ted Wheeler does not crack down.
Trump attacked Wheeler, a Democrat, for refusing help from the National Guard, which he said “could solve these problems in less than 1 hour.”
“Wheeler is incompetent, as is Sleepy Joe Biden,” Trump tweeted. “This is not what our great country wants. They want safety and security, and they DO NOT want to defund our police!”
A Black Lives Matter protester fights with attendees of a pro-Trump rally during an event held to show support for the president on August 29, 2020 in Clackamas, Oregon. (Photo: Nathan Howard / Getty Images / AFP)
Wheeler shared an open letter to Trump on Friday denouncing the president’s “policy of division and demagoguery.”
“Portlanders are upon you. We have already seen your reckless disregard for human life in your clumsy response to the COVID pandemic,” he wrote.
“And we know that he has come to the conclusion that images of violence or vandalism are his only ticket to re-election.”
‘LIVES ARE LOST’
Wheeler described the protests as part of a “proud progressive tradition” in Portland, but also condemned the violence and vandalism.
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf told ABC on Sunday that state and local officials “were not allowing the police to do their job” to “stop this violent activity …”.
He added on CBS that the state of Oregon and the National Guard needed to “do their job.”
“We need you to step up, and if you can’t or don’t have the capacity or the resources, ask the federal government and we will provide you with the resources, as we have done in Wisconsin and other countries, so you can address any type of issue. violence, “he said.
When asked if Trump was considering challenging Wheeler’s request not to involve federal police, Wolf said “all options remain on the table.”
Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, said the violence and loss of life won’t stop until law enforcement reaffirms control.
“But … when you foster disdain for the police, you encourage criminals,” he told CNN.
“When you do little or nothing to stop the riots, you foster anarchy. Lives are lost.”
