In late May, riots and looting broke out in Portland, Oregon, as happened in dozens of other American cities in response to the death of George Floyd by police. In one night, hundreds of rioters ravaged the center, breaking into jewelry stores, shopping malls, and banks. They left a trail of broken windows and fires in their wake. That was seven weeks ago. And while violent protests have decreased or stopped elsewhere, it has continued and strengthened in Portland.
For 58 days, mass protests and riots have gripped parts of the city. Some streets and areas are literally “no-go zones” at night, blocked by fire or “guard” teams.
Day after day, hundreds and even thousands take to the streets and claim the territory as their own. They run through various songs such as “All the police are bastards” and “F – k the police”. A large number of them participate in violent criminal acts such as fire and assault. They have made it a game to lure law enforcement officers into buildings so they can assault them with blinding lasers, paint, rocks, and other weapons.
Those who do not engage in direct violence encourage them, assist in the “detention” of comrades, and act as police vigilantes. The rioters attempt, and have been successful, to break into the Portland police facility. They are now focused on US federal court Mark O. Hatfield in response to the Department of Homeland Security that sent reinforcements earlier this month.
In addition to violence and lawlessness, what exactly do rioters want?
As noted in the old “autonomous zone” in Seattle, the far-left movement in Portland has not declared “leaders.” Social media is used to decide when and where to meet, but rarely what is the goal. A faction or person can make a statement, only to be contradicted by another.
On Wednesday night, Mayor Ted Wheeler spoke at one of the protests for the first time. The crowd interrupted him and a group projected a list of lawsuits on the front of the Justice Center.
“Theodore, I would like to see you here. These are our demands, ”said the statement. It called for spending the Portland Police Bureau at least 50 percent, releasing all protesters from jail, expelling federal law enforcement, and Wheeler’s resignation.
Despite radical requests, some were eased because it meant there was something to negotiate, a possible path to end seven weeks of violent protests. But the Youth Liberation Front, which led the crowd to shout insults at the mayor, disagreed.
“What is this ‘spend at least 50%’ s – t, we are trying to abolish the police here,” they quickly tweeted.
And that is what people need to know about Antifa. They do not make demands because that works within the “system”. Its unequivocal objective is to destroy all American institutions and then the country itself. When they spray paint or yell, “Burn it,” they mean it.
Antifa’s ideology propagated in extremist magazines, brochures, and websites says the United States is so fundamentally perverse that no reform can fix it: it must be abolished. They see law enforcement and the military as the bulwark between them and their target.
Daily riots work to drain city resources and weaken the morale of police and public officials. Is working.
Last month, Wheeler dissolved the Gun Violence Reduction Unit, claiming it was unfairly targeted at blacks. In the weeks that followed, there has been a 380 percent increase in shootings compared to the same period last year.
City Councilwoman Jo Ann Hardesty has taken police hatred further. She told Marie Claire magazine this week: “I think the Portland Police [Bureau] he’s lying about the damage, or starting the fires themselves, so they have justification to attack community members. “He partially withdrew his accusation after Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell, who is black, requested evidence of your claim.
“Even before the protests started, we were dealing with a catastrophically sparse police office,” says Daryl Turner, president of the Portland Police Association. Going back to 2016, city leaders and sympathetic activists from Antifa have worked to report the police at every opportunity. Anti-police sentiment in the city has led to early retirements and a “de-escalation” police philosophy where most police officers stay away from the unrest. This year alone, the office has had three different police chiefs.
“We are at a point where none of us know what to do,” says a Portland police officer who asked not to be identified. “Some think that we just need to give the vocal minority and the politicians what they want: we go away and let the city burn down.”
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