Trump Denounces 'Anarchists and Agitators' Smashing Through Portland City Hall
Rioters in Portland smashed windows at City Hall in a demonstration that started Tuesday night and stretched into Wednesday morning, and police made 23 arrests as they dispersed the crowd in Oregon’s largest city, officials said.
Agitators in the crowd of about 150 also threw bottles and eggs at police, put metal bars in the street to try to damage police vehicles and smashed a security camera on the City Hall building, police said in a statement.
The statement said officers used “crowd control munitions” in response.
The violence came a day after protesters repeatedly set fire to a police union headquarters building and were repelled by officers spraying tear gas, officials said.
Twenty-five people were arrested amid clashes that stretched into Tuesday morning.
Portland has been gripped by nightly and often violent protests for nearly three months since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Rioters have targeted police buildings and federal buildings.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump renewed calls to have Gov. Kate Brown and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler call in the state’s National Guard.
“They must stop calling these anarchists and agitators ‘peaceful protestors’. Come back into the real world! The Federal Government is ready to end this problem immediately upon your request,” Trump wrote on Twitter.
…They must stop calling these anarchists and agitators “peaceful protestors”. Come back into the real world! The Federal Government is ready to end this problem immediately upon your request.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 25, 2020
Brown responded on Twitter to Trump’s request, calling it “political theater.”
Oregon isn’t interested in a role in your political theater, @realDonaldTrump. The @OregonGuard is focused on fighting wildfires, distributing PPE & helping with unemployment calls. I’d love to discuss what we actually need: financial resources, N-95 masks & testing supplies. https://t.co/fmrxSbCqrv
— Governor Kate Brown (@OregonGovBrown) August 25, 2020
In July, the federal government sent agents to protect federal property in downtown Portland. Crowds grew into the thousands and agents repeatedly clashed with agitators over a two-week period.
The agents pulled back from a visible presence, but it’s unclear how many remained in Portland under an agreement in which the Oregon State Police would be deployed downtown.
The State Police left after an agreed upon two-week monitoring period.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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