Portland Protests Have Been “Hijacked By Criminals” And Downtown Residents Are Now Pleading For Law And Order

Downtown Portland residents appear to be at their wits end, pleading for a respite from what has been nightly violence and chaos that started as “peaceful protests” months ago. 

Those protests have now been “hijacked by criminals” causing “violence and destruction”, according to local CBS affiliate KOIN. 

The Portland residents continue to support the Black Lives Matter message, the report says, but have been speaking out about attacks on the city, saying they “harm progress made by the racial justice movement”. 

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Over the weekend, statues of Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln (you know, of the Emancipation Proclamation) were overturned during an event called “Indigenous Peoples Day of Rage.”

The event led to damage at “the Oregon Historical Society building, the Portland State University campus public safety office, a jewelry store, multiple restaurants, a coffee shop, a bank and a phone store,” according to KOIN. 

A local deli owner showed KOIN the damage and shattered windows at his store. He said: “It’s the strangest thing to be quite honest. I’ve been here about ten years, I could’ve never have imagined that we’d be where we are today in Portland.”

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Portland’s Mayor, Ted Wheeler, continues to sit idly by and allow the city to be torn to shreds. And we’re sure when tax revenue falls off a cliff and property values crash over the next year or two amidst and exodus from the city, Wheeler will blame President Trump and white supremacy for the problems. 

Wheeler told KOIN he is “committed to doing what it takes to make people who are downtown feel safe…” before tacking on a qualifier to the end of that statement: “…while still listening to those fighting for equality and police accountability.”

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Portland has cut $15 million from its police budget since May, which resulted in the loss of a gun violence team and transit police. 

Resident John Toran, despite Wheeler’s obvious incompetence, concluded: “America has a dirty past but we’ve evolved quite a bit and to me that’s a lesson to the rest of the world, that we can evolve. I believe that’s part of our system. Are we a perfect country? No. But I wake up hoping we can be better and better every day.”

Sure, John. Talk to us after the “peaceful protesters” show up on your front lawn and shatter your windows. 

You can watch the station’s report here: