Nearly three weeks after far-right and far-left armed protesters clashed violently on the streets of a diverse neighborhood in Portland, Oregon, the city’s mayor said the lack of police intervention “was not the ‘correct strategy’.
PORTLAND, Oregon. – Nearly three weeks after far-right and far-left armed protesters clashed violently on the streets of a diverse neighborhood in Portland, Oregon, the city’s mayor said Wednesday that the lack of police intervention was not ” the right strategy. “
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and police chief Chuck Lovell have been criticized by residents, activists and state officials for the practical approach of the police station, when Proud Boys and anti-fascists were fighting in the streets , commercial car parks and the school grounds on 22 August.
State lawmakers representing Northeast Portland said they were confused and frustrated by the police’s decision not to intervene, while residents said they felt “terrified and abandoned” as they watched the fireworks explode in crowded streets and people, with gas helmets and masks and armed with baseball. bats, paintball guns and chemical spray: face to face.
Police were noticeably missing from the scene. A police station spokesman said officers were monitoring the fight from a plane.
In the days leading up to the protests, the latest in a series of political conflicts that has drained the city for years, officials said people should not wait for officers to try to intervene or keep the parties separate. Lovell said the decision was made based on the department’s significant staff shortage, “legal restrictions” on responding to the protests and the history of the presence of agents who increased tensions.
Following the crash, Wheeler issued a statement saying the approach was a success in mitigating the impact of the protests, noting that the “community at large was not harmed” and that the damage on the property they were minimal ”.
However, during a Portland City Council meeting on Wednesday, Wheeler, who oversees the police office, said he no longer believed the tactic was the right one.
“It is clear, based on the public outcry, the media outcry, the national front, that that strategy was not the right strategy. I think we can all recognize that, “he said.” I take full responsibility for it. “
Wheeler’s comments came ahead of a vote on a $ 50,000 deal related to a lawsuit stemming from a rally by Patriot Prayer, a Vancouver-based right-wing group, on August 4, 2018. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports that a protester claimed she had been injured while counter-protesting after police fired a flash-bang ammunition at her without warning. The council passed the resolution unanimously on Wednesday.
For years, the city has struggled to find a way to stop right-wing groups from flooding the city and violently clashing with left-wing counter-protesters. A year ago, a caravan of Donald Trump supporters drove through the city and rallied against protesters. Alterations occurred between the groups and a right-wing protester was fatally killed.
“Portland is unique in that it looks like we are the zero base for high-right groups to enter our city because they know they will get an answer. And they do, ”Wheeler said Wednesday.
When it comes to protests that have a chance of becoming violent, the city and police office are still “trying to find the right recipe” on how to respond, he said.
“The public doesn’t want an overwhelming police presence, nor does it want the appearance that the police won’t commit,” Wheeler said.
———
Sara Cline is a member of the body of the Associated Press / Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a national nonprofit services program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on covert issues.