I think it was mentioned previously in this or another thread -- maybe not -- but is it just me or has media coverage of the violent protests and riots dropped off the radar lately.

Well, ever since the DNC figured out the riots alienate Americans away from the left and toward Trump.

(09-16-2020 02:17 PM)umbluegray Wrote:  I think it was mentioned previously in this or another thread -- maybe not -- but is it just me or has media coverage of the violent protests and riots dropped off the radar lately.

Well, ever since the DNC figured out the riots alienate Americans away from the left and toward Trump.

Ngo says the past few nights they haven't done much because of the smoke from the fires laying down at night.

Until the city of Portland gets a back bone and demands that Wheeler and his entire administration resign, they get what they deserve.

I wonder if one of the announced Proud Boys rallies will eventually be a set up.

Announce well in advance your intentions to have a rally - where and when for all to see.

Show up with a "decent" size group and let the angry Antifa mob show up, meanwhile "the rest of the proud boys and maybe some Hells Angels" come in behind them and 360 circle them - no way out. Then start the festivities..................

You know if you made your rally seem big enough, Antifa would send everyone .........

So my question is, if I were to go to one of these "protests" and do harm to one of these Antifa types.. Would I be charged and released without bail or charges dropped?

(09-25-2020 12:01 PM)gdunn Wrote:  So my question is, if I were to go to one of these "protests" and do harm to one of these Antifa types.. Would I be charged and released without bail or charges dropped?

Well, I thought that since the Proud Boys were told by the mayor that they weren't welcome, they could just riot, burn, loot and mame and I'm sure they'd be released quickly without bail if they were arrested.

Quote:PORTLAND, Ore.— Billy J. Williams, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, provides the below statement on ongoing violence in Portland:

“This nation’s most successful movement for racial equality and justice was led by a man dedicated to non-violent principles. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. believed in nonviolence, winning his opponents’ friendship and understanding without humiliation, and he held a deep faith in the future. His aspirations for racial justice unquestionably remain unfinished, but his philosophy on how to achieve it remains just as relevant today.

George Floyd’s death has forced law enforcement and the justice system to closely examine our work and has led our society to ask critical questions. For more than 100 consecutive nights, Portland has been the center of large demonstrations and protests. Peaceful protests, public dialogue, and ongoing legislative and policy reviews at every level are essential to identifying solutions and bringing about meaningful and positive changes. Civility and respect are key elements to this process.

By contrast, there has been nothing civil, respectful, or positive about the nightly violent and destructive protests in Portland, Oregon. On many nights, after peaceful demonstrations end, violent agitators have physically attacked police officers and firefighters, damaged buildings, and repeatedly attempted to set public buildings on fire. These agitators include not just local residents but people who have travelled from out of state.

On several occasions in August, demonstrations were held during the day where groups with opposing ideologies clashed and engaged in physical violence against one another. Following one of these political rallies, a man was shot and killed. Most recently, acts of violence towards law enforcement and first responders include a Portland firefighter being shot in the chest with a steel ball bearing launched from an arm-mounted slingshot, a man dousing several police officers with high-powered bear deterrent spray, a man punching a female police officer in the face, and a woman striking a police officer in the head from behind with a wooden shield.

This violent and senseless criminal conduct does nothing to promote meaningful or positive change. It forces the focus away from racial justice, instills fear in our community, and deters visitors. It is destroying the fabric of a city and a state that we love.

As a direct consequence of this criminal behavior and the media attention it generates, this community must now deal with the threat of even more outsiders traveling to Portland to participate in what they’ve been watching on social media and television for weeks. This too is not a new phenomenon for Portlanders. In August 2019, after a summer of violent clashes between opposing protest groups, several groups put out national calls for supporters to travel to Portland to join in a citywide melee.

Fortunately, despite hundreds of people answering this call and traveling to Portland, the outstanding work of the Portland Police Bureau and other local law enforcement agencies kept opposing groups mostly separated and violence to a minimum. The city now faces a similar scenario for Saturday, September 26th where numerous groups with opposing ideologies are gathering in the Portland area.

This comes at a time when our community and state continue to grapple with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a major uptick in gun violence, and, now, massive wildfires burning across the state. Already limited public safety resources are fatigued and stretched thin. Our community deserves an end to the violence. Together, we need to call out violent agitators on the right and the left and stand up for civility.

Local residents and anyone traveling to Portland with the intent to commit violence are on notice. There will be consequences for acts of violence. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to prosecuting people who impede or assault law enforcement officers, damage federal property, and set fire to buildings. Make no mistake: those who commit violence in the name of protest, will be investigated, arrested, prosecuted, and face prison time. Already more than 100 people have been arrested and more than 80 people are facing federal charges related to protest violence.

Our office will work closely with our law enforcement partners, including the FBI, to monitor criminal activity, and will bring federal charges where appropriate. We are committed to supporting our community and will help our law enforcement partners perform their essential public safety duties.”

Quote:PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregon State Police (OSP) and the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) will lead crowd management response efforts during Saturday's planned rallies in Portland by the Proud Boys, a far-right group, and various anti-fascist groups.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced the move during a press conference Friday morning. She said she used her executive authority as governor to put in place the unified command structure for this weekend's event. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and other local and state officials approved of the move, Brown said, which includes allowing law enforcement to use tear gas if necessary during the rallies.

"We must have a coordinated effort across state and local law enforcement officials to keep everyone safe," Brown said.

OSP Superintendent Travis Hampton said the move is not an indictment of the Portland Police Bureau or its officers.

"[The Portland Police Bureau and their officers] have endured some incredibly mentally and physically taxing situations for over 100 days while they have done the best they can to keep the streets safe," Hampton said.

Brown said that law enforcement will not tolerate any kind of violence during this weekend's events and that anyone who engages in criminal activity will be charged, prosecuted and held accountable.

"This is a critical moment," Brown said. "We have seen what happens when armed vigilantes take matters into their own hands. We've seen it in Charlottesville, we've seen it in Kenosha, and unfortunately we've seen it in Portland.

"The Proud Boys and Patriot Prayer groups have come to Portland time and time again from out of town looking for a fight and the results are always tragic. Let me be perfectly clear: We will not tolerate any kind of violence this weekend. Those stoking the flames of violence, those coming to Portland looking for a fight will be held accountable," Brown said.

There will be a "massive influx" of OSP troopers, MCSO deputies and PPB officers beginning Saturday morning, Hampton said. Brown said she's confident that law enforcement has adequate resources to handle this weekend's event.

"They will be saturating North Portland, Interstate 5, between the venues of Delta Park and Peninsula Park," Hampton said.

The goal of law enforcement this weekend will be to protect the rights of people coming to Portland to peacefully assemble and express themselves peacefully. Law enforcement will focus their efforts on keeping the groups separate to avoid confrontation between opposing groups.

"Our law enforcement is absolutely committed to protecting free speech," Brown said, "and will work very hard to de-escalate the situation by keeping the groups apart."

Wheeler banned the Portland Police Bureau from the use of tear gas as a crowd control device earlier this month, but as part of the agreement for this weekend's event, that ban will be lifted for law enforcement managing crowd response.

"Operating under the governor's emergency act, we will not remove CS gas as a possibility from these events," Hampton said. "We will use it judiciously. We hope we will not use it at all, but we will make this available not only to Oregon State Police troopers and Multnomah County Sheriff's deputies, but also to Portland police officers."

Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese said tear gas will only be used if other options have been exhausted.

"It will be a last resort," Reese said. "If there is a need for CS [gas], it will be in a life-saving event where people's lives are at risk."

Law enforcement officials were also asked during the press conference about demonstrators carrying firearms.

"If the situation allows, we do like to question the individuals whether they are carrying their firearm lawfully or not," Hampton said. "If they are not, we educate them or take appropriate, proportional enforcement action.

"Obviously if you see conduct like pointing a firearm at another, that's an overt criminal act and we expect to take action immediately for that, whether that's hands-on by a police officer or through chemical munition if the crowd is too large of a size for us to handle," Hampton said.

Earlier this week, Oregon State Police (OSP) and the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) denied a request from the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) for help with crowd control during Saturday's rallies because of the city's ban on the use of tear gas.

The far-right group Proud Boys plan to hold a rally in North Portland's Delta Park on Saturday at noon, though Portland Parks Commissioner Amanda Fritz denied their permit on Wednesday due to COVID-19 social distancing requirements.

In response to the planned protest at Delta Park, multiple anti-fascist groups have planned to gather at the same time at North Portland's Peninsula Park, about 3 miles away. Another group, Safe PDX Protest, said they plan to meet at Delta Park before the Proud Boys rally begins.

Portland police said they're keeping tabs on another potential protest planned at Waterfront Park.

Reese said police are anticipating a crowd of 1,000 to 3,000 people. Organizers for the Proud Boys rally said they expect 20,000 people.

City, county and state leaders have urged anyone coming to Portland intent on picking a fight to stay away, and the legislature's Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) caucus asked counter-protesters to avoid the far-right rally.

Late Friday afternoon, Mayor Wheeler's office released a letter to the community, signed by city, state and federal leaders, opposing the Proud Boys' rally.

"As the united leadership of the city of Portland and state of Oregon, we publicly oppose the far-right gathering scheduled to take place in North Portland this Saturday," the letter said. "The event poses a physical danger to Portland residents, as clearly shown by the organizers’ long track record of assaults, confrontations, and threats against elected officials and the citizenry of Portland."

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