Re: 2020 US Racial/Political Protests and Riots
Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2020 8:51 am
The Jane's Addiction Discussion Forum
http://aintnoright.org/
Readers respond: A skewed view of the violence
Today 7:00 AM
Letters to the editor
I was astonished when I watched TV news and read news stories about the protests last Wednesday night. The media is not honestly portraying what actually happened. I watched it live and what I saw was the mayor trying to talk to a rude, unruly, group of over 1,000. The language from the audience was so foul one of the TV channels said it could not air it live. Even though I don’t think the mayor has done anything to stop the violence, I was actually afraid for him. The crowd was so angry. It was obvious the mayor instilled even more anger in the crowd.
There was no doubt the crowd would become violent, given the fire set inside the federal building fence by people in the crowd throwing Molotov cocktails, as a TV report stated. The mayor had to know the feds would use tear gas as a result. The mayor should have ended his talk by saying we should all now go home and then leave himself. Instead he went over to the fence where the violence was occurring. What is so wrong is the way things are portrayed by the far left politicians. It is just now a political event, not a peaceful protest. It is so sad there is no attempt to control this.
Karen P. Hook, Portland
I’m the Police Chief in Portland. Violence Isn’t the Answer.
As a Black man and a public servant, I see that spectacle is drowning out the voices that need to be heard to make positive change.
By Chuck Lovell
Mr. Lovell is the chief of the Police Bureau in Portland, Ore.
Aug. 3, 2020
Military veterans participating in a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest at the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse Thursday, July 30, in Portland, Ore.
After the horrendous killing of George Floyd, people in Portland, Ore., joined with thousands across the country in demonstrations to address police reform and widespread systemic racism. The leaders of the Portland Police Bureau denounced this tragic death, and we reiterated our willingness to engage in reforms.
But Portland has now faced weeks of extreme difficulties and drew intense national attention after federal officers were deployed here.
As police officers, our duty is to uphold the rights of anyone to assemble peacefully and engage in free speech. But over the months of protests, a concerning dynamic developed. People protested peacefully, while others engaged in dangerous activities that could have resulted in injury and even death.
After hours of largely peaceful demonstrations in Portland, Ore., following the killing of George Floyd, violence erupted on Friday, May 29.
The night of May 29 was a pivotal moment for our city. Hundreds of people, in a coordinated effort, attacked the Justice Center, which includes our Central Precinct station and the Multnomah County Detention Center. They broke into the building, destroyed the first-floor interior and lit fires. Afterward, there was looting and destruction downtown.
Yet in the following weeks, thousands of people demonstrated peacefully in an awesome expression of First Amendment rights. The Police Bureau had little to no interaction with members of this group, because they did not allow criminal activity to impede their message.
As a Black man and a public servant, I have a unique perspective. I agree with a local pastor, E.D. Mondainé, who stated these “spectacles” are drowning out the voices that need to be heard to make positive change. This violence is doing nothing to further the Black Lives Matter movement.
On one night, for example, individuals screwed the doors of our North Precinct station shut, barricaded other entrances and lit the station on fire with people inside. Nearby businesses, owned by people of color, were damaged and looted. On other nights, there were multiple attempts to breach the Justice Center. Other law enforcement facilities were targeted, including the union building, which was broken into and had fires set within.
Violence and destruction have also been directed at the federal courthouse, which sits next to the Justice Center. The president sent additional federal agents to Portland, and our city became national news.
Gov. Kate Brown recently negotiated an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security to remove federal agents in stages and have them replaced by Oregon State Police. The governor acknowledged that this might not be the end of the violence. I hope she is wrong.
Portland is a beautiful and vibrant city with smart, progressive people, and I am hopeful we can come together to move beyond the unrest and refocus on critical issues.
The Portland Police Bureau remains committed to protecting life and responding to events as appropriate. I am proud of our efforts in extreme circumstances few in the country have faced.
During these events, our agency has responded to assaults, stabbings, shootings, people with guns and the stockpiling of explosives. Shooting off commercial-grade fireworks and mortars is not peaceful protest. We are fortunate that no one has been killed.
There are those who say the Portland police have not done enough to quell violence. I ask them to come speak with our officers, who have been responding for two months to protests. They have served with professionalism, courage and resiliency through an extraordinary time. Many have been injured and some have received threats of violence to themselves or their families. They would prefer to return to regular patrol and investigative duties and see peace in our community.
The voices of victims are not heard as well. Because of the protests, officers have not been able to respond to 911 calls or have been delayed for hours. Investigators’ cases lie on their desks as they work nights to process arrests. We have seen an alarming increase in shootings and homicides. We need to redirect our focus to preventing and solving these crimes that are taking a hugely disproportionate number of minority lives.
I have said frequently that the Portland Police Bureau is committed to reform. We are a progressive agency and have demonstrated our willingness to change over the past eight years. Working with the Department of Justice, we have made significant changes to our policies and training. The Portland Police Bureau’s policy on the use of deadly force is more restrictive than state and federal law.
We recently enhanced our Community Engagement Unit to help build trust and legitimacy with the communities we serve. We have also developed several advisory councils that help the Police Bureau make decisions with the benefit of a diverse set of inputs.
The Portland Police Bureau has had an equity and inclusion office for over five years. I recently changed the organizational structure to have it report directly to me, to ensure we are prioritizing its work.
I have confidence in our community and the people who have dedicated their lives to building relationships with police. They have stood up and said no more violence. I stand with them with a servant’s heart, committed to being leaders in police reform.
Chuck Lovell is the chief of the Police Bureau in Portland, Ore
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/03/opi ... ogin=email
Police declare riot amid protest at union building; no injuries in area shootings
Updated 2:25 PM; Today 5:50 AM
A protest outside a police union building in North Portland was declared a riot overnight after some in the crowd broke into the building, police say.
Portland police said demonstrators caused damage inside the Portland Police Association building. Police declared a riot and eventually cleared the area, using undescribed crowd control munitions that did not include tear gas.
Three people were arrested and jailed in connection with the protest, which spanned several hours beginning Tuesday night.
The demonstration, which began as a march from North Portland’s Peninsula Park, was punctuated by the riot declaration, a pair of shootings in the area and tense moments as a driver in a pickup truck raced through a street where the crowd was assembled, metal sparks flying from the undercarriage where a motorcycle had been lodged.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1290895559071371265 No injuries were reported in the shootings or incident with the pickup truck.
Tuesday’s protests — outside the police union building and elsewhere — marked the 69th consecutive day of demonstrations in Portland. Protesters have rallied against police brutality and anti-Black racism after the Minnesota police killing of George Floyd in late May.
The North Portland demonstration began as about 100 protesters gathered in Peninsula Park about 8 p.m.
The group began the 1.3-mile march toward the Portland Police Association building on North Lombard Street shortly before 9 p.m. There, they chanted in the street and listened to speakers. The contents of one trash bin was set on fire.
Police just after 10:30 p.m. warned some demonstrators to stop trying to break into the police association building or face arrest or use of force. They issued numerous warnings throughout the night, declaring the assembly unlawful and saying use of force and tear gas could be deployed.
A shock was sent through the crowd after 11 p.m., when the driver of a pickup truck raced through the crowded street with a motorcycle lodged underneath the truck’s front bumper.
The driver abandoned the truck blocks from the scene. No one was struck.
Video on Twitter showed a man who appeared to be the driver carrying a handgun and yelling at protesters as he walked away.
The driver was interviewed and released without charges, according to police.
Shortly before midnight, officers moved through the crowd to deal with someone trying to break into the back of the police association building, but they retreated shortly after.
Several gunshots were heard in the 7000 block of North Mobile Avenue, which is less than a half-mile from the police union building, about 12:15 a.m. Wednesday. A vehicle was struck, according to police.
Then, about 15 minutes later, gunshots were heard near a 7-Eleven convenience store that’s close to the union building. The crowd scattered, and officers arrived to investigate and look for any potential victims. No one would speak to officers, police said.
Police didn’t report any injuries in either shooting.
Some demonstrators broke through the doors of the police union building and went inside by about 1:20 a.m., according to police.
Officer Daryl Turner, president of the Portland Police Association, said in an email message to members that demonstrators tore a television from a wall, caused other damage and tried to start a fire on a kitchen floor. Protesters didn’t get into the main office, Turner wrote.
Police declared a riot shortly after protesters entered the building, and officers eventually dispersed the group. They used undescribed crowd control munitions during the dispersal.
Several people were arrested in the demonstration. Most of the crowd had left by 3:30 a.m.
Other Tuesday protests included a gathering outside the Portland Police Bureau’s East Precinct on Southeast 106th Avenue and the nightly demonstration near the downtown Multnomah Justice Center and federal courthouse.
Recent downtown protests have been fairly subdued in contrast to those from the previous few weeks, when protesters clashed with federal police who repeatedly released tear gas and munitions on crowds.
-- Jim Ryan; jryan@oregonian.com; 503-221-8005; @Jimryan015
Portland protests continue Friday after Trump denounces ‘lawless rioters’ (live updates)
Updated 8:57 PM; Today 8:49 PM
By Molly Harbarger | The Oregonian/OregonLive and Piper McDaniel | For The Oregonian/OregonLive
Protests continued Friday in Portland, hours after President Donald Trump slammed the demonstrations and the local police response to them.
Trump claimed federal agents could immediately stop some destructive acts at ongoing protests, if only they were asked to help. He said anarchists and “mobs” have been given free rein and that leftist Democrats want to replicate Portland’s lawlessness across the country.
The president’s remarks, delivered at an event in New Jersey, did not acknowledge that federal officers failed to quell demonstrations for weeks downtown. Tensions decreased only after state police took over the security of the federal courthouse eight days ago.
A much smaller group of protesters has gathered in recent nights for “direct action” events at Portland police buildings. Protesters have lit fires in trash cans, damaged doors and windows and thrown things at officers. Portland police have responded in force every night, including once with tear gas.
As he appeared to read from prepared remarks, Trump described the situation as an angry mob full of “lawless rioters” and assigned blame to Mayor Ted Wheeler. The mayor’s office said he had no comment in response to the remarks.
The president’s comments landed hours after the protests began anew in Portland for the 72nd straight night. The demonstrations started after the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd and have focused on demanding systemic criminal justice reforms.
By 8:30 p.m., more than 100 protesters had collected at Laurelhurst Park in Southeast Portland. Many people were dressed in black from head to toe. A flyer on social media promoting the event told people to wear black.
As people started to gather, some people handed out handmade plywood shields in preparation for a potential clash with police. A group of about a dozen protesters practiced formations with shields. One protester led the group and helped them place their shields into an effective wall.
Several tables nearby offered resources, such as snacks, water, protective gear and pamphlets providing information about teargas.
The crowd will likely march to a nearby building shared by Portland police and the sheriff’s office, where police and protesters have clashed multiple times.
On Wednesday and Thursday nights, protesters gathered at Floyd Light Park in Southeast Portland, then marched to the Portland Police Bureau’s East Precinct. Police declared moved in to break up both gatherings after a handful of people damaged the building and lit a fire both nights inside trash cans.
Dave Killen, Kale Williams, Jayati Ramakrishnan, Samantha Swindler, Ryan Fernandez, Jim Ryan, Betsy Hammond, K. Rambo and Mark Graves of The Oregonian/OregonLive contributed to this report.
-- Piper McDaniel; @piperamcdaniel
-- Molly Harbarger; mharbarger@oregonian.com; 503-294-5923; @MollyHarbarger
mockbee wrote: ↑Sat Aug 01, 2020 7:49 amFeds left two nights ago.
Violence stopped two nights ago.
Thank God....
Hope it stays that way. It's precarious because We have been lucky that the protester (anarchist) fires/tearing down of fences/etc has been shouted down and spoken out against by BLM sympathizers when starting up at night as well. Very tenuous state.
We have a gigantic mess to clean up.
Unprovoked?
I wonder if he hadn’t gone to “help the police” had the people he murdered died? Also, wasn’t he underage to have a gun?
As usual, there’s a lot more to this story then what’s being generally reported as more video, photos and information about the three victims surface.
No, but what needs to be remembered is 2016-2020. The one thing I didn't predict (and I predicted everything except I thought he'd crash the stock market) is his influence on perception. The anti science/intellectualism and perseverance of a patently false narratives has stunned me. And with issues looming with deadlines such as climate change, pandemics, AI, and white supremacy, we are not positioned to combat them....at all. This isn't the 60's, unfortunately.
SR wrote: ↑Sat Aug 29, 2020 3:37 pmNo, but what needs to be remembered is 2016-2020. The one thing I didn't predict (and I predicted everything except I thought he'd crash the stock market) is his influence on perception. The anti science/intellectualism and perseverance of a patently false narratives has stunned me. And with issues looming with deadlines such as climate change, pandemics, AI, and white supremacy, we are not positioned to combat them....at all. This isn't the 60's, unfortunately.