Portland Protests: ‘Portland Has Become a Warzone’ as 2020 Trump-Biden Election Looms

We firstly speak to Gregory McKelvey, the Vice-Chair of the Oregon Democratic Black Caucus. He discusses the Portland protests which erupted after the death of George Floyd, the racist origins of Oregon which connect today’s Black Lives Matter protests to the past, Trump sending in federal agents to violently crackdown on BLM protesters, allegations that the protesters are ‘violent anarchists’, how Trump could intentionally be trying to make cities into warzones to make it harder to vote in November, the widespread use of tear gas against protesters and more!

#Portland #PortlandProtests #2020Election

STATEMENT FROM MAYOR TED WHEELER:

I'm pleased the Governor and the Multnomah County Sheriff responded favorably to my request for mutual aid to implement the great planning work Portland Police have done to be ready for this weekend's potential protests. The additional resources provided by the state police will go a long way to ensuring we are able to do everything possible to be ready when alt-right and white nationalist groups come to our city.

We all agree our state and our nation are facing unprecedented threats. I want our entire community to know - first and foremost - our shared priority is to ensure and protect the safety and well-being of everyone in the face of rampant divisiveness and ongoing violence. Having a unified command structure uniting the resources of the state, the county and the city is a timely and appropriate response to the threat we face.

I categorically condemn violence of all kinds by all people. But let me be clear, the alt-right and white supremacist groups organizing to come to Portland on Saturday present the greatest threat we've faced so far.

These groups embody and empower racism, intolerance and hate. Those are not Portland values, and they are not welcome here. Hate has no home in Portland. They have actively threatened violence against elected officials and others in our community.

For Saturday to remain peaceful, we need everyone's help - the state, the county and the community. We must stand together, and we are. Together, we can prevent white nationalists from achieving their goals of spreading fear and intimidation and of misrepresenting Portland for political gain.

We will always support the rights of people to peacefully assemble. And we will always stand against those who provoke violence, regardless of their beliefs.

Again, I want to thank the Oregon State Police and the Multnomah County Sheriff for their support. Because of their leadership, combined with that of Portland Police Chief Lovell, I'm hopeful everyone will stay safe this weekend. I also want to thank the City of Milwaukie and the City of Lake Oswego, who also responded to our request for additional officers and support.

Finally, I know there's a lot of interest in the use of tear gas. My order banning the Portland Police from using tear gas for crowd control remains in place.

This weekend don't give out of town racists and bullies the satisfaction of distracting us, or slowing us down. Let's keep our focus on what's important and keep pressing forward together. And once again, thanks to our partners for responding to our request for mutual aid under these extraordinary circumstances.