Portland Mayor Caves to Anti-Eviction Anarchists, Says More Occupations May Follow

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler admitted Monday that the apology he issued to the squatters of a foreclosed house could lead to similar occupations. The mayor apologized to the anti-eviction anarchists who drove police from a now three-block “autonomous zone.”

“I hope it is not an ongoing phenomenon,” Mayor Wheeler said in an article published by The Oregonian. “Our objective is to protect lives and end the occupation. And nobody should take this as an invitation to do it anywhere else. The end result could turn out very differently.”

The local newspaper reported the mayor conceded the “aura of success” could lead to similar occupations. He then said he hopes otherwise.

Mayor Wheeler reached a settlement with the occupiers of what has become known as “The Red House on Mississippi” to end the barricade put in place early last week. The mayor and police chief addressed a letter to the former owners of the house for referring to the encampment as an “autonomous zone,” The Oregonian reported over the weekend. The mayor pledged last week that the police were authorized to use “all lawful means” to end the occupation of the foreclosed house and surrounding streets.

At one point, the mayor issued what now appears to be a toothless edict, saying, “There will be no autonomous zone in Portland,” Breitbart’s Joel Pollak reported.

Portland Police Bureau officers came under attack on December 8 as they helped the local sheriff’s office attempt to serve an eviction on a foreclosed house. The previous owners were ordered to vacate in September.

Portland officers arrived at the Red House on Tuesday morning and were greeted by a crowd of at least 100 protesters, OPB.com reported. The protesters quickly became violent and began smashing the windows of police vehicles and slashing tires. The protesters then erected an “anti-eviction barrier.”

A series of photos published by Breitbart News revealed the warzone-like barricades put in place by the anti-eviction anarchists.

Posts on social media quickly condemned the mayor’s apology.

The Oregonian reported the occupiers cleared the streets following the “tentative deal” reached between the previous owners and the City of Portland.

The Oregonian reported that crowd-sourcing donors raised more than $300,000 for the evicted family who reportedly owns another home near the zone. The current owner, who purchased the home in a 2018 foreclosure auction, said he is willing to sell the home to the former owners.