The nightly violent Antifa riots in Portland have required a constant response from police that resulted over the weekend in a backlog of calls for help, including reports of gunfire and assaults.
“The ongoing protests are also tying up resources which make it difficult for police to respond to other calls,” KOIN 6 News reported. “Over the weekend, Portland police officials said they had a backlog of 120 to 140 calls for service, including shots fired, assaults, threats and suspicious circumstances.”
Fox News also reported on police being unable to help citizens because of the ongoing violence:
Police have argued that the protests are making it difficult for them to respond to other calls because their resources are tied up. On Saturday, police said 30 officers were available to manage the crowd that numbered several hundred.
Authorities added how the bureau “had to be judicious with our limited resources” because many officers worked during the previous night’s demonstrations, according to the Oregonian.
So far there have been dozens of arrests, but many are being released quickly and local authorities have so far not prosecuted cases related to the riots, according to media reports.
Follow Penny Starr on Twitter