After sending federal police officers and Oregon State Police packing, Democrat Gov. Kate Brown announced on Sunday that she is bringing the state officers back to Portland, which has faced nightly destructive and now deadly riots for more than 90 days.
Moreover, after a weekend that included the shooting death of a man described as a Trump supporter, Democrat Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler blamed President Donald Trump for the ongoing violence.
“Do you seriously wonder, Mr. President, why this is the first time in decades that America has seen this level of violence?” Wheeler said at a news conference on Sunday. “It’s you who have created the hate and the division.”
USA Today reported:
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced a plan to curb violence in Portland as the state’s largest city was reeling after a fatal weekend shooting following clashes between Trump supporters and counter protesters.
Brown said Sunday that Oregon State Police would be returning to Portland to help local authorities and called for other local law enforcement agencies in the state to provide help amid the nightly protests that have taken place since the killing of George Floyd.
A man was fatally shot Saturday shortly after a caravan of vehicles carrying Trump supporters rolled through Portland, drawing heated counter protests. Founder of the right-wing group Patriot Prayer Joey Gibson identified the victim as Aaron “Jay” Danielson, and called him a “good friend.”
“Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell also said on Sunday that there were some skirmishes between rally goers and counter demonstrators and that police made several arrests,” NBC reported. “Police said it is unclear if the shooting was connected to the protests. They are still piecing together what happened, but Lovell said the vehicle caravan had already cleared the area when the shooting took place.”
“The issue with firearms is very troubling to us, but people do have a constitutional right to carry firearms legally,” Lovell said in the USA Today report. “So, it’s hard to prevent. Some of the instances that take place, you’re talking split-second, a couple of seconds. A lot of times we’re not right there to see things happen.”
The individual who shot and killed Danielson is still at large, according media reports.
Follow Penny Starr on Twitter
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.