The nightly violence in Portland, Oregon, continues four months after it started as part of nationwide unrest following the death of George Floyd in police custody, but the media coverage seems to be dwindling.
Byron York of the Washington Examiner speculates that is because the average American who may be voting in next month’s election might have made the connection between cities like Portland, Seattle, Washington, Washington, D.C. and Democrat leadership:
Remember the riots? It wasn’t too long ago that the news was filled with reports of violent protests in Portland, Seattle, Washington DC, and other cities around the nation. And then…silence. Networks and newspapers are going wall-to-wall with analyses of every syllable uttered by President Trump’s doctors as he is treated for coronavirus. Of course that’s news, but in the meantime, other news — like a continuing plague of violence in those cities and elsewhere — has virtually disappeared from the coverage.
But it’s still there: A look at the Portland police twitter page from last night shows yet another march and confrontation with police. (Nobody bothers to keep count of the number of consecutive night there has been violence.) “The march has arrived at the new courthouse at 1200 SW 1st Ave.,” police tweeted between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. local time Sunday. “Some participants have begun vandalizing the building. Do not do this. You are subject to arrest. To the van supporting the march: It is unsafe and illegal to drive the wrong way on a 1-way.” As the marchers continued, police warned, “Vandalism to the courthouse will not be tolerated. If you commit vandalism you are subject to arrest or use of force.”
Remember when Democratic leaders and their allies in the media blamed it all on Trump? But with the president in a hospital 2,800 miles away, and with Democrats and media talkers consumed by other stories, the protests have continued. At the courthouse, as the indefatigable street journalist Andy Ngo reported, the rioters began to vandalize a building that “cost taxpayers $324 million and took four years of construction time.” Six people were arrested.
The ABC affiliate in Portland, KATU 2, reported on one of the more violent attacks that took place on Sunday:
A 41-year-old is facing several charges, accused of breaking out the window of a Portland Police cruiser Sunday morning and spraying pepper spray inside the vehicle. John Russell is facing charges of assaulting a public safety officer, aggravated harassment, and first-degree criminal mischief.
According to police, an officer was doing paperwork inside of their marked patrol vehicle near South Corbett Avenue and Lane Street when about 9:40 a.m. someone walked up to the SUV, shattered the glass of the rear hatch, and pepper sprayed the interior. The suspect then ran to a nearby car and drove away. The officer managed to broadcast the suspect’s description and Russell was pulled over about six blocks away.
The officer recognized Russell’s vehicle as one that had been following him earlier, Portland Police said. When police searched the vehicle, they reportedly found a window punch tool, a laser pointer, a slingshot, rocks, and other items.
Chief of Police Chuck Lovell said:
As police officers, we know that the vast majority of community members who approach and contact us do so with no intention to do us harm. However, attacks like this one remind us all that there is the potential for people to try to take direct violent action against police officers. I applaud the officer for remaining calm and locating the involved subject and thank our investigators for furthering this investigation.
“Ngo also reported that Russell, like almost every other violent rioter in Portland, was quickly released, so he will surely be back at work soon,” York said in his report.
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