This is what living in a Democrat-controlled big city is like
In normal times and under normal circumstances, Portland, Oregon—the “City of Roses”—is an idyllic place to live. It has hilly terrain with beautiful neighborhoods and suburbs, but is not as expensive as San Francisco or as rainy as Seattle. And you’re within easy reach of the towering peaks in the Cascade Range, secluded Pacific beaches, the majestic Columbia River Gorge, and Oregon’s fertile Willamette Valley. I’ve considered moving there myself.
But these are not normal times. After years of increasingly leftist Democratic Party control, Portland has been subjected to more than 100 days of riots and mob violence. Much of this has been centered in the city’s downtown area, but neighborhood invasions are becoming more common, and no matter where you live in the city you are subject to the edicts of the Democrat governor and legislature, Democrat mayor and all-Democrat city council, and Democrat district attorney. More on them in a moment.
Portland is the “canary in a coal mine” for what you can expect across the nation—and perhaps your city—if the Democratic Party, now dominated by its far-left wing, wins total control of the federal government in November.
Downtown resembles a war zone. Blocks and blocks of businesses are boarded up with plywood, and graffiti and signs of vandalism are everywhere. Greg Goodman, co-president of the Downtown Development Group, says businesses are fleeing—including Daimler Chrysler, AirB&B, Banana Republic, Microsoft (permanently closing their retail store), and Google. “The number is like nothing I have seen in 42 years of doing business in downtown.”
Rioters attack a police station in a residential neighborhood and the federal courthouse. They burn a severed pig’s head wearing a cop’s hat, American flags, and Trump flags. Weapons used by the rioters against police include rocks (weighing up to 10 pounds), bottles, commercial-grade fireworks, golf balls, ball bearings, metal railroad spikes, cans of paint, feces, and urine. Police are blinded by their laser beams.
Many of the rioters carry shields and wear helmets, gas masks, and body armor.
They point lights into the windows of residential homes and chant “Out of your house, into the streets.”
The revolutionary aims of the Black Lives Matter and Antifa rioters are now made clear by the mock guillotine they use in their protests (see photo). And one of them killed a peaceful Trump supporter, identified by his hat. Before the suspected murderer—an Antifa-supporter—was killed himself while resisting arrest, he posted on social media: “It will be a war and like all wars there will be casualties.”
On August 22,, 2020, a group of about 250 people gathered at Normandale Park at Northeast 57th Avenue and Northeast Halsey Street. Photo courtesy of Portland Police Bureau.
The violence is so bad that even the slavishly Left Washington Post has noted the predicament of normal Portland citizens. It quotes Corinne Foster, who originally supported the demonstrations but whose views changed with the destruction: “It’s destroyed our town… I love this city and I want to stay, but I’m afraid.” And Bill Neudek, who has lived in Portland for more than two decades, now has to watch his movements because he is undergoing chemotherapy treatment for lung cancer: “My doctor’s advised me that I’m not supposed to get tear-gassed… it’s post-apocalyptic.”
And What is the Response of the Democrats?
Mayor Ted Wheeler (Democrat) says “I stand in solidarity with our nonviolent [!] demonstrators,” and criticizes the police for their use of tear gas to ward off the rioters. He joined a protest and demanded that federal agents sent to help stop the riots in Portland be removed.
The other four members of the City Council (all Democrats) defend the protestors and cut $15 million from the budget of the Portland Police Bureau (to eventually become $27 million in cuts).
District Attorney Mike Schmidt (Democrat) announced that he will not prosecute various crimes by the rioters, including most charges of interference with a police officer, disorderly conduct, criminal trespass, and harassment of police officers.
Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek (Democrat), who represents North Portland, blames the police for allegedly escalating the violence.
And Oregon Governor Kate Brown (Democrat) refuses to call up any of the 7,800 members of the Oregon National Guard to help the local police. Instead, she announced she may release as many as 400 prisoners from state jails for fear that they might be infected with the coronavirus. (But Oregon Live reported that only three prisoners had died, supposedly from the pandemic, since it started.)
And, of course, prominent national Democrats support these state and local Democrats. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (Democrat) calls the federal officers in Portland “stormtroopers.” And House Majority Whip Rep. James Clyburn (Democrat) calls them “Gestapo.”
Police Response is Understandable
Faced with defunding and the persistent opposition of Portland’s Democrat politicians—in particular, the district attorney’s I-will-not-prosecute edict—law enforcement agencies have reacted predictably and understandably.
Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell said his officers now “prefer not to make arrests during demonstrations” even though “some people use the gatherings as an opportunity to commit crimes.” And with their efforts concentrated on the riots and outbreaks of violence, police officials told KOIN 6 News at one point that they had “a backlog of 120 to 140 calls for service, including shots fired, assaults, threats, and suspicious circumstances.”
The Oregon State Police ended its agreement to help Portland police protect federal buildings from the rioters. “We are inclined to move [our] resources back to counties where prosecution of criminal conduct is still a priority,” explained Capt. Timothy Fox, noting that Portland is in “a county that’s not going to prosecute this criminal behavior.”
Trying to deflect attention from her refusal to call up the Oregon National Guard, Gov. Kate Brown called on two county sheriffs to send deputies to Portland. But those sheriffs refused. Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts said: “The same offenders are arrested night after night, only to be released by the court and not charged with a crime by the DA’s office. The next night they are back at it, endangering the lives of law enforcement and the community all over again.” And Washington County Sheriff Pat Garrett also said the liability for his deputies would be too great.
Bottom line: This is what you can expect when Democrat politicians, now under the control of the revolutionary Left, give free rein to the rioters and refuse to support the police. Keep that in mind when you vote in November.
