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.
In The Blaze, Dave Urbanksi highlights an exchange between Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and Alex Zielinski, an editor for the Portland Mercury, in which Wheeler defends his decision to call out white supremacists rather than naming Antifa when discussing Portland’s ongoing violent riots. His answer is anything but credible. Urbanski writes:
What are the details?
KATU-TV noted that Monday’s conference concerned “ongoing criminal destruction, violence and intimidation small groups of self-described anarchists and white supremacists continue to inflict on local businesses, neighborhoods and people.”
Alex Zielinski, news editor of the Portland Mercury, asked Wheeler why a news release announcing the news conference mentioned “anarchists and white supremacists” as a problem when only far-left militant criminal activity had been detailed during the news conference.
Wheeler began by saying he’d defer to the Portland Police Bureau for examples of “recent white supremacist actions” in the city — and then acknowledged the accuracy of the reporter’s assessment while offering a response only a politician could give.
“We are in a time of political extremes,” Wheeler began, admitting that during the news conference city leaders are discussing “criminal destruction coming from self-described anarchist left.”
Then the mayor dropped the bomb on white supremacists — just not white supremacists in Portland, apparently:
“But we also have to acknowledge that in the United States the number-one public safety threat according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation is white nationalism. And we certainly saw elements of that coming to bear during the insurrection at the United States Capitol, and we certainly have to keep up our vigilance here in the City of Portland. I would expect that given that we are largely seen as a progressive community, we will continue to not only have the type of activities that we saw on Friday night continue to some degree, but I would also expect that we will continue to see those who are engaged in intimidation or violence against immigrants, refugees, and people of color to also continue here in the City of Portland because they know they’ll get a reaction. We have to be vigilant regardless of the politics involved. There is no room for violence or criminal destruction, and I don’t give a damn what your politics are nor should anybody else. It’s about the behavior.”
It isn’t clear if there is any evidence of lawlessness by “white supremacists” in Portland of late, and Wheeler didn’t provide any examples.
For a more accurate portrayal of the current situation in Portland, watch the video below.
Andy Ngo explains the current Antifa riots in Seattle and Portland
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