The city of Portland, Oregon, has a New Year’s resolution: to enforce law and order and to end large-scale and continuous rioting once and for all.
It’s a bold resolution.
After seven months of violent riots and deadly attacks in Oregon’s largest city, Democratic Mayor Ted Wheeler has vowed to crack down on the leftist groups which have made Portland the laughingstock of the country as they pillaged the once-beautiful city. KOIN-TV reported Wheeler is going to turn the heat up on antifa following a violent New Year’s Eve riot.
On Thursday night and Friday morning, Portland descended into a familiar chaos — the kind of chaos which is now the Rip City’s trademark. The Portland Police Bureau reported its officers were attacked in the city’s downtown area, and a riot was declared not long before 11 p.m.
Police said individuals involved in the rioting threw Molotov cocktails, according to KPTV. This was in addition to commercial-grade fireworks that were used to attack the city’s federal courthouse and another government building.
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Portland’s rioters had essentially been given free rein to riot all year in 2020, as Wheeler enabled them in part by blaming federal agents for the violence. The rioters started off 2021 with a bang by also throwing rocks, frozen water bottles and other projectiles at cops.
Some reportedly even attempted to use tools to break into the county justice facility.
Videos posted on social media by Portland-based journalist Andy Ngo showed some of the familiar chaos.
WARNING: Some of the following social media posts contain vulgar language that some viewers might find offensive.
A mob of antifa pursued a group of retreating officers at the new year’s eve riot in downtown Portland last night. Law enforcement used pepper spray to try and stop them. pic.twitter.com/XDWn5HFs8n
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) January 1, 2021
“F— colonizers”
Antifa ransacked and destroyed another @Starbucks during their Portland riot. pic.twitter.com/2PKISZuC6N
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) January 1, 2021
Man dances around a street fire while holding an axe at the Portland antifa riot outside the federal courthouse. Police are outnumbered. #PortlandRiots #antifa pic.twitter.com/c7WF2EjCbZ
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) January 1, 2021
Late is better than never, and so now, according to KOIN, Wheeler intends to stop antifa and the other leftists from destroying the city’s peace. The far-left Democrat even stunningly called out antifa by name.
Portland Mayor @tedwheeler: My good faith efforts at de-escalation have been met with ongoing violence and even scorn from radical antifa and anarchists.
It’s time to push back harder against those who are set on destroying our community.”pic.twitter.com/aj5rjyPTXE
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) January 2, 2021
During a New Year’s Day media briefing, Wheeler showed some strong emotion when laying out the “who, what, when, where and why” of what happened during the Dec. 31 riot.
“The who: violent antifa and anarchists,” Wheeler said. “Why? This is the hardest question of all to answer. … Why would a group of largely white, young and some middle-age men destroy the livelihood of others who are struggling to get by?”
“It is hard for me to accept that there are some people who are just bent on destruction.”
Wheeler and Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt are arguably the “why.” Both handled rioters with kid gloves in 2020, and Schmidt even refused to prosecute most of the vagabonds.
Do you think Portland will finally be able to get the riots under control?
Could a new year lead both men to see the error in their ways? Wheeler signaled the answer to that question might be yes.
“My good faith efforts at de-escalation have been met with ongoing violence and even scorn from radical antifa and anarchists,” Wheeler said. “In response it will be necessary to use additional tools and to push the limits of the tools we already have to bring the criminal destruction and violence to an end.”
We were told by Democrat Joe Biden in September during the first presidential debate that antifa was an “idea” and “not an organization,” so Wheeler’s comments were somewhat surprising.
Joe Biden: “Antifa is an idea, not an organization.” #Debates pic.twitter.com/JnTsEX9Yol
— The Hill (@thehill) September 30, 2020
Wheeler has committed to three things he says will end the senseless violence, according to KOIN.
One item will ask law enforcement officers from the federal to the municipal level “to convene to deal with anarchist violence. as soon as possible.”
Also, in his three-point plan riot-squashing plan, Wheeler will ask the Oregon state legislature to increase penalties for repeat offenders. Finally, he wants to force rioters to meet their victims.
“I believe people convicted of criminal destruction be required to meet with those whose businesses they damaged … and be required to do public service,” he said.
Portland will now apparently take a hardline stance against people who burn, loot and shoot. It’s a good leaf to turn over following a chaotic 2020.
Now that the election is over, and Wheeler won his re-election bid, he wants to restore the peace. The timing is suspect.
But Portland appears to be on the “New year, new me” kick to whip itself into shape, and that should be celebrated nationally. Hopefully, unlike most New Year’s resolutions, this one won’t be shelved for Twinkies by Valentine’s Day.
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