Portland, Oregon, Mayor Ted Wheeler has done just about everything he can to appease the protesters and rioters who have taken hold of his city in the past few months, yet even that isn’t enough to satisfy the mob.
On Friday night, a group of protesters descended upon Wheeler’s condo building and began chanting, playing music, and dancing. The progressive organization Rising Tide North America posted video of protesters entering the building and refusing to leave by linking their arms with tubes. The protesters demanded Wheeler resign, abolish the police by 2022 without any kind of replacement, and give the money saved to black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities as well as other city services.
KATU2 reported that Wheeler’s office released a statement during the protest saying it was “monitoring the situation and hope protesters remain peaceful for the safety of other residents.” Journalist Andy Ngo tweeted Friday night that “Security for @tedwheeler’s condo said a while ago they called police but no one has showed up so far.”
“That part of the Pearl District in NW Portland is currently completely occupied by far-left protesters demanding he resign,” Ngo continued.
Ngo continued to tweet that protesters appeared to be vandalizing Wheeler’s building with red paint, and held a metal concert – complete with mosh pit – outside the building. They also flashed high-powered lights onto the building. The noise apparently angered other tenants, at least one of whom allegedly dumped water on the protesters from a window.
The crowed reportedly thinned around 10 p.m. local time, Fox News reported.
The protests occurred even after Wheeler sent President Donald Trump a nasty letter rejecting federal aid to quell the riots in Portland. The letter condemned Trump’s “politics of division and demagoguery” and accused Trump of having a “reckless disregard for human life.”
Wheeler went on to condemn violence in the city, even though he has allowed it to continue. Wheeler then blamed Trump’s attempt to stop the violence for making the situation worse.
“When you sent the feds to Portland last month, you made the situation far worse. Your offer to repeat that disaster is a cynical attempt to stoke fear and distract us from the real work of our city,” Wheeler wrote.
Despite the letter, protesters demanded Wheeler resign and abolish the police.
Earlier this week, The Daily Wire’s Emily Zanotti reported that Wheeler considered giving police a stand-down order as the riots took off downtown. Oregon Public Broadcasting released a report stating: “In late July, Mayor Ted Wheeler had an idea he hoped would end the nightly clashes between protesters and police in Portland. He texted Sonia Schmanski, a top aide, that he had a plan that was ‘high risk,’ but he added that the city had ‘nothing to lose.’ His idea: Tell his police force to stand down from the demonstrations.”
Wheeler didn’t end up instituting the plan after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security made a deal with Gov. Kate Brown (D-OR) to turn over riot control. That caused the demonstrations to die down in Portland’s downtown area, but they soon moved to the residential districts.
“I was persuaded that a complete withdrawal, even for one evening to test the ability to completely deescalate the situation, would be a risk that was too great,” Wheeler said. “We could not risk the people who were in the immediate vicinity.”