A Reality Check from Portland
FOX NEWS would have Americans believe that Portland is being burned to the ground by ANTIFA while an impotent liberal mayor and liberal woman governor stand by to watch.
In a word...THIS IS BULLSHIT!
The property destruction, while counterproductive and terrible on it's face is limited to a very small area downtown. BLM has lately avoided that conflict in order to focus on a productive message. A number of largely white young people have focused on conflict with Portland Police, to which the response was often out of proportion.
The situation was calming down between the "anarchists" and the Police when Federal troops arrived on Trump and Barr's orders to fan the flames. They succeeded. Arrests were made without probable cause by these largely anonymous storm troopers. One protester was critically injured by a non-lethal round to the face...fracturing his skull.
Mayor Wheeler and Governor Brown (as well as both Oregon Senators have called for the Federal troops wo stay on Federal property, or leave the city. The Governor was absolutely correct when she accused Trump of creating this chaos to win white suburban voters in swing states. There is no downside for Trump in Oregon. He has exactly ZERO chance of winning this state in November.
I am not discounting the reality of a seriously flawed local police culture. Our city must re-imagine and de-militarize the force. Officers must be accountable to the citizens. I believe it would help if they lived here (82% live outside the city limits). In some ways, they too percieve themselves as an occupying army.
Changing policing and long-festering racial discrimination are a heavy lift for our city...but IT IS NOT OPTIONAL!
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