Portland is a literal war zone as Antifa violence continues. And while the violence continues, the mainstream media continue to report as if all is fine — just protesters making their voices heard. Nothing to see here. But here in the world of reality and facts, Portland saw a weekend awash in violence with more 150 shots fired, glass bottles thrown at police officers, and lasers shined at officers’ eyes.
For more than two months (Saturday was the 64th uninterrupted day of riots, looting, and violence in Portland), the city has been besieged by Antifa terrorists who have shot, burned, and looted their way through the city with impunity. And even as the liberal media celebrates the planned withdrawal of federal agents, the violence continues.
Saturday marked not only the 64th night of roving violence, it was also the third night of federal cooperation with state law enforcement as Portland’s local administration has allowed the destruction to go unabated.
The barrage of gunfire erupted late Friday night outside an apartment building near the 600 Block of NE 87th Avenue. According to a report by Fox News, “The Portland Police Bureau said in an update Saturday that more than 150 rounds were fired and bullets struck at least eight occupied apartments and seven vehicles.”
The shooting took place in an area not usually known for this type of crime and violence. But the times appear to be changing. A previous shooting on July 27 caused the death of one man. Residents there are pleading for the city to invest in more police officers. Unfortunately for them, their pleas come at a time when police are being defunded at the behest of Antifa and other violent groups.
It is not clear whether this shooting was directly related to the Antifa violence in the rest of the city, but whether directly or indirectly, the outcome is the same. Defunded police are stretched thin dealing with Antifa riots as a section of the city is shot up and lives are threatened.
One resident of the apartments, Kemoh Sulimani, said he feared for his life and dropped to the floor, turning off lights. He then crawled “like a baby” out of the room. Another resident, Aragon Marks, has medic training. He grabbed his medic bag and tended to a woman who was shot in the arm. He managed to stop the bleeding and she is expected to recover.
In the aftermath of this most recent shooting in his formerly safe neighborhood, Marks said, “We don’t feel safe here especially with it happening so crazy here like this and so soon. You know they shot everywhere, walls that weren’t even by anybody.” He added, “This is America and it’s a war zone with 150 shots in an apartment complex close to a Christian university how can we explain that?”
Sulimani said the defunding of police has unleashed violence on unprepared citizens, saying, “They had a gang violence task force that are no longer funded, which is unfortunate because as soon as that defunding happened all of this really peaked up.”
Saturday was Act Two in the violent weekend. A crowd of hundreds gathered outside the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Federal Courthouse around 8:50 p.m. Saturday. They blocked traffic as they listened to speeches about the corruption of America and the need for change. Then, a crowd of about two hundred marched from Laurelhurst Park to the Penumbra Kelly Building, also blocking traffic lanes. And make no mistake — this was no peaceful protest. The Portland Police Bureau released a statement saying that some in the crowd “shined bright lights at Portland police officers standing outside the building, directed lasers at the officers, and eventually began throwing glass bottles at them.”
One officer was struck in the head with a glass jar filled with paint. He was not seriously injured.
And in a turn of events that is becoming more common, some of the rioters displayed their cowardice by hiding behind fake press credentials. Some wearing outer garments with “PRESS” emblazoned on them were seen throwing objects at police officers. This shines a new light on a recent episode in Richmond where police briefly detained two journalists at a “Stand with Portland” riot in Richmond. In that incident, police released the journalists once their press credentials had been verified.
As events became — predictably — more violent, Portland Police declared an “unlawful assembly” and ordered the crowd to disperse. Police did not, however, use tear gas to break up the riot and send the rioters on their way.
In fact, only two people were arrested. Fox News reported:
Max Van Briesen, 31, of Portland, was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on charges of assaulting a public safety officer, interfering with a police officer and disorderly conduct in the second degree. Freedom Moreno, 34, of Portland, was charged with interfering with a police officer, disorderly conduct in the second degree, resisting arrest and harassment.
Of course, this all comes just as the liberal “leadership” of Portland has been working to push federal agents out of the city. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Oregon Governor Kate Brown (D) came to an agreement on Wednesday to send Oregon State Police into Portland to assist federal officers in protecting the Hatfield Courthouse, a federal facility. But the honeymoon was short. The Portland Police Bureau was banned from cooperating with federal law-enforcement officers last week under new policies unanimously passed by the City Council, according to a report by the Oregonian.
Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf said in a statement that President Trump and his administration have been consistent in their message that “violent criminal activity” directed at federal properties and law enforcement will not be tolerated and that “state and local leaders must step forward and police their communities.” But with police being defunded, the results speak for themselves.
And Governor Brown — who initially accepted the presence of federal officers to help quell the violence and destruction that has besieged Portland — has done what liberals do: She has gone to work spinning the affair as if the “bad guys” are the federal officers. On July 29, she tweeted, “After my discussions with VP Pence and others, the federal government has agreed to withdraw federal officers from Portland. They have acted as an occupying force & brought violence. Starting tomorrow, all Customs and Border Protection & ICE officers will leave downtown Portland.”
Fact check: The violence was the reason the federal officers came to Portland. They didn’t bring it; they were there to respond to it.
And “while the violence is abating” according to a recent statement by DHS, that is a relative term. That the level of violence is less than it has been for most of the past two months does not mean it is acceptable. DHS says that while there is a plan for gradual withdrawal of federal officers, federal law enforcement’s enhanced presence on the ground will remain for the time being until they determine that “the courthouse and other federal property are safe.”
The liberal “leadership” of Portland appears to have made their bed. Now citizens of Portland — Kemoh Sulimani, Aragon Marks, the unnamed woman who was shot in the arm, and hundreds of thousands just like them — are being forced to sleep in it. Maybe they would do better to turn off the lights and hide under that bed.
Photo: AP Images
C. Mitchell Shaw is a freelance writer and public speaker who addresses a range of topics related to liberty and the U.S. Constitution. A strong privacy advocate, he was a privacy nerd before it was cool.
