Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler accused the Department of Homeland Security of making the city more dangerous by sending in federal law enforcement agents.
Wheeler, a Democrat, said on Sunday that the federal officers in the city have made the riots worse by arresting protesters in unmarked vans and uniforms. He demanded that the federal authorities leave the city.
“The president has a complete misunderstanding of cause and effect. What’s happening here is we have dozens if not hundreds of federal troops descending upon our city. And what they’re doing is they are sharply escalating the situation,” Wheeler told CNN.
“Their presence here is actually leading to more violence and more vandalism. And it’s not helping the situation at all. They’re not wanted here. We haven’t asked them here. In fact, we want them to leave,” he added.
On Sunday, President Trump tweeted that Wheeler and other leaders in Oregon had failed to gain control of the city.
“We are trying to help Portland, not hurt it. Their leadership has, for months, lost control of the anarchists and agitators. They are missing in action. We must protect Federal property, AND OUR PEOPLE. These were not merely protesters, these are the real deal!” Trump wrote.
We are trying to help Portland, not hurt it. Their leadership has, for months, lost control of the anarchists and agitators. They are missing in action. We must protect Federal property, AND OUR PEOPLE. These were not merely protesters, these are the real deal!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 19, 2020
Wheeler acknowledged that the American Civil Liberties Union and the Oregon Attorney General’s Office both filed lawsuits against the federal government because they believe the officers violated the rights of protesters and the state. He claimed that Trump was sending in law enforcement to help his reelection odds.
“What we’re seeing is a blatant abuse of police tactics by the federal government, by the Trump administration that’s falling in the polls. And this is a direct threat to our democracy,” he said.
Wheeler argued that the violence had been “contained,” despite more than 80 reports of violent protesters over the past six weeks. He said he believes the protests were about to end before the federal officers arrived.
“Before the federal troops got here, violence was way down. Vandalism was way down. Our local and state law enforcement officials had contained the situation. The energy was coming out of the demonstrations. We had hoped they would end within a matter of days,” he said.
“What happened instead is the federal troops came in. They used their unconstitutional tactics. They injured nonviolent demonstrators. And the whole thing blew up again like a powder keg,” he added.
