Portland mayor hit while dining at local restaurant, spokesman says

Mayoral spokesman Jim Middaugh said in a statement that the individuals involved “pushed their way past restaurant employees.”

Video of the incident shows the pair sitting at a table as an individual comes up to confront them. The man, who cannot be seen in the video, shouts, “You comfortable, Tevis?” referring to the mayor by his middle name.

“I think that everybody in this f—— city thinks that you’re f—— pathetic, Tevis,” he said. “You’re f—–, Tevis.”

“How old are you?” Wheeler asked in response. “You need to grow up.”

The man responded, “You’re a bitch, and every time you step out, you are gonna be made to feel like the scum you are.” A different man got right in the mayor’s face, shouting, “War criminal!”

Middaugh added that at one point, “one member of the group started swatting at the Mayor and made physical contact with him.”

The alleged assault is not shown in the footage that has circulated on Twitter, but in one video, the mayor can be heard saying, “You assaulted me. You just assaulted me.”

Wheeler took a photo of the woman who allegedly assaulted him, a social-justice activist who has participated in the city’s protests on racial justice, the Oregonian reported.

“Given the tenor of political discourse nationally and locally, it’s not unusual for people to confront the Mayor and other elected officials in public. It’s part of the job,” Middaugh said. “The Mayor will continue to support local restaurants and businesses as often as he can. He urges others to do the same.”

Portland has experienced numerous protests and riots since the May death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white officer in Minneapolis knelt on his neck for several minutes.