The demonstrations in Portland, Oregon, had a little more flare than usual on Mayor Ted Wheeler’s birthday.
Fireworks were set off outside Wheeler’s apartment complex Monday night, and a picnic table was set ablaze, according to one journalist.
People yelled out, “Quit your job!” At one point, protesters brought out birthday hats and balloons and sang “Happy Teargas” to the tune of “Happy Birthday.”
Police declared the demonstrations a riot.
Portland protestors light fireworks outside of Mayor Ted Wheeler’s condo on his birthday, as they march through downtown demanding he resign pic.twitter.com/aCbC9R6LOj
— Faiz Siddiqui (@faizsays) September 1, 2020
Wheeler, who turned 58 on Monday, has been facing calls to resign by civil rights groups and others fed up with the constant violence in Portland this summer.
The Democrat said he has no plans to step down.
“The answer is because it’s not all about me. It’s about the community. It’s about who we are. It’s about who we want to be, and it’s about taking a stand against violence,” he said on Sunday.
There have been 14 straight weeks of nightly protests since George Floyd, an unarmed black man, died in Minneapolis police custody after a white office knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced on Sunday a “Unified Law Enforcement Plan” that partly aims to bring in additional personnel and resources to be present for the Portland protests following a fatal shooting of a man in the city on Saturday.
