Portland, Oregon Mayor Ted Wheeler (D) convicted Antifa and anarchists after a night of riots in the city on New Year’s Eve.
At a news conference on New Year’s Day, the mayor said protesters had caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage by breaking windows, starting fires and spray-painting properties in downtown Portland late Thursday night, KOIN, a local CBS affiliate, reported.
Wheeler asked at his press conference, “Why would a group of mostly white, young and some middle-aged men destroy the livelihoods of others who are struggling to make ends meet?”
Law enforcement said some protesters used Molotov cocktails on Thursday evening, causing thousands of dollars in damage to properties in the downtown area.
The mayor has since been in contact with Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt, calling for more prosecution and accountability for “radical antifa and anarchists” who want to wreak havoc and damage the city, which will have dozens of nights of violent protests by 2020. ago.
“My good faith efforts to de-escalate have met with continued violence and even disdain from radical antifa and anarchists,” said Wheeler. “In response, it will be necessary to use additional tools and push the boundaries of the tools we already have to end criminal destruction and violence.”
Wheeler committed to three counter-attacks for dealing with violent protesters in the city, including asking federal, state, provincial and local law enforcement officials to “come together to deal with anarchist violence as quickly as possible.”
He also called on the state legislature to increase penalties for repeat offenders, adding that he believes people convicted of criminal destruction “should be required to meet those whose business they have damaged.”
The Portland Mayor’s comments mark a drastic change in tone from his comments in 2020, when protesters destroyed a nearby courthouse for over 100 nights, prompted in part by outrage over George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis police custody in May.
President Trump
Donald Trump Trump calls Georgia Senate runoffs ‘both illegal and invalid’ in New Year’s tweets Judge Dismisses Gohmert’s Election Case Against Pence Ex-GOP Senator Proposes Forming New Party, Calls Trump ‘Ringmaster’ of Republicans MORE urged Wheeler to allow him to deploy federal troops to quell the protests in the city over the summer, but the mayor turned down the president’s offer.