Two days after Saturday’s violent clash between far-right activists, some brandishing firearms, and counter-protesters, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler has responded.
“I vehemently oppose what the Proud Boys and those associated with them stand for, and I will not tolerate hate speech and the damage it does in our city. White nationalists, particularly those coming to our city armed, threaten the safety of Portlanders, and are not welcome here,” Wheeler said in a written statement Monday evening.
Related: Portland’s protests: 3 months in, no end in sight
Wheeler, who is also the police commissioner, said he is “closely reviewing and discussing” the police bureau’s strategy “to limit their intervention in the right-wing protests and counter-demonstrations” with Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell.
At Saturday afternoon’s protest, police stood on the sidelines as the groups brawled for hours, using weapons such as baseball bats, firearms, fireworks, and pepper spray. Over the loudspeaker, they asked the crowd to “self-monitor.”
Pro- Trump and pro-police demonstrators clashed with anti-fascist counterprotesters on the 87th day of protests against police violence and systemic racism. Despite violence in the streets, police were notably absent and never declared an unlawful assembly.
Jonathan Levinson / OPB
In written statements, police leaders said officers did not intervene in the fight because people seemed to be willingly participating, the event didn’t seem likely to last long, and officers were tired from responding to the protest for racial justice the night before.
“PPB had to be judicious with our limited resources today especially since many of our members worked during the riot this morning and had very little sleep,” Lovell said in a release over the weekend.
Police said they decided not to declare a riot, though the event fit the legal definition, because they didn’t have the resources to handle one.
Related: Protesters fight using pepper spray, baseball bats in Portland on Saturday
In Monday’s statement, Wheeler echoed the police bureau’s sentiment that almost three months of late-night protests had left the bureau stretched thin.
“We are at a critical place where police officers are needed to intervene in protests where police officers themselves are the flashpoint,” he wrote.
OPB has requested an opportunity to ask the mayor questions about the police response, rather than a written statement.
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