Portland, Oregon is continuing to spiral into chaos, violence, as anarchists rioters maintain their control over the city. What’s more, police can do nothing to stop them thanks to Democrat interference, tying the hands of police behind their backs and depriving them of effective means of getting these riots under control.
According to the Daily Mail, a violent mob of about 100 “anarchists” began running wild through the city, vandalizing walls, smashing windows, and setting fires at around 10 pm last Tuesday night. The damage caused by this incident was approximately $500,000 The police reported that they couldn’t do anything but watch in horror as the city was overthrown by rioters.
They’ve, instead, been instructed to investigate the riots after the fact and hold what rioters they can find accountable for the crimes.
Portland Police Lieutenant Jake Jensen explained the reasons why they did nothing to interfere in a neighbourhood meeting reported by Mail. He pointed to a bipartisan House Bill as the explanation:
‘The reason that we did not intervene goes back to what we talked about last month with House Bill 2928 and the restrictions placed on us in a crowd control environment,’ Portland Police Lt. Jake Jensen said in a Pearl District Neighborhood Association meeting, as reported by KOIN. ‘That’s the way the legislature said we need to operate in a crowd control environment so that’s how we’re going to act in a crowd control environment.’
House Bill 29,28 was sponsored by Janelle Bynum, Democratic Representative, and Ronald Noble, Republican Representative. This bill prohibits the use of force against riots. Any violations are also considered second-degree official misconduct.
Jensen said, ‘The fact of the matter is without being able to use pepper spray, without being able to use our 40 millimeter less lethal devices in that kind of environment really prevents us from having access to the tools that we need in large part to keep us safe.’
Jensen added that the issue wouldn’t be solved by adding officers, as many officers were at the scene of the riots last Tuesday and could not intervene.
Portland residents now live in fear
“Does that mean we are now like a lawless city? Anybody could come in and just bash around and do all the damage that they want without any repercussions whatsoever?” asked Linda Witt.
Jensen stated that the rioters will face consequences, but only once all damage has been done. Jensen also stated that the police are looking at workarounds such as shields to stop rioters.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler has not publicly addressed Tuesday’s riot as of this writing. Portland Chief Chuck Lovell addressed the riots directly at CBS affiliate KOIN TV and requested help from civilians to identify those involved.
“I’m concerned about the brazen criminal acts that took place downtown last night,” said Lovell. “I want to assure those who were victimized that investigations are underway, and we will do whatever we can to identify and arrest those who were responsible. If you have any information, please contact us. Thank you to all the officers who responded to a challenging situation.”
This is likely to only increase the violence and destruction in a city that passed a “milestone” of 1,000 shootings in 2021 alone.
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