Portland's mayor booed by protesters, gassed by federal agents
Wheeler had arrived at the protest to address the approximately 1,000 protesters, who shouted chants ranging from "F**k you Wheeler," "Tear gas Teddy" and "Do your job."
By AARON REICHPortland's Mayor Ted Wheeler listens to a member of the public during a demonstration against the presence of federal law enforcement officers and racial inequality in Portland, Oregon, US, July 22, 2020.(photo credit: CAITLIN OCHS/REUTERS)Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler was hit with boos Wednesday night when he addressed the Black Lives Matter protesters in the city, before federal agents hit the mayor with tear gas, the New York Post reported.Wheeler had arrived at the protest by a federal courthouse at 9 p.m. to address the approximately 1,000 protesters, who shouted chants ranging from "F**k you Wheeler," "Tear gas Teddy" and "Do your job."Wheeler expressed his solidarity with the protesters, who had been gathered at the area for almost 60 straight nights, and demanded that federal agents leave the city.“It is an unconstitutional occupation,” Wheeler said, according to local news outlet KATU-TV.Wheeler was referring to the deployment of agents from the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies to the city, which was done under the orders of US President Donald Trump in order to protect federal property and monuments from vandalism. These fears have cropped up as many protesters have vandalized and toppled monuments to figures with problematic legacies, particularly those dedicated to members of the Confederacy, in the wake of anti-racism protests following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May.Since the agents arrived, they have been accused of utilizing excessive force and of carrying out arrests without probable cause."The tactics that are being used by the federal officers are abhorrent," the mayor said to the protesters."They do not act with probable cause. People are not being told who they are being arrested by, and they’re being denied basic constitutional rights. The reason this is important is this is just not happening in Portland. The president has made it clear it’s going to happen in cities that are controlled by Democratic leaders. That is a use of police force, a federal police force, for political ends.”Trump has threatened to send agents to other cities, and announced Wednesday that he would deploy them to Chicago and Albuquerque.Despite his show of solidarity, protesters still hit Wheeler, who also serves as police commissioner, with boos when he said he did not support abolishing the city's police department or turning control over to the city commissioner.
When one protester said they were worried the federal agents would use tear gas against them once the mayor left, Wheeler assured them that he wasn't going anywhere."I'm not going to leave," Wheeler said, according to KATU-TV. "If you get gassed, I'm getting gassed."Soon enough, after fireworks near the courthouse started a fire, the gas came, and the mayor was hit along with the rest of the protesters."Oh, for sure, [the mayor] got gassed. I was standing with him, within three feet of him," a protester told KATU-TV.Wheeler explained that there was no reason for tear gas to have been deployed.“I’m not gonna lie, it stings, it’s hard to breathe, and I can tell you with 100% honesty I saw nothing that provoked this response,” Wheeler said, the New York Post reported, citing a video shot by a freelance journalist.“It’s nasty stuff, I’m not afraid but I am pissed off,” he added. “This is an egregious overreaction on the part of the federal officers. There was nothing that I saw anybody do that warranted this reaction.”Now Wheeler fears the situation could get worse.“As you can see, all it’s done is piss everybody off. It’s made everybody angry. They’ve come in and they kicked the hornet’s nest. This is not a de-escalation strategy. This is flat-out urban warfare and it’s being brought on the people of this country by the president of the United States.”After the situation spiraled out of control Wednesday night, fears began circulating that live ammunition could be deployed next time. However, Wheeler took to social media to dispel these fears."This afternoon I was made aware of concerns within the community that federal agents may be authorized to use live ammunition on demonstrators this evening," he tweeted."Given the deployment of federal agents to other American cities and the clear escalation of the federal government, this information was alarming. I have spoken with the US attorney of Oregon, Billy Williams, who assures me that the federal government has no plans to use live ammunition on Portlanders tonight,and that such an order would be unlawful."Nevertheless, I am sharing this information publicly out of an abundance of caution. If you plan to demonstrate tonight, please be safe."
