Footage from the arson attack showed large fires burning at an awning of the Portland Police Bureau's (PPB) North Precinct. While these fires were spreading, the rioters were chanting “burn baby burn” and laughed hysterically as PPB officers tried to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher. These officers were also relentlessly pelted with projectiles such as rocks and glass bottles while they were performing their duties. Several rioters were even shining lasers at their eyes in an attempt to blind them.
All of this chaos eventually led to the police declaring a riot, deploying tear gas and arresting at least 23 people on Portland's 87th consecutive night of rioting and civil unrest.
That evening's rally began after 9:30 p.m., when a group of more than 100 people departed from Woodlawn City Park, several blocks to the north of their targeted precinct. They marched through several residential neighborhoods while chanting their usual anti-police slogans such as “All cops are [expletive]” and “Black lives matter,” along with the addition of “Say his name! Jacob Blake!” as a reference to the man – who coincidentally has an extensive criminal record – shot by police officers in Kenosha, Wisconsin just a few hours before their demonstration. (Related: Chaos in Kenosha: Wisconsin Gov. Evers sends in the National Guard to quell rioting and civil unrest.)
Local reporters witnessed several rioters vandalizing private property during the march, such as one person that spray painted a fence.
The Black Lives Matter movement is once again showing its hypocrisy by pretending to care about Black lives. Listen to this episode of the Health Ranger Report by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, as he talks about how their support for Black lives is meaningless if they do not care about unborn Black lives.
Rioters attempted to burn down North Precinct while officers were still in the building
The violent mob arrived at the PPB's North Precinct by 10 p.m. Immediately after getting there, they started to cause chaos; they took two nearby dumpsters and setting its contents on fire.
In response, the PPB began issuing warnings. They first warned the crowd against coming any closer to the precinct, as it would be considered trespassing. However, this warning was ignored as the rioters continued to use their lasers and throw rocks, glass bottles and paint balloons at the officers.
https://twitter.com/PortlandPolice/status/1297778016240545792
As a result, at 10:30 p.m., the PPB declared the gathering to be an unlawful assembly and ordered the people to leave immediately. This also did not work and the rioters retaliated by setting off fireworks.
At 11:08 p.m., the PPB declared a riot and warned that if the crowd didn't disperse, they could face criminal charges if arrested and be subjected to crowd control munitions such as impact weapons and tear gas.
The violent mob remained defiant. Even the declaration of a riot did not deter them from initiating more criminal activities. Several members of the crowd set an awning outside of the building on fire. Police officers who were standing on the roof of the precinct quickly worked to put out the spreading flame, but as it was extinguished the rioters immediately set another part of the awning on fire. The PPB report states that this second arson attack caused a lot of damage before it was extinguished.
https://twitter.com/BGOnTheScene/status/1297791261412229125
The PPB also said that, while they were working hard to keep the North Precinct from being burned down, the crowd was jeering at them and pelting them with large rocks and glass bottles. One police lieutenant suffered a large cut to his hand after he was hit by a piece of ceramic.
“Due to the extreme threat to life and safety,” by around 11:30 p.m., the PPB deployed tear gas in order to push back the violent mob, who were still trying to burn down the precinct. Thanks to the crowd control munitions, the rioters were forced to move south. It was during this dispersal that the PPB made the first of their 23 arrests that night.
As soon as the officers were satisfied with their dispersal, they pulled back to the North Precinct. However, within minutes of doing so, the rioters had reformed and returned. At 12:30 a.m., the PPB dispersed the mob once again, though it isn't clear if they used tear gas a second time. Several arrests were also made during this time.
When the PPB disengaged a second time, the rioters reformed once again. At 1:17 a.m., the officers conducted a third dispersal. Around this time, a sergeant was struck in the head by a helmet thrown by one of the rioters. The suspect in question was immediately arrested.
Of the 23 people arrested, only 14 were confirmed to be Portland residents. Four of the rioters were from other parts of Oregon, one was from Washington and the rest had unknown residences.
Federal government once again offering aid
Following this renewed wave of unrest in the city, President Donald Trump once again urged the leaders of Portland and of the state of Oregon to request federal assistance to help suppress the violence. This offer of aid was prompted by Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and Gov. Kate Brown, both Democrats, once again publicly criticizing the president's decision to send federal law enforcement officers to the city to help protect federal property back in July.
Acting Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Ken Cuccinelli even went on Fox News to talk about the “pathetic failure of local and state officials.”
He also stated that, even without federal assistance, Brown has the power to deal a final blow against the rioters thanks to the more than 7,800 National Guard troops that are at her disposal.
“Oregon has the resources to solve this problem and yet they refuse to do it,” alleged Cuccinelli.
The riots will continue so long as the authorities in Portland and in Oregon refuse to act decisively. Stay updated on the latest events in Portland by subscribing to Rioting.news.
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