PORTLAND, OR – Portland’s Rose City Antifa has staged yet another violent attack against Portland police – their most violent to date.
Breaking: Antifa violently attacks Portland Police officers in early-morning attack. The stream is courtesy of the commie-antifa streamer @ConcreteReports (gave ya credit scumbag) pic.twitter.com/MO9BS6u2sE
— PT News Network (@PTNewsnetwork) December 8, 2020
Rose City Antifa terrorists and their tag-along supporters threw projectiles at the police and sprayed officers with fire extinguishers as members of the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) tried to remove a group of squatters from “The Red House,” a large apartment building at 4406 North Mississippi Avenue in the Boise section of town just north of downtown.
Several injuries to police officers were reported.
Antifa members slashed several tires on police SUVs and hurled objects at the vehicles, breaking several windows and doing substantial damage. Officers were forced to retreat as the unruly mob continued to pose a threat.
LEO reinforcements have left on the south sides. The alley behind Red House is accessible now. Riot cops stare down the north side. pic.twitter.com/Rc9KzpfVjy
— Melissa “Claudio” Lewis (@Claudio_Report) December 8, 2020
“The Red House” is well-known to police officers and sheriff’s deputies, having had at least 81 calls regarding the location for a large variety of criminal activity, including weapons being fired.
Awful lot of vehicles for an eviction. I’m having trouble accessing the protesters on the inside. pic.twitter.com/PYOIzh4kBl
— Melissa “Claudio” Lewis (@Claudio_Report) December 8, 2020
The Portland Police Bureau released a press statement describing how members of the PPB assisted the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office with returning the property at 4400 Block of North Mississippi Avenue to the property owners.
The statement said:
“On Tuesday, December 8, 2020, at approximately 5:00 a.m., members of the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) assisted the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) in returning private property in the 4400 block of North Mississippi Avenue to the property owners.”
For the past three months, people have been squatting on the property, including in a house and on private lots. At approximately 5:00 a.m., police secured a perimeter around the property, blocking off roads and sidewalks.
The PPB statement stated:
“The Portland Police Bureau and Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office coordinated their arrival and secured the properties. As police arrived, they encountered one person armed with a firearm and safely took that person into custody.
“Officers were able to contact other people on the properties and safely secure it within a few minutes. PPB recovered firearms from the property.”
After securing the property, police had property owners begin boarding up buildings and erect fencing.
The statement concluded:
“According to call log data, over the three-month period from September 1 to November 30, 2020, at least 81 calls for service were placed for issues related to these properties and the immediate area.
“Calls for service included, but were not limited to: fights, disturbances, shots fired, burglary, theft, vandalism, noise violations, trespassing, threats (including by armed individuals), and for illegally blocking traffic, sidewalks and access to homes.
“Throughout this period, PPB officers spoke with many community members about their concerns and the threatening behavior and intimidation they experienced in the neighborhood around these properties.”
Portland police made seven arrests. 41-year-old Charles Stubbs, 44-year-old Lester Wrecksie, 40-year-old Joshua Rodgers, 25-year-old Jonathan Lalej, 31-year-old Matthew Stewart, and 43-year-old Christopher Wilkins were charged with Trespass II. 31-year-old Nicholas Piochei was charged with Trespass II and resist arrest
Police continue to get pushed back, a protester with a fire extinguisher covers a vehicle as people fight back. pic.twitter.com/drvWXhXNMq
— Alex Milan Tracy (@AlexMilanTracy) December 8, 2020
One of Rose City Antifa’s support groups, the Pacific Northwest Youth Liberation Front, claimed victory in the affray:
“Riot cops chased away at #RedHouseonMississippi, squad cars smashed up. Forced back for now, but expect pigs to return. Gear up and get out here ASAP Portland, this is it. 4406 N Mississippi Ave. Now.”
Riot cops chased away at #RedHouseonMississippi, squad cars smashed up. Forced back for now, but expect pigs to return.
Gear up and get out here ASAP Portland, this is it.
4406 N Mississippi Ave. Now.— PNW Youth Liberation Front (@PNWYLF) December 8, 2020
Hundreds of Portland business owners tell city hall they are ‘fed up’, done ‘passively waiting for help’
December 3, 2020
PORTLAND, OR – Downtown business owners state that they are done ‘passively waiting for help.’
A consortium of businesses has joined forces in hopes of getting city hall’s attention.
The newly-formed Rose City Downtown Collective sent an urgent plea to Portland officials saying they are fed up with the city’s lackluster attitude towards restoring their riot-plagued urban hellscape.
The letter was signed by more than 300 people representing a wide variety of businesses, both large and small.
They are running out of time, money, and hope. They say city hall must do more.
While other U.S. cities have experienced similar issues this year, the collective claim that Portland has “extra layers of pain” that are simply not being addressed.
The Rose City Downtown Collective cites chronic urban blight issues that are keeping people away from the downtown in droves; such as vandalism, open illegal drug use, rampant unimpeded crime, mountains of uncollected trash, and sprawling homeless camps.
Almost every night for the past five months, violence has descended upon the streets of Portland’s downtown until block after block of storefronts are now covered with protective plywood. Those brave enough to leave their glass exposed are taking their chances by creating an inviting target for the ‘peaceful protesters’.
Jim Mark, CEO of Melvin Mark Company, said:
“We were very frustrated. [Each time] we’d reach out to elected officials, they would seem to just sort of pass this off as though this wasn’t a huge issue.
“Meanwhile, we saw small businesses, minority-owned businesses, businesses of larger businesses start to really give up downtown, whether it was a restaurant or a small shopkeeper.”
Mark contacted Gov. Kate Brown’s office and local officials last summer as he grew increasingly alarmed about the state of downtown. He called on the state and others to unequivocally condemn the violence downtown and take action to revive Portland’s central city. But he felt like his pleas fell on deaf ears.
Eric Murfitt, with Mercantile Portland, said he has lost about $1 million as a result of looting and vandalism.
While his insurance has paid out about half of their million-dollar claim, they are in the process of finding a new insurance company. Murfitt said:
“They’ve been doing a good job with our claim, but they did give us a notice of non-renewal, so we are out on the market with our broker looking to find new coverage.”
He said they have been able to find one insurance company, but the premium is going to be four times higher and his deductible would be 25 times higher from last year.
Murfitt said of Portland officials:
“It was almost like they weren’t coming downtown and really seeing the damage and destruction that was happening.”
The collective’s leaders hope that the new Portland City Council will step up.
Meanwhile, Ted Wheeler, the Mayor of Portland issued the following statement:
“I appreciate this group’s passion for revitalizing the local economy and spirit of downtown. We need all hands on deck to keep Portland’s economy strong.
“Harnessing the expertise, energy, and resources of our downtown businesses to leverage the city’s efforts will be essential to a successful recovery.”
Andrew Hoan, President & CEO, Portland Business Alliance said:
“I find it beyond comprehension that anyone would continue to think that the destruction of our small businesses in downtown Portland is somehow acceptable or represents the exercise of free speech. These destructive acts of political violence must stop now.
“I hope every elected official will react and denounce this reprehensible behavior, just as vehemently as when our beloved Oregon Historical Society was attacked.”
The downtown collective has made it clear that they fully support protesters’ efforts to draw attention to important issues like racial injustice. They also support a compassionate response to the homeless crisis.
Many business owners fear that Portland is nearing a point of no return and risk becoming abandoned and dormant.
