Mayor of Portland calls for federal troops to leave after another night of violence

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler reiterated on Sunday, July 19, that federal law enforcement personnel deployed to the northwestern city should be dispatched, saying they are fueling violence in the city for almost two months.

"We have dozens, if not hundreds, of federal agents deployed in our city," and they are contributing to "severely worsen the situation," he said on CNN. "Their presence causes more violence and more vandalism, it does not help at all (to calm) the situation. They are not welcome and we want them to leave," said the Democratic mayor.

This morning, @jaketapper @CNNSotu asked if I believed the President was breaking the law.

Not only do I believe he is breaking the law, but he is also endangering the lives of Portlanders. His actions are unconstitutional.https: //t.co/eBGw36edgh

Federal agents have been dispatched to end protests in front of the city court to protest police brutality and racism.

The rallies, interspersed with clashes with the police, are regularly dispersed with tear gas. The protesters also attempted to set fire to the headquarters of the city's police association on the night of Saturday to Sunday, police said on Twitter.

"We must protect federal buildings and our people," Donald Trump reacted on Twitter on Sunday to castigate "missing" local leaders who "have lost control of anarchists and agitators for months."

We are trying to help Portland, not hurt it. Their leadership has, for months, lost control of the anarchists and agitators. They are missing in action. We must protect Federal property, AND OUR PEOPLE. These were not merely protesters, these are the real deal!

"People are literally kidnapped in unmarked rental vehicles"

The protests began after the death in late May of George Floyd, an African-American asphyxiated under the knee of a white policeman in Minneapolis.

The anger increased after a series of arrests of protesters on the city streets by the police, without providing a reason.

"People are literally kidnapped in unmarked rental vehicles," said Ted Wheeler. "They do not know who puts them in the vehicles, (the police) do not identify themselves. In my opinion, this is unconstitutional."

>> Read: United States: what future for the Black Lives Matter movement?

Human rights activists and elected officials on Friday (July 17th) strongly denounced the arrests and state prosecutor Ellen Rosenblum said she would file a complaint against "fear tactics" by federal forces.

Homeland Security Minister Ken Cuccinelli acknowledged the arrests on Friday, saying they were carried out on the streets to protect federal agents and take protesters suspected of the violence "to a safe place for questioning." "We will arrest them in court, and if we locate them somewhere else, we will arrest them somewhere else," he said on public radio NPR.

With AFP

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