Portland's mayor tear-gassed at race rally
Portland'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, on Wednesday.
The mayor of the US city of Portland, Ted Wheeler, was stung by tear gas on Thursday morning after he joined demonstrators protesting against racial injustice and police brutality.
Federal security forces have frequently tear-gassed and clubbed demonstrators during weeks of unrest.
Wheeler urged federal agents to be withdrawn from the city when visiting the protest site outside the federal courthouse in downtown Portland,
“They’re not wanted here,” he said.
But Wheeler, who is also the city’s police commissioner, was jeered at by demonstrators who called on him to resign and chanted “Shame on You.” Some said he should have done more to protect Portland’s citizens.
The deployment of federal agents in Portland on July 4 is a flashpoint in a national debate over civil liberties that has roiled the US since the death of George Floyd.
Demonstrators and local officials see the move as a political ploy by President Donald Trump, a Republican, to drum up a “law and order” campaign as he faces an uphill re-election battle.
Wheeler, a Democrat, has called the intervention an abuse of federal power and said it was escalating the violence.
Wednesday saw bigger and bigger crowds of supporters joining the demonstrations. After a few demonstrators had set trash bags on the fire outside the courthouse, federal agents inside the Justice Center fired tear gas, flash bangs and pepper balls into the area.
Wheeler stood at the front of the line, in a face mask and goggles. His eyes and nose were running, his face was red and his eyes were bloodshot. He was whisked away by his security team to the city’s municipal services building.
Before the incident, Wheeler faced an angry crowd of more than 1,000 demonstrators packed outside the courthouse.
The mayor’s office had said Wheeler would attend the demonstration that night to talk to protesters and attempt to ease tensions that have played out between demonstrators and law enforcement over the past 54 nights.
Demonstrators screamed expletives at him and a few chucked water bottles at him.
The mayor has been criticized by demonstrators for the local police’s unchecked use of force against demonstrators, which has included tear gassing, trampling, and pummeling protesters.
Speaking to the crowd, Wheeler decried the presence of federal law enforcement officers, who were caught last week snatching protesters from the street into unmarked cars.
“They’re not wanted here. They’re not properly trained to be here. And we’re asking them right this minute — we’re demanding that they leave. We’re demanding that the federal government stop occupying our city,” he said.
Asked if he might rethink the use of tear gas by local police officers, Wheeler said: “It makes me think long and hard on whether or not this is a viable tool.”
