There he was, Ted Wheeler on “Fox News” mayorsplaining that Portland does not “tolerate” ‘violence” or “vandalism” at protests.
For anyone who’s watched the Portland’s Professional Protesters™ over the years this was new intelligence. After the initial burst of incredulous laughter, one seriously had to wonder where Ted had been all these years.
Presumably, the man who’s served on the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners and statewide office, remembers history, even on his own watch as Portland’s top elected official. Is it possible that he could have missed May Day violence – any May Day – in Portland? Had he forgotten anarchist violence and vandalism on any given day? Did he honestly not remember attacks by Antifa in the days after election day? The violence? The vandalism? Remember the trail of violence along Hawthorne all those years ago? The threats? Screaming animal ‘rights’ protesters putting Portland taxpaying companies out of business? Photos of blown up SUV’s set afire by the eco protesters? Surrounding OSU researcher homes and threatening their lives? Broken windows at the GOP HQ? Did he not remember the unprovoked attacks on Michael Strickland and Andy Ngo? Did he honestly not see Antifa protesters and Black Lives Matter protesters blocking traffic and chasing an elderly man down the street? Has he forgotten about local jihadis and “The Family?” The Occupy IED’s? Assault on the cops?
I’ve been quite seriously covering the Portland Professional Protesters™ for nearly 20 years. Ted Wheeler apparently missed it all. Maybe his head’s been down the overflowing toilet at Occupy Portland all this time … ?
Wheeler blamed the “far right” for apparently all problems on the Portland protest scene:
We’re seeing a rise in hate speech and in intolerance, in division, in racism. And all of these things are coming to a head. … We’re seeing more people from the far right, including white supremacists, white nationalists, neo-Nazis and others that are coming to Portland because they know that there will be a conflict. And that’s what they want, they want conflict … and in
Ted Wheeler
Oh, look. Here’s Antifa. That’s a lead weight in one guy’s hand a double brass knuckles on the other guy’s hands.
When interrupted by the host who asked if Antifa bore any responsibility for this violence (duh), Wheeler shrugged off Antifa’s violent past and stuck with his story that all the violence comes from out of state protesters.
Host: “Well, what about Antifa’s part in that though it’s not as if Antifa’s not looking for a fight I mean you don’t see them as equally to blame in this …?”
Fox News
Wheeler: “Look it, again, when it comes to enforcement of community standards. We support peoples right to demonstrate. We support peoples’ rights. It’s about enforcing the law and that’s what we’re going to do.
Wheeler seems to be saying that Antifa is part of Portland’s progressive culture and the ‘outsiders’ are here to cause conflict. He seems to think that anyone who takes issue with Antifa is “intolerant” or worse, white nationalist etc. This is interesting. There’s more diversity in Patriot Prayer than in Antifa.
With this white wash interview, Wheeler showed he will ignore Antifa and its violence and embrace this far Left socialist group’s attack on speech.
