Protests of police brutality against Black Americans in Portland, Oregon escalated this weekend when supporters of President Donald Trump descended on the city, brandishing Trump flags and shooting protesters with paintball guns and tear gas.
The violence peaked that night when a man believed to be affiliated with the right wing group Patriot Prayer was shot in the chest and died on the scene.
Details of the murder are yet to be fully confirmed, but Trump and his allies blamed local officials—including Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler—for allowing violence to continue on the streets.
The President tweeted or retweeted 89 tweets against Wheeler in a little over three hours, focusing especially on Wheeler's resistance of the federal government's calls to send in federal forces.
Last month, the President deployed anonymous federal forces on the city, who began "proactively" arresting protesters, shoving them into unidentified vehicles for transport to undisclosed locations. The tactic only succeeded in multiplying the size of the protests before the federal government withdrew, heeding the calls of local officials.
Wheeler has a very different opinion on who is to blame for the most recent violence.
Watch below.
Wheeler responding to Trump: You've tried to divide us more than any other figure in modern history and now you want me to stop the violence you helped create. pic.twitter.com/7fWcaBjJnj
— Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) August 30, 2020
Wheeler said to Trump:
"You've tried to divide us more than any other figure in modern history and now you want me to stop the violence you helped create. What America needs is for you to be stopped so that we can come back together as one America while recognizing that we must demand that all people—Black, Brown, White, every color, from every political persuasion—pull together and hold all people accountable in stopping racism and violence, and we together are peaceful again under new leadership that reflects who we really are."
He continued:
"President Trump, you bring no peace. You bring no respect to our democracy. You, Mr. President, need to do your job as the leader of this nation, and I, Mr. President, will do my job as the mayor of this city. And we will both be held accountable as we should."
Some side with Wheeler in attributing the chaos to the months-long campaign by Republicans to generalize protesters as violent anarchists.
Just days before, 17 year old Trump supporter Kyle Rittenhouse drove across state lines with an assault weapon, where he killed two protesters and wounded a third.
Others agreed that the main source of division and violence is coming from the White House.
Trump is the single most destructive figure in American politics, full stop.
pic.twitter.com/503mmHsTwm
— Molly Jong-Fast🏡 (@MollyJongFast) August 30, 2020
Bravo @tedwheeler. Perfectly stated. https://t.co/hyUckMgXUP
— Spiro Agnew's Ghost (@SpiroAgnewGhost) August 30, 2020
It's almost like Wheeler is pointing out that Trump is rooting for violence to A) distract folks from 183K Americans dead from COVID, and B) frighten and intimidate people from showing up to vote. https://t.co/JfFVYrSxra
— Bryan Harnsberger Psy.D (@PSYCH_HYPE) August 30, 2020
Damn! THIS so needed to be said https://t.co/1VbgkktORi
— Enough's Enough (@DanaNcolorado) August 30, 2020
People called on other local officials to take notes from Wheeler's rebuke.
It's unfortunate a man who doesn't understand the beauty and history of this nation is running our executive branch. He can only see this as an antagonistic rebuke instead of a call to de escalate rhetoric and end the crafting of unwarranted, but vengeful, policies. https://t.co/KOnhJMs9Kp
— Steward Beckham (@iTweetyNerd) August 30, 2020
This is precisely how politicians should denounce Trump's Mussolini-like authoritarian style.
US TV Networks have a duty to give this wall to wall coverage... as Trump's armed vigilants/militias terrorize citizens, as part of Trump's strategy of carnage. pic.twitter.com/UjLR9oM6YE
— Rula Jebreal (@rulajebreal) August 30, 2020
This is how we should all be talking about what Donald Trump is doing to our country. #TrumpViolence #VoteOutRacism pic.twitter.com/BFltmpLBuH
— ERIC BALFOUR (@ERICBALFOUR) August 30, 2020
We need more Democrats to be as vocal as Mayor @tedwheeler. They all need to tell the MFer named @realdonaldtrump that he is a racist and that he is to blame for this unrest and hated across the nation. Nice statement, Mr. Mayor!! #TrumpTerrorism https://t.co/2BsyVCfYG7
— Doug Took The Oath (@Sane_Mage) August 31, 2020
All Mayors need to do this! All leaders at every level need to do this. https://t.co/RiVdmiHqcY
— Beth Logue (@LeftBeth12) August 30, 2020
@cubswwww reply to @cspan/X
@DCBlindOwl reply to @cspan/X
@JulianaStratton/X
@HagemanforWY/X
