PORTLAND, OR- Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler has issued invitations and made it clear that he’d appreciate some RSVPs in the next couple of days.
Wheeler told area law enforcement agencies, including the Oregon State Police (OSP), that the city will require their help for riots expected to take place on Election Day.
The irony here? Wheeler’s demands for assistance come less than two weeks after the cities of Portland and Oakland filed a federal lawsuit accusing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) of illegally taking over law enforcement duties in both cities back in June.
The suit claims the cities did not “consent” to the much-needed federal help.
Now apparently, Mayor Wheeler is inviting, or rather expecting, other law enforcement agencies to come rushing to aid his city. Unfortunately, the invite doesn’t sit well with law enforcement agencies, hence their reluctance to graciously offer their assistance.
Let us travel back to early summer and the chaos that consumed the city of Portland and take a look at how Mayor Wheeler and the city commissioners handled this. It will allow a better understanding as to the somewhat bitter attitude toward Wheeler’s request.
Over 100 consecutive nights of rioting ensued this summer in Portland. Portland Police Bureau(PPB) officers were left to deal with angry rioters who created dangerous situations on a daily basis. Mayor Wheeler and city officials banned PPB from using CS gas as a means to aid in dispersing the large violent crowds.
Wheeler was outspoken about the need to arrest the violent protestors, yet condemned police for using CS gas as a way to gain control and allow officers to apprehend suspects.
For weeks Mayor Wheeler spoke out on several news and social media outlets against Federal officers coming to the aid of the city of Portland.
In a “listening session” in the middle of the crowd, Wheeler says he is doing everything possible to get federal officers out of Portland. pic.twitter.com/kiT2hpaev7
— Mike Baker (@ByMikeBaker) July 23, 2020
The illogical actions didn’t end there. City commissioners also defunded the department by $15 million, eliminated three specialty police units, and repeatedly accosting officers for the ongoing violence.
Portland city commissioners are considering a new proposal that would eliminate 42 sworn officer positions and cut the understaffed PPB’s budget by another $18 million.
During the many months of rioting, countless law enforcement officers were attacked with fireworks, rocks, bricks, and various other projectiles during the nightly riots. This led to many LEO sustaining injuries.
Several law enforcement agencies have repeatedly refused to send their officers into harm’s way to help PPB unless Mayor Wheeler agrees to reverse the CS gas ban. Still, the mayor has refused to lift the ban.
During a press conference on Monday, Wheeler unveiled a program to dole out $500 Visa gift cards to residents affected by COVID-19. He then addressed the need to be prepared for potential violence in the wake of the Nov. 3 election.
Mayor Wheeler had this to say:
“So, several weeks ago, I stood here at this podium and I said that what we need to be fully prepared for any potential violence or other disruptions on election night is strong mutual aid agreements in place with our federal, our state, and our local law enforcement partners.
“We’re in discussions about what that template mutual aid agreement would look like. The goal is…for all of us to compromise a little bit so that we can have a solid mutual aid agreement that we all agree to in advance.”
Now, in his time of need, the mayor is willing to move on as if nothing happened between local government and law enforcement agencies. For the local law enforcement agencies, it isn’t quite that simple.
Law enforcement has seen the 48-page lawsuit filed in California on Oct. 14. In it, the cities of Oakland, CA and Portland claim that when federal agencies took over police duties, after President Donald Trump signed off on an executive order to protect federal monuments, it was in violation of the U.S. Constitution.
The lawsuit also named U.S. Attorney General William Barr and Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf, citing that they never asked for Portland’s “consent” before they sent federal officers in to protect a federal building in early July.
The suit complains that once federal officers arrived, they did not act at the direction of PPB command. There were also complaints about the 56 members of the PPB’s Rapid Response Team, which were deputized as federal marshals ahead of a planned rally and counter-protest in September.
The suit also alleges that, by the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Attorney for Oregon leaving the deputizations in place until Dec. 31, it’s further evidence that the federal government is commandeering local law enforcement.
The list of ridiculous complaints in this lawsuit continues! It also accuses federal officials of illegally erecting a fence outside the federal courthouse, thereby blocking a city sidewalk.
It doesn’t even matter that the temporary barrier was installed after rioters repeatedly attacked federal officers while attempting to vandalize and burn down the courthouse building every night for months.
But now may be the time that Mayor Wheeler has to give in order to get. Wheeler says that he has been meeting with other agencies since that time, which include speaking with Oregon Governor Kate Brown on Sunday.
The mayor noted that:
“Governor Brown and the Oregon State Police (OSP) are not willing to participate in mutual aid if CS gas isn’t on the table as a viable option.”
Wheeler also said:
“Everything is on the table with regards to the issues being discussed, including crowd dispersal techniques, potential federal deputization, indemnification, and economic reimbursement for costs incurred while responding to the city’s riots.”
He told reporters:
“My expectation is that we’ll be making an announcement in the next day or two about specifically what the plan is and what the agreement is with regard to interagency cooperation.”
Governor Brown’s office said on Monday that she has instructed the OSP to collaborate with the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) and the PPB to determine what resources they might need in order to handle potential uprisings.
While the OSP confirmed that plans are being discussed, they said no solutions have been agreed upon.
Although Wheeler referenced “including federal law enforcement in the mutual aid agreement,” it is unclear what role, if any, federal officials have had in recent discussions with Portland city officials.
For now, it looks like Mayor Wheeler is in a waiting game, one that hopefully will be finished before Election Day.
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