President Donald Trump refused to condemn the shooting of two people during recent unrest in Wisconsin, saying the gunman “probably would have been killed.” Trump also addressed claims that supporters of his in Portland were themselves being violent. (Aug. 31) AP Domestic
Portland’s Mayor Ted Wheeler is reportedly looking for a new place to live after protesters broke windows and set fire to a business in the upscale apartment building where he lives.
The Oregonian reported Tuesday that Wheeler is looking for a new home following repeated demonstrations at his Pearl District condo building. Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell labeled the events an escalation in the street violence that Oregon’s largest city has endured for months during nightly protests after the killing of George Floyd, a Black man in police custody, in May.
President Donald Trump threatened on Tuesday to send federal forces back into the city, a day after he defended his supporters’ actions during a caravan that preceded the fatal shooting of Aaron “Jay” Danielson, 39, who was a supporter of a right-wing group.
“We’re ready, willing and able to send in, you know, a massive group of people that are really highly trained,” Trump said in a meeting with law enforcement officers and Attorney General William Barr in Kenosha, Wisconsin. “We could solve that problem in less than an hour in Portland.”
The president traveled to Wisconsin to survey the damage caused by last week’s unrest over the police shooting on Aug. 23 of Jacob Blake – a Black man who was shot seven times in the back and remains paralyzed and hospitalized. The city has been on edge over the Blake incident and the fatal shooting of two protesters. Police charged Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, in the shooting deaths.
In Los Angeles, demonstrations continued for a second day after two sheriff’s deputies shot and killed a Black man who was being stopped for a bicycle violation.
Here’s what we know Wednesday:
Mayor Ted Wheeler plans to find new home after protests at his building
Monday night’s demonstration at Wheeler’s building included demands for his resignation, The Oregonian reported.
In an email on Tuesday to other residents of the 144-unit high-rise building, Wheeler said it would be “best for me and for everyone else’s safety and peace” for him to find a new home.
The Oregonian reported on Monday night that people lit a fire with newspapers and tossed a picnic table in it outside the building. Windows on the ground floor were broken, and some protesters took items from a dental office.
Video shared by New York Times reporter Mike Baker showed police swarm the streets and make arrests. Police declared the mass gathering a riot late Monday and arrested 19 people, according to a news release.
Demonstrators have rallied in Portland every night since Floyd, a Black man, died as a white Minneapolis police officer dug his knee into Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes. His death led to massive protests around the country.
The unrest in Portland has ebbed and flowed, but tensions were reignited when Trump ordered federal agents to the city to protect a federal courthouse and quell violence.
Those agents withdrew July 31, but smaller nightly protests have continued in pockets of the city. More than 600 people have been arrested since late May.
Trump claims credit for bringing calm to Kenosha
Trump suggested he helped quell the violence in Kenosha by sending the National Guard, although it was Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers who activated the state’s National Guard and asked for help from Arizona, Michigan and Alabama, which sent Guard troops.
“This ended within an hour, as soon as we announced we were coming, and then they saw we were here. This ended immediately,” Trump said during a tour of law enforcement operations in Kenosha.
Trump was criticized before and during his visit by local officials and activists who said he was trying to capitalize politically on the city’s racial wounds.
Trump toured fire-ravaged buildings and small businesses damaged amid citywide unrest. He met with owners of a furniture store, a camera shop and a candle factory, according to the White House.
“These are not acts of peaceful protest but, really, domestic terror,” he said.
Blake’s family and faith leaders from 50 organizations, including Jesse Jackson, held their own event at the site where the 29-year-old father was shot by a city police officer. Local and federal officials are investigating the incident.
Demonstrations had dwindled by the time the 7 p.m. curfew took effect in Kenosha Tuesday.
Wisconsin DOJ gives update on Blake investigation
The Wisconsin Department of Justice gave a brief update Tuesday on its investigation into the police shooting of Blake.
The department’s Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is expected to provided a report within 30 days which will be made public if prosecutors not to file charges, according to a release.
DCI investigators have conducted 88 witness interviews, collected 102 evidence items, downloaded 28 videos for review, issued 4 search warrants and dedicated over 600 hours working on this case as of Aug. 29, according to the release, which also recapped the timeline of the shooting.
“DCI is continuing to review evidence and determine the facts of this incident and will turn over investigative reports to a prosecutor following a complete and thorough investigation,” officials said.
Protests continue in Los Angeles over police shooting
Dozens of protesters marched to the sheriff’s station in Los Angeles Tuesday for the second day in a row after two deputies fatally shot a Black man who scuffled with them after they tried to stop him for riding a bicycle in an unlawful manner, according to local media reports.
There was no violence or arrests made, although there were some reports of vandalism during the march according to CBS-Los Angeles.
Sheriff’s Lt. Brandon Dean said two deputies from the South Los Angeles station were driving when the saw a man riding his bicycle in violation of vehicle codes, according to the Los Angeles Times. It was not known which codes the man allegedly broke, Dean said.
When deputies tried to stop the man, he dropped his bike and ran, with deputies in pursuit, Dean said. Deputies again tried to make contact with the man, and Dean said he punched a deputy in the face. The man then dropped a bundle of clothes he’d been carrying and they spotted a black handgun in the bundle, at which point both deputies opened fire, Dean said.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene. Police say the handgun was recovered and no deputies were injured.
Family members at the scene identified the dead man as Dijon Kizzee, 29, CBS-Los Angeles reported.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department tweeted in a statement that multiple independent investigations began at the scene, as is customary with deputy-involved shootings.
Contributing: Courtney Subramanian, David Jackson, Molly Beck, Ryan W. Miller, John Bacon, Jordan Culver, Jorge Ortiz, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
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