Videos Show Feds Taking On “Violent Mob” in Portland at Direction of DHS Secretary Wolf

We are expecting an address from Chad Wolf on the protests any day now.

He's been talking about the violent protests for a while now, but the presence of federal authorities is a new development.

Local KGW8 News confirms:

Sec. Chad Wolf has been tweeting about "violent anarchists" in downtown Portland, and in recent days, the presence of federal officers downtown has ramped up.

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf is in Portland, KGW News confirmed Thursday afternoon.

The purpose and schedule of Sec. Wolf's visit remains unknown, but he sent out a news release Thursday morning condemning "rampant, long-lasting violence" in Portland, complete with a timeline alleging violence by anarchists on Portland streets.

"This siege can end if state and local officials decide to take appropriate action instead of refusing to enforce the law. DHS will not abdicate its solemn duty to protect federal facilities and those within them. Again, I reiterate the Department’s offer to assist local and state leaders to bring an end to the violence perpetuated by anarchists,” Wolf said.

Around the same time Thursday, Portland police cleared dozens of protesters from Chapman Square Park and Lownsdale Square Park, and have put up fencing. Police say nine people were arrested.

The move follows more than six weeks of sustained nightly demonstrations outside of Portland's Multnomah County Justice Center and other downtown government buildings.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, who also serves as the city's police commissioner, said Thursday afternoon he wishes DHS leadership wasn't in town and his office "hasn't been invited to meet with them, and if we were, we would decline."

Earlier in the week, Wheeler tweeted he had a phone conversation with Secretary Wolf. He said he wanted federal officers off Portland streets, and then "asked him to clean up the graffiti on local federal facilities."

At President Trump's urging, federal law enforcement agents increased their presence in downtown Portland last Friday, July 10 to defend federal property.

In recent weeks, liberal mayors and governors have appeared to sit on their hands or "kneel" to radical mobs as protests, many of which grew violent, overtook their cities.

Trump and his conservative allies, on the other hand, have been consistently supporting law and order for ALL Americans.

Trump has also been steadfast in his support for law enforcement, honoring those who would put their own lives and safety on the line to protect the rest of us.

Democratic leaders, however, have been critical of the feds getting involved.

Instead of praising the feds for helping the city get violent protesters off the streets, liberal leaders have been accusing the feds of an "abuse of power."

The New York Times has more details on the blowback from Portland's Democratic leadership:

Federal agents dressed in camouflage and tactical gear have taken to the streets of Portland, unleashing tear gas, bloodying protesters and pulling some people into unmarked vans in what Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon has called “a blatant abuse of power.”

The extraordinary use of federal force in recent days, billed as an attempt to tamp down persistent unrest and protect government property, has infuriated local leaders who say the agents have stoked tensions. “This is an attack on our democracy,” Mayor Ted Wheeler of Portland said.

Late Friday night, Oregon’s attorney general, Ellen Rosenblum, said her office had opened a criminal investigation into how one protester was injured near a federal courthouse. She also filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court accusing the federal agents of engaging in unlawful tactics and seeking a restraining order.

The strife in Portland, which has had 50 consecutive days of protests, reflects the growing fault lines in law enforcement as President Trump threatens an assertive federal role in how cities manage a wave of national unrest after George Floyd was killed by the Minneapolis police.

One Portland demonstrator, Mark Pettibone, 29, said he had been part of the protests before four people in camouflage jumped out of an unmarked van around 2 a.m. Wednesday. They had no obvious markings or identification, he said, and he had no idea who they were.

“One of the officers said, ‘It’s OK, it’s OK,’ and just grabbed me and threw me into the van,” Mr. Pettibone said. “Another officer pulled my beanie down so I couldn’t see.”

Mr. Pettibone said that he was terrified — protesters in the city have in the past clashed with far-right militia groups also wearing camouflage and tactical gear — and that at no point was he told why he was arrested or detained, or what agency the officers were with. He said he was held for about two hours before being released.

“It felt like I was being hunted for no reason,” Mr. Pettibone said. “It feels like fascism.”

In a statement issued on Friday, Customs and Border Protection described one case captured on video, saying agents who made an arrest had information that indicated a suspect had assaulted federal authorities or damaged property and that they moved him to a safer location for questioning. The statement, which did not name any suspects, said that the agents identified themselves but that their names were not displayed because of “recent doxxing incidents against law enforcement personnel.”

What a sad world to live in for our leaders to paint the good guys as bad guys ... and the bad guys as good guys!

Portland has been under siege for over two months.

This threatens the safety of civilians as well as city and federal property!

Instead of kneeling before violent extremists, we must stop them to protect law abiding citizens who simply want to live peacefully!