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Portland Police’s decision to use a non-intervention strategy to oppose rallies drew criticism this week as violence between the two political groups ended in gunfire on Sunday, according to a report .
Far-right and far-left groups clashed with paintball guns, bats and chemical spray as they clashed in northeast Portland – despite calls from authorities and the police to remain peaceful.
“People were lighting fireworks and dispersing chemical spray, as well as firing what appeared to be paintball and / or airsoft guns,” police said in a statement. “Destruction of property has been observed.”
SNAPSHOTS IN PORTLAND: ANTIFA, SNAPSHOTS WITH RIGHT DEMONSTRATORS, NEARBY SHOTS ARE SENSITIVE
Members of the far-right group Proud Boys and anti-fascist protesters throw masses of bears at each other during clashes between politically opposed groups on Sunday, August 22, 2021 in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo / Alex Milan Tracy)
(AP Photo / Alex Milan Tracy)
In addition to setting off fireworks, Antifa members were seen throwing smoke bombs and firing paintballs, while right-wing protesters smashed the windows of Antifa activists’ trucks .
Police had asked officers to observe the fighting from a distance, even as local residents were caught in the fray. But an apparent exchange of gunfire in the downtown area ultimately prompted police to intervene for the first time, according to The Oregonian. A man was arrested after the shooting, but it was not clear whether the incident was related to previous clashes, police told Fox News.
Mayor Ted Wheeler, in a statement Monday, said it was the right strategy. He argued that previous announcements by him, police and other officials denouncing hate speech and bigotry – as well as the hands-off approach – had prompted at least one of the groups to move to a separate area of the city.
He added that Sunday’s fighting remained largely between the two political groups.
“With strategic planning and oversight, the Portland Police Office and I softened the confrontation between the two events and downplayed the impact of the weekend’s events on the Portlanders,” Wheeler said.
“In the past, these same groups clashed with extremely violent and destructive results. This time, the violence was limited to groups of people who chose to engage in violence against each other. The community as a whole was not harmed and the general public was protected. The material damage was minimal, ”he continued.
Wheeler and police feared that a heavy police presence could lure Antifa activists into brawls with officers as well as damage to local properties, according to The Oregonian.
ANTIFA MEMBERS THROW EXPLOSIVES, SPRAY CHEMICAL SPRAYS IN VIOLENT RIOTS IN PORTLAND
Officials told the newspaper they would not send officers to the protests unless people were seriously injured or a “life safety emergency” arose.
Although many people are still concerned about the continuing public violence between the two groups.
“Your city terrifies me,” tweeted Tanny Martin, a resident of outside Austin, Texas, according to the newspaper. “These are not protests, this is planned violence. And your leaders just let them go on, the police tacitly back them up. Horrible.”
“The counter-protesters who are going to face the Proud Boys are NOT making it safer, they are actually making it worse,” tweeted Lakayana Drury, member of the Portland Committee on Community Policing.
Amy Herzfled-Copple, deputy director of strategic programs and initiatives at the Western States Center, a Portland-based organization that monitors right-wing extremism, told the Oregonian that no rule of law and law enforcement to intervene and protect public safety, it only “reinforces the anarchy and fear on which anti-democratic groups thrive.”
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“It is time for city and county officials and communities outside of Portland to take responsibility for tackling such violence,” Herzfled-Copple continued. “Portland is not an island. It needs the support of all levels of government.”
Wheeler noted that the city would continue to investigate criminal behavior and “press charges where possible.”
Fox News’s Edmund DeMarche contributed to this report
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