About a dozen demonstrators gathered in the lobby of Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler’s Pearl District condominium Friday night, and pledged to stay there until Wheeler listened to a list of demands to address police violence and systemic racism.
But the group eventually left after more than three hours. The mayor never emerged.
Although the occupation ended around 10 p.m., a larger demonstration continued outside the building. At least 150 people gathered on the street, listening to speeches and music performances.
The protesters’ demands for Wheeler, laid out in a letter posted in the lobby, include reducing the Portland Police Bureau budget, pledging never to vote for another police budget increase and resigning as mayor and police commissioner.
Three of the protesters sat down on the lobby floor, linking their arms together with tubes. Several other protesters stood around them. At least one security guard also stood near the group.
At one point Friday evening, one resident of the condo building walked up to the group of protesters and offering to set up a meeting with Wheeler.
That resident, David Kahn, told The Oregonian/OregonLive that he was going across the street to pick up a pizza, but saw the protesters and talked to them. He said he offered to set up a meeting with Wheeler on Monday, but the protesters were not interested.
Kahn said he did not previously discuss that offer with Wheeler, but said that he knew the mayor, whom he described as a friend, would be ready to meet with demonstrators.
“I’m certain that if he was here tonight we probably could have arranged for something, but he’s not,” said Kahn, the former president of the Minnesota Timberwolves basketball team. “But I know for a fact that is a standing policy for him.”
Tim Becker, a spokesperson for the mayor, did not confirm whether the mayor was home or whether he planned to address the protesters.
“We are monitoring the situation and hope protesters remain peaceful for the safety of other residents.”
Even after the occupation ended, the demonstration outside the building continued for another hour. Then, many people planned to go to North Portland and meet at Peninsula Park.
Earlier Friday, Wheeler announced that he had sent a letter to President Donald Trump, declining Trump’s repeated offers to send federal law enforcement officers to the city to police the protests.
Wheeler condemned Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the damage that federal officers caused when they first arrived in Portland last month.
But along with his condemnation of racism, Wheeler also decried the actions of some protesters.
“There is no place for looting, arson or vandalism in our city,” he said. “There is no room here for racist violence or those who wish to bring their ideology of hate into our community.”
“Stay away, please,” Wheeler signed off.
Trump responded on Twitter late Friday, claiming that if Wheeler didn’t “get control” of the city, he would send federal troops in.
The protest outside Wheeler’s condo building was not the first to attract a crowd Friday, the 93rd consecutive day of Portland protests.
More than 1,000 people attended a march at the Oregon Convention Center on Friday afternoon, marking the 57th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Those demonstrations were organized by Portland’s NAACP chapter and the Black youth organization Fridays 4 Freedom. It began with a rally at the Martin Luther King Jr. statue at the Oregon Convention Center and ended at Southeast Portland’s Revolution Hall.
Protests were going on around the country Friday in honor of the anniversary of the March on Washington. Tens of thousands gathered in the nation’s capital for the “Get Your Knee Off Our Necks” Commitment March, which included speeches at the Lincoln Memorial, then a march to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in West Potomac Park.
—Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR
—Fedor Zarkhin; 971-373-2905; fzarkhin@oregonian.com; @FedorZarkhin
Bryce Dole and Beth Nakamura contributed to this story.
Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
"gather" - Google News
August 29, 2020 at 01:11PM
https://ift.tt/3hHcJEp
Protesters gather at Mayor Ted Wheeler’s condo Friday night (live updates) - oregonlive.com
"gather" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2Sqdbwp
https://ift.tt/2Yjhqxs
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Protesters gather at Mayor Ted Wheeler’s condo Friday night (live updates) - oregonlive.com"
Post a Comment