Portland mayor orders un-marked federal police out of his city

The mayor of Oregon’s largest city has ordered federal officers to leave, saying their presence is exacerbating tensions. 

Portland has seen nearly two months of nightly protests since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.  

Speaking on CNN’s ‘State of the Union,’ Democratic Mayor Ted Wheeler said federal officers ‘are not wanted here. We haven’t asked them here. In fact, we want them to leave.’

It comes as federal officers used tear gas and flash bangs to disperse a group of mothers participating in the ‘Wall of Moms’ protest on Saturday night. 

Speaking on CNN’s ‘State of the Union,’ Democratic Mayor Ted Wheeler said federal officers ‘are not wanted here. We haven’t asked them here. In fact, we want them to leave’

A group of mothers participate in the 'Wall of Moms' protest in Portland on Saturday night, above and below

A group of mothers participate in the ‘Wall of Moms’ protest in Portland on Saturday night, above and below 

The women formed a human shield between protesters and law enforcement officials outside a federal courthouse, donning bike helmets and linking arms

The women formed a human shield between protesters and law enforcement officials outside a federal courthouse, donning bike helmets and linking arms

The women formed a human shield between protesters and law enforcement officials outside a federal courthouse, donning bike helmets and linking arms. 

They carried signs that read ‘Angry mama bear BLM’ and chanted ‘Moms are here, feds stay clear.’ 

And while the group of mothers were protesting peacefully, they were at some point teargassed. 

According to Melanie Damm, unidentified federal officers in military-style gear fired tear gas canisters into the group of mothers, clad mostly in white, who were protesting against police brutality.

‘The level of violence escalated by these GI soldiers was such an overreaction. You’re seeing moms getting tear-gassed,’ said Damm, herself a 39-year-old mom. 

‘We aren’t young and Antifa-looking,’ she said, referring to more militant anti-fascism protesters.

President Donald Trump has decried the demonstrations in Portland, and Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf blasted the protesters as ‘lawless anarchists’ in a visit to the city on Thursday.

‘We are trying to help Portland, not hurt it,’ Trump tweeted Sunday. ‘Their leadership has, for months, lost control of the anarchists and agitators. They are missing in action. We must protect Federal property, AND OUR PEOPLE. These were not merely protesters, these are the real deal!’

They carried signs that read 'Angry mama bear BLM' and chanted 'Moms are here, feds stay clear'

They carried signs that read ‘Angry mama bear BLM’ and chanted ‘Moms are here, feds stay clear’

A peaceful crowd protest during a demonstration in front of the Multnomah County Justice Center in Portland, Oregon, on July 17

A peaceful crowd protest during a demonstration in front of the Multnomah County Justice Center in Portland, Oregon, on July 17

Late Saturday, protesters broke into a building, set it on fire and started dumpster fires, police said.

The fire at the Portland Police Association building was put out a short time later, Portland police said on Twitter. The department declared the gathering a riot, and began working to clear the downtown area.

‘As the crowd was dispersed, several people in the crowd were arrested and officers were able to extinguish the fire. Portland Police did not use any CS gas,’ the bureau said in a statement early Sunday.

Tear gas was deployed, according to pictures and video from the scene, but it was not necessarily CS gas. Fencing that had been placed around the federal courthouse had also been removed by protesters and made into barricades, police tweeted.

Police said protesters had gathered Saturday evening at the Portland Police Bureau’s North Precinct, vandalizing patrol vehicles and taunting officers as they reported for work. Later, as police dispersed a group that had gathered near North Interstate Avenue, people threw rocks and paint-filled balloons at officers. Some were injured, the statement said.

A group of mothers join together to protest. Ongoing protests against police brutality on Saturday, July 18, in Portland

A group of mothers join together to protest. Ongoing protests against police brutality on Saturday, July 18, in Portland 

Protesters gather outside the East Side Police Station in Portland, Oregon, after holding Black Lives Matter protests non-stop for the last seven weeks

Protesters gather outside the East Side Police Station in Portland, Oregon, after holding Black Lives Matter protests non-stop for the last seven weeks

Before the aggressive language and action from federal officials, the unrest had frustrated Wheeler and other local authorities, who had said a small cadre of violent activists were drowning out the message of peaceful protesters in the city. But Wheeler said the federal presence in the city is now exacerbating a tense situation.

‘What we’re seeing is a blatant abuse of police tactics by the federal government, Wheeler said Sunday.

Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum sued Homeland Security and the Marshals Service in federal court late Friday. The complaint said unidentified federal agents have grabbed people off Portland’s streets ‘without warning or explanation, without a warrant, and without providing any way to determine who is directing this action.’

Rosenblum said she was seeking a temporary restraining order to ‘immediately stop federal authorities from unlawfully detaining Oregonians.’

However, federal officers and Portland police advanced simultaneously on demonstrators to clear the streets early Saturday, making arrests as protesters threw bottles and pieces of metal fencing.

Mothers participate in a demonstration outside the Justice Center during a protest against racial inequality in Portland, Oregon

Mothers participate in a demonstration outside the Justice Center during a protest against racial inequality in Portland, Oregon

The action by Portland’s police was condemned by Jo Ann Hardesty, a prominent member of the City Council. Hardesty said Saturday that local police ‘joined in the aggressive clampdown of peaceful protest.’

Hardesty also slammed Wheeler, telling the mayor he needed to better control local law enforcement. Hardesty, who oversees the city’s fire department and other first-responder agencies, said in an open letter to Wheeler if ‘you can’t control the police, give me the Portland Police Bureau.’

In a statement Saturday, Portland Police said as they responded to the overnight protests some federal agencies took action ‘under their own supervision and direction.’ Portland Police said city officers arrested seven people, and one officer sustained a minor injury. 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk