Tag: Portland

Tom Cotton Freezes Confirmation of DOJ Nominees over Failure to Address Antifa Riots

Ohio Star Staff

At least eight of Joe Biden’s nominations for the Department of Justice have been placed on hold by Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), due to the Department’s failure to answer Cotton’s questions about its inaction over the Antifa and Black Lives Matter riots of 2020.

As reported by Fox News, Cotton’s criticisms have focused specifically on the DOJ’s failure to properly defend a federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon, which ended up under siege by far-left domestic terrorists on a daily basis throughout 2020 and even into 2021. Cotton has already sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland pointing out that, on top of letting the courthouse itself be attacked, the DOJ has not offered any legal assistance to several U.S. Marshals who have been sued for defending the courthouse against rioters.

“These courageous officers were attacked by left-wing street militants with weapons such as mortar fire, ball bearings, and blinding lasers,” Cotton’s letter reads in part. “A refusal to represent these Deputy Marshals would violate the Department’s long-standing practice — not to mention its moral duty — to defend law-enforcement officers when they’re sued for actions in the line of duty.”

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Oregon School Board Bans Educators from Displaying BLM and Gay Pride Symbols

Ohio Star Staff

A school board in Oregon is receiving backlash following its recent ban on educators displaying Black Lives Matter signs and gay pride symbols.

Newberg, which is situated just outside of Portland, now finds itself the site of the latest skirmish in a pitched struggle between traditional and woke approaches to education being waged in school systems across the country.

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Oregon Senator Ron Wyden Delays Confirming Biden’s CBP Head

Ohio Star Staff

Democratic Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden will delay President Joe Biden’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP) head confirmation until the federal government answers about how officials responded to civil unrest in Portland, Oregon, last year, CNN Politics reported Thursday.

Wyden said he would not advance Tucson, Arizona, Police Chief Chris Magnus‘ confirmation to CBP commissioner, according to CNN. Wyden won’t move forward with Magnus’ nomination “until DHS and DOJ give Oregonians some straight answers about what they were up to in Portland last year, and who was responsible,” the senator said in a statement.

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Rising Crime Forces Liberals to Reckon with Their Stance on the Police

Admin

by Ailan Evans   As rates of violent crime continue to rise across the country and once-safe neighborhoods face increased dangers, many liberal communities are having to confront their complicated relationship with the police. Following the killing of George Floyd in May 2020, the defund the police movement attracted attention and support…

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Portland City Council: $1.4 Million for ‘Unarmed’ Patrols to Combat Gun Violence

Ohio Star Staff
Group of Portland Police officers

Portland, Oregon’s City Council approved $1.4 million to go toward the hiring of “unarmed” park rangers for around-the-clock foot patrols, Breitbart reports.

KGW reports there will be “two dozen” such patrols. The money for the “unarmed” patrols is part of a larger $6 million plan, none of which will go to the Portland Police Bureau. “$4.1 million will be earmarked for community groups that work in the neighborhoods hardest-hit by gunfire.”

The Associated Press quoted Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler’s (D) opinion on the approved funding: “We agree that the immediate spike in gun violence is a public health threat that requires a public health response that invests in community-based organizations working to change the conditions and environments that foster violence.”

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Over 100 Portland Police Officers Have Quit Over the Last Year

Ohio Star Staff
Group of police officers

After almost a year of nonstop violent riots by Black Lives Matter, Antifa, and other far-left domestic terrorist organizations in the city of Portland, over 100 of the city’s police officers have quit the force out of protest of the city’s failure to adequately handle the violence, according to Fox News.

The report first came from the newspaper The Oregonian, which said that since July of 2020, approximately 115 officers have left the department to take lower-paying jobs just to get out of the dangerous environment. The paper described it as “one of the biggest waves of departures in recent memory.”

Out of 31 exit interviews from officers who left during this time period, the general consensus was that the officers quit because they felt that they were receiving “zero support” from the community and local leadership. One officer said that “the city council are raging idiots, in addition to being stupid,” and that “the mayor and council ignore actual facts on crime and policing in favor of radical leftist and anarchist fantasy.”

As a result of the spike in riots, which began last summer after the accidental overdose death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis, Portland also saw its homicide rate surge to its highest point in 26 years, with 55 deaths over the course of 2020. Numerous efforts by Mayor Ted Wheeler (D-Ore.) to try to curb gun violence in the city, through special police forces and various multi-million dollar studies, have all failed thus far. Wheeler and other local leaders were widely criticized for refusing to crack down on the riots, with their inaction attributed to the fact that they shared many of the same political stances as the far-left rioters.

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Months After Gutting Police Budget, Portland Mayor Asks for $2 Million to Stop Surging Murder Rate

Ohio Star Staff

Democratic Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler submitted a request to the Portland City Council on Thursday for a one-time $2 million expenditure for police, months after the council voted to cut nearly $16 million from the police bureau’s budget.

Wheeler, who previously advocated for the Portland Police Bureau’s budget to be cut, cited a dangerous surge in gun violence throughout the city as the primary reason for requesting the funds, according to the Oregonian.

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Rioters Vandalize Oregon Democratic Headquarters, Descend on Seattle

Ohio Star Staff

Riots broke out in Seattle and Portland, Oregon on Wednesday night after demonstrators clashed with police and vandalized a Democratic Party office.

People dressed in all black shattered windows and the glass door to the Oregon Democratic Party’s office in Portland, according to The New York Times, vandalizing it with spray paint and posting a video to social media, saying that their actions were in response to the inauguration of President Joe Biden. In Seattle, police said that several buildings were vandalized.

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‘Burn It Down’: Rioters Threaten to Light Portland Precinct on Fire, Damage Police Cruisers

Ohio Star Staff

A group of rioters in Portland threatened to burn down a law enforcement precinct, hurled projectiles at officers and damaged police cruisers on Wednesday, authorities said.

Roughly 50 violent demonstrators, some of whom donned gas masks and shields, chanted “burn it down” in reference to a law enforcement headquarters in the city, according to a press release. Members of the crowd destroyed surveillance cameras outside of the precinct, tried to rip down a fence and used spikes to slash the tires of cop vehicles, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) wrote.

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Portland Rioters Attack Federal Courthouse with Molotovs on New Year’s Eve

Ohio Star Staff

A group of violent demonstrators in Portland hurled “Molotovs cocktail-style firebombs”, lit fires and tried to break into a federal courthouse house on New Year’s Eve, authorities said.

Between 80 and 100 rioters tossed at least two firebombs and launched “aerial-grade fireworks” at both the federal building and a county justice facility, according to a press release from the Portland Police Bureau (PPB). Others in the group attempted to break into the federal facility using tools, the department wrote.

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Portland Autonomous Zone Is ‘Stockpiling Weapons’, Has Armed Patrols, Police Say

Ohio Star Staff

Portland’s autonomous zone, which is moving into its third day, has been “stockpiling weapons” and has instituted armed patrols to defend the walled-in city occupation, authorities said.

Since the encampment began, rioters have increased fortifications around city streets, assaulted residents, and law enforcement has noticed the presence of “armed sentries” patrolling intersections, according to a press release from the Portland Police Bureau (PPB).

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Plans to Disarm Portland State Campus Police on Hold After Too Many Quit

Ohio Star Staff

Portland State University announced in August its plan to disarm campus police officers by replacing their firearms with tasers, but those plans have been put on a temporary hold.

The plan to disarm officers was announced earlier in 2020 after rallies and protesters at PSU called for justice for Jason Washington, who was killed by officers in 2018. Campus Reform reported on the efforts of PSU students and staff to disarm officers in 2019. 

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Trio of Cities Take Trump to Court Over ‘Anarchist Jurisdictions’ Designation

The Center Square

Seattle, Portland, and New York City are suing President Donald Trump and his administration over legal actions that have put future federal funds on the line.

The joint lawsuit is in response to a memo issued by the Trump administration last month requesting U.S. Attorney General William Barr review a list of cities that could be considered hotbeds for civil unrest.

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Oregon Governor Sends State Police to Portland for Protests

The Associated Press

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown declared a state of emergency Friday as she announced that state troopers and sheriff’s deputies would be sent to Portland through the weekend to help police, in the state’s largest city, monitor a weekend rally by the right-wing group Proud Boys and counter protests by liberal groups

Portland has been roiled by often violent protests for more than three months following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

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DOJ Identifies New York City, Portland, Seattle as Violent Anarchist Jurisdictions in Move to Revoke Federal Funding

Ohio Star Staff

The Department of Justice on Monday identified three cities—New York City, Portland, and Seattle—as jurisdictions that have permitted “violence and destruction of property,” thereby meeting President Trump’s criteria for withholding federal funding to those areas.

Earlier this month, the president issued a memorandum asking the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Secretary of Homeland Security, and Attorney General Barr to list the areas that “have permitted violence and the destruction of property to persist and have refused to undertake reasonable measures to counteract these criminal activities.”

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Feds Explored Possibly Charging Portland Officials in Unrest

The Associated Press

The Justice Department explored whether it could pursue either criminal or civil rights charges against city officials in Portland, Oregon, after clashes erupted there night after night between law enforcement and demonstrators, a department spokesperson said Thursday.

The revelation that federal officials researched whether they could levy criminal or civil charges against the officials — exploring whether their rhetoric and actions may have helped spur the violence in Portland — underscores the larger Trump administration’s effort to spotlight and crack down on protest-related violence. The majority of the mass police reform demonstrations nationwide have been peaceful.

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Dozens Arrested as Portland Riots Continue

Ohio Star Staff

by Andrew Selsky   PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) — Hundreds of people gathered for rallies and marches against police violence and racial injustice Saturday night in Portland, Oregon, as often violent nightly protests that have happened for 100 days since George Floyd was killed showed no signs of ceasing. Molotov cocktails…

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Antifa Supporter Suspected in Fatal Portland Shooting, Michael Reinoehl, Killed by Federal Authorities

Ohio Star Staff

Antifa supporter Michael Forest Reinoehl was killed Thursday night when federal authorities attempted to arrest him in connection with the fatal shooting of a conservative activist in Portland over the weekend, according to multiple media reports.

Three law enforcement officials told The New York Times that Reinoehl was killed in Lacey, Wash., after a federal task force attempted to arrest him in connection to the shooting of Aaron Danielson, a member of the conservative group Patriot Prayer.

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Commentary: Antifa Aren’t Revolutionaries -They Serve the Powers That Be

Ohio Star Staff

Antifa rules the streets of Portland and sows chaos in many other American cities. Millions of Americans don’t like Antifa, but many struggle to figure out who these black-masked radicals really are.

Conservatives like to call Antifa “fascist” or the modern-day successor to the Ku Klux Klan. Liberals will insist either that Antifa is a nonexistent, right-wing fantasy or that they’re secret white supremacists out to discredit the “peaceful” protesters. 

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‘I am Antifa’: This Antifa Supporter Could Be Portland’s Next Mayor

Ohio Star Staff

Portland’s next mayor could be an open supporter of Antifa, the violent, far-left movement whose members have unleashed violence in cities across America.

Left-wing activist Sarah Iannarone will face incumbent Democratic Mayor Ted Wheeler in a runoff election on Nov. 3 after neither candidate received a majority of votes in the first round of voting.

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Suspect in Fatal Portland Shooting Has Pending Gun Charges, Expressed Support for Antifa

Ohio Star Staff

Portland police are investigating whether a self-identified member of Antifa with two pending firearms charges was involved in the fatal shooting of a Trump supporter at a Black Lives Matter event on Saturday, one of his family members told reporters.

The Oregonian reported that Michael Forest Reinoehl, 48, is a suspect in the shooting death of Jay Bishop, a member of Patriot Prayer, a conservative organization that has appeared at protests in the Portland area.

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Trump Supporter Killed in Antifa-BLM Riot Clash in Portland

The Associated Press

One person was shot and killed late Saturday in Portland, Oregon, as a large caravan of President Donald Trump supporters and Black Lives Matter protesters clashed in the streets, police said.

It wasn’t clear if the shooting was linked to fights that broke out as a caravan of about 600 vehicles was confronted by protesters in the city’s downtown.

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Police Union HQ Targeted at Portland Protest, 25 Arrested

The Associated Press

Protesters repeatedly set fire late Monday night to a police union headquarters building and were repelled by officers spraying tear gas, officials said. Twenty-five people were arrested amid clashes that stretched into Tuesday morning.

People in a group of about 300 people hurled rocks and bottles at officers and set three fires to the sides of the building and one to an awning, police said. All the fires were put out.

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Portland Police Arrest Man Accused of Beating Motorist After Truck Accident, Kicking Him in the Head

Ohio Star Staff

Portland police arrested a man who’s accused of violently beating a motorist whose pick-up truck crashed near a Sunday demonstration.

Marquise Love, 25, has been charged with felonious assault, coercion and riot participation, and was transported to the Multnomah County Detention Center early Friday morning after he turned himself in, according to a Portland Police news release.

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‘I Was Trying To Get Out The Way:’ Portland Protesters Attacked a Man and Woman After Their Truck Crashed

Ohio Star Staff

Protesters attacked a man and a woman in Portland, Oregon, Sunday night around 10:30 p.m., the New York Post reported.

Protesters surrounded the man’s truck before attacking him and a woman, the Post reported. The man reportedly hit a light pole while attempting to drive away from the protesters who chased his truck.

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Portland Police, Protesters Clash for Second Consecutive Night

The Associated Press

Police and protesters in Portland, Oregon, have clashed for the second night in a row and the city’s police chief says the ongoing violence is harming the city’s image.

The high-profile clashes outside a U.S. courthouse in Portland, Oregon, have largely stopped since Democratic Gov. Kate Brown reached a deal that called for the draw down of federal agents sent by the Trump administration to protect the building.

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Oregon Governor Says U.S. Agents Will Start Leaving Portland

The Associated Press

Federal agents who have clashed with protesters in Portland, Oregon, will begin a “phased withdrawal” from the city, Gov. Kate Brown said Wednesday.

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said in a statement the plan negotiated with Brown over the last 24 hours includes a “robust presence” of Oregon State Police in the downtown of the state’s largest city.

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‘Egregious’: Democratic Mayors Ask Congress to Restrict to Restrict Deployment of Federal Officers to Quell Riots

Ohio Star Staff

Democratic mayors wrote to Congress Monday, asking for limitations on the Trump administration deployment of “unidentified federal officers” to their cities to calm protests, according to a letter posted on Twitter.

The mayors requested that federal agents be required to present identification except “on an undercover mission authorized by the local U.S. Attorney,” according to the letter Wheeler posted on Twitter. Six Democratic mayors, including Mayor Ted Wheeler of Portland and Mayor Lori Lightfoot of Chicago signed the letter.

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Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler Says Antifa Violence in Portland is ‘a Myth’

Ohio Star Staff

Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York said antifa violence in Portland is a myth in a YouTube video published Monday.

Nadler made the comment during an interview with Austen Fletcher. Fletcher hosts Fleccas Talks, a political channel, according to the Dartmouth Review.

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Portland Mayor Tear Gassed During Wednesday Protests

Ohio Star Staff

Democratic Mayor Ted Wheeler of Portland, Oregon was tear gassed Wednesday night while he was at the federal courthouse speaking with protesters, according to a video shared on Twitter.

“I’m not gonna lie, it stings, it’s hard to breathe. Man, uh, I can tell you with 100% honesty, I saw nothing that provoked this response. It’s absolutely stunning. I’m not afraid, but I am pissed off,” Wheeler said in a video tweeted by reporter Mike Baker of The New York Times.

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Trump Deploys Feds to More States Under ‘Law-and-Order’ Push

The Associated Press

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he will send federal agents into Chicago and Albuquerque to help combat rising crime, expanding the administration’s intervention in local enforcement as he runs for reelection under a “law-and-order” mantle.

Using the same alarmist language that he has employed in the past to describe illegal immigration, Trump painted Democrat-led cities as out of control and lashed out at the “radical left,” even though criminal justice experts say the increase in violence in some cities defies easy explanation.

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‘We Will Not Retreat’: DHS’ Chad Wolf Defends Portland Intervention Amid Riots

Ohio Star Staff

Chad Wolf, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said the ongoing protests in Portland are “the complete opposite” of peaceful demonstrations and that the federal government would “not retreat.”

“We support and we will protect those who want to peacefully protest,” Wolf said in a press conference Tuesday. “Unfortunately, what we’re seeing in Portland every night, roughly from midnight to 4:30 or 5 a.m. is the complete opposite.”

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Chaotic Protests Prompt Soul-Searching in Portland, Oregon

The Associated Press

Nearly two months of nightly protests that have devolved into violent clashes with police have prompted soul-searching in Portland, Oregon, a city that prides itself on its progressive reputation but is increasingly polarized over how to handle the unrest.

President Donald Trump recently deployed federal agents to “quell” the demonstrations in Portland that began after George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police, shining an unwelcome spotlight as the city struggles to find a way forward. The national attention comes as divisions deepen among elected officials about the legitimacy of the more violent protests — striking at the heart of Portland’s identity as an ultraliberal haven where protest is seen as a badge of honor.

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After Over a Month of Violent Rioting in Portland, Border Patrol Called in to Restore Order

Ohio Star Staff

After violent antifa riots were allowed to rock downtown Portland, Oregon, for over a month, Border Patrol agents over the holiday weekend were finally deployed to restore order.

Acting Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Mark Morgan expressed frustration over the situation on Fox News Sunday: “Where are the local political leaders?” he asked. “These are not protesters, these are criminals.”

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Andy Ngo Files Lawsuit Seeking $900,000 from Rose City Antifa for 2019 Assaults

Ohio Star Staff

Independent journalist Andy Ngo is suing a Portland-based Antifa cell and several specific individuals nearly a year after he was brutally assaulted by a mob of black clad, masked agitators.

Ngo is seeking $900,000 in damages “for assault, battery, emotional distress and racketeering by those who acted to ‘suppress Ngo’s journalism through intimidation and violence,’ and for “ongoing neurological and health issues,” the Portland Tribune reported. A PDF of the lawsuit is here.

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Keith Ellison Faces Renewed Scrutiny Over Antifa While Promoting Efforts to Tackle ‘Bias-Motivated Crimes’

Anthony Gockowski

  Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has been working with local officials to crack down on the rise of “bias-motivated” crimes. The Star Tribune has published a number of articles highlighting the effort, and reports that Ellison’s office is in the process of creating a working group that would improve…

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Commentary: Political Violence in Portland a Sneak Preview of Our Unraveling Civil Society If All Americans Do Not Denounce It

Ohio Star Staff

by Robert Romano   Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is calling for federal law enforcement authorities to investigate Portland, Oreg. Democratic Mayor Ted Wheeler after an incident where Quillette editor Andy Ngo was brutally assaulted by left-wing Antifa demonstrators on June 29 amid a nationwide scourge of political violence. On Twitter,…

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Portland Police Release Photos of Suspects In Violence at Antifa Rally

Ohio Star Staff

by Matt M. Miller   Portland Police released photos of the individuals suspected of attacking journalist Andy Ngo at an Antifa rally Saturday. Oregon Police posted photos and mugshots on Twitter of the suspects allegedly responsible for brutalizing attendees of the downtown Portland riot, according to Fox News. PPB Continues…

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Lone Democrat Andrew Yang Expresses Support for Conservative Journalist Attacked at Antifa Rally

Ohio Star Staff

by Chris White   Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang expressed support Monday for conservative journalist Andy Ngo, who was brutally attacked while covering an Antifa rally in Oregon on Saturday. “I hope @MrAndyNgo is okay. Journalists should be safe to report on a protest without being targeted,” wrote Yang, who is…

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Journalist Andy Ngo Attacked at Portland Antifa Rally Admitted to Local Hospital, Reportedly Diagnosed with Brain Bleed

Ohio Star Staff

by Shelby Talcott   Journalist Andy Ngo, who covers Antifa activity, was attacked at a Portland rally Saturday and has reportedly been admitted to the hospital. Masked individuals attacked Ngo at a rally in Oregon, throwing what appeared to be milkshakes at him and punching him, according to footage of the attack. Ngo…

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Commentary: Exposing Antifa, the Shock Troops of the Democrats’ Civil War

Admin

by George Rasley   Police in the Far-Left enclaves of Berkeley, California and Portland, Oregon had to deal with riots created by violent Far Left so-called Anti-Fascist (Antifa) thugs over the weekend. Now, according to our friends at chicksonright.com the Berkeley police department posted the arresting information via Twitter, with Department’s tweets…

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Portland, Oregon Police Refused To Help ICE Agents Who Called 911, Agents Say

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Tom Wheeler

by Kyle Perisic   Portland, Ore. police refused to respond to at least two 911 emergency calls from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) employees inside their offices where violent protestors held week-long demonstrations. The National Immigration and Customs Enforcement Council, a union representing ICE employees, wrote a cease-and-desist letter to Mayor Ted Wheeler, asking…

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Portland Food Cart That Helps The Homeless Shut Down After Alleged Harassment From Occupy ICE Protesters

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Portland food truck

by Neetu Chandak   A Portland non-profit food cart was shut down after the owners faced alleged harassment from Occupy ICE protesters Friday. The Happy Camper Food Cart, founded by Scott and Julie Hakes in 2017, raised funds to help the homeless through the project Operation Off The Grid. The stand was across…

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