Oh, is this bad now?
This is a tweet from ABC News but the underlying article is from the AP:
A crowd of 100 people wreaked havoc in downtown Portland, Oregon – smashing storefront windows, lighting dumpsters on fire and causing at least $500,000 in damage – but police officers didn't stop them. https://t.co/u1aY4c6k8h
— ABC News (@ABC) October 19, 2021
And why didn’t the police stop them you might ask?
Good question!
It’s because the people of Portland voted for a new law that prevents the police from stopping them:
Portland Police Bureau officials say that’s because of legislation passed by Oregon lawmakers this year, which restricts the tools they can use to confront people vandalizing buildings and causing mayhem.
“The reason that we did not intervene goes back to what we talked about last month with House Bill 2928 and the restrictions placed on us in a crowd control environment,” KOIN reports that Portland Police Lt. Jake Jensen said in a neighborhood meeting Thursday.
Residents frustrated by the latest round of destructive demonstrations Tuesday questioned whether that meant anything goes now in Portland.
Why, yes, we can see why it might be frustrating when the police aren’t allowed to arrest criminals, but here we are:
Oregon's legislature passed a law basically outlawing all non-lethal forms of crowd control and making cops personally liable if they use gas, projectiles etc.
This is the logical outcome of that legislation. https://t.co/17wwm1BlBw
— Mark Hemingway (@Heminator) October 19, 2021
Actions, meet consequences:
Portland voted for this and they're getting it good an hard https://t.co/CUxMD4jbhG
— Fusilli Spock (@awstar11) October 19, 2021
And:
Why would police officers stop them?
That is what the community wants. This is what Portland votes for. https://t.co/dK6WkwFAB9
— IT Guy (@ITGuy1959) October 19, 2021
There’s always the next election!
You get what you vote for. https://t.co/J50HqTjwlO
— Derek Hunter (@derekahunter) October 19, 2021
And what happened to all the voices from last year cheering this sort of thing on?
Doesn't matter. Destroying property isn't violence. Besides, these places have insurance. These people should be allowed to express their frustrations.
Am I doing this right? https://t.co/1EMwVphgqp
— Jeryl Bier (@JerylBier) October 19, 2021
And we do mean cheering:
"glorious poetic rage"https://t.co/biV3T2oJWz
— Jeryl Bier (@JerylBier) October 19, 2021
And this is why we shouldn’t take anything the pro-riot forces say seriously ever again:
"Destroying property, which can be replaced, is not violence."https://t.co/5jegsw7Nhx
— Jeryl Bier (@JerylBier) October 19, 2021
***
Join the conversation as a VIP Member