Leftist rabble-rousers in Portland, OR, are at it again, and the activist media don’t care. In fact, it seems that nobody on the left, including President Joe Biden, believes the story carries any importance at all.
After incessant hand-wringing and pearl-clutching over the riots at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, the left is conspicuously mum on political violence perpetrated by those on their side. In other news, dogs bark and water is wet.
Antifa Riots in Portland — Again
Radical leftist extremists have been rioting in Portland since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last summer. After that incident, they ostensibly engaged in violence because they were safeguarding black lives. But at this point, they have stopped pretending to care about black Americans and are back to pushing their left-wing anarchist agenda.
The city recently decided to remove fencing installed around the police department to ease tensions between officers and protesters. The department said it realized the fence had become a “symbol of divide” between the police and the community and removed it to show “our willingness to have dialog and peaceful communication toward starting to heal our community.”
In a series of tweets, the department explained that “our hope is that the nightly violence and destruction around the justice center will stop and the focus can be directed toward peaceful conversation.”
Unfortunately, the city’s law enforcement learned the hard way that this move was akin to a chicken opening the door to the henhouse, hoping the fox would agree to become a vegetarian. Only one day after the fencing was taken down, rioters took to the streets and performed another rendition of “Let’s Tear Up the City Again” as they set fires and smashed windows.
There seem to be several excuses the rioters used to engage in this tomfoolery. Fox News reported:
“Earlier in the day Thursday [March 11], a crowd had gathered to protest plans to replace and expand an oil pipeline that runs between Superior, Wisconsin, and the Canadian province of Alberta, journalist Suzette Smith reported on Twitter.
“Some protesters also cited the start of the Derek Chauvin trial in Minnesota as a reason for the unrest, Smith wrote. Chauvin is the former Minneapolis police officer who is facing murder charges in the May 25 police custody death of Floyd.”
The violence was expected. Some business owners took precautions like boarding up their businesses. On March 12, the rioters continued wreaking havoc on the city, and the police responded by arresting about 100 people in Portland’s Pearl District. Law enforcement officers found various weapons left behind, “including a crowbar, hammers, bear spray, slugging weapon with rocks, high impact slingshot, and knives,” according to Fox News.
After the violence abated, the Department of Homeland Security told Fox that it would “continue to fulfill its mandate of ensuring the safety and security of federal employees and facilities, while maintaining our commitment to working with the City of Portland and the community as part of a collective effort to restore the downtown area.”
Where’s the Coverage?
Most of the usual elements are present in this story. Antifa thugs vandalizing buildings? Check. Said Antifa thugs pretending their rioting is about helping oppressed people? Check. Police responding with arrests? Check. Full-blown media coverage? Well, that’s a different story.
As of this writing, ABC News is the only major media outlet other than Fox News covering the riots. Local affiliates have reported on the violence as well. The president has not bothered to comment on the issue even though Portland has continually been rocked by left-wing radical extremists for more than six months.
If one put the shoe on the other foot and former President Donald Trump were still in office, a different outcome would be expected. The activist media would try to weaponize the chaos against the administration. They would castigate Trump for taking action or not taking action. To put it simply, there would be an entirely different reaction. Unfortunately, this is what happens when the press and Democrats are more concerned with playing team sports than addressing societal problems.
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Read more from Jeff Charles.
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