Sen. Fred Girod on chaos in Portland: Peaceful demonstrations morphed into full-fledged riots
Oregon State Senate Minority Leader Fred Giron reacts to chaos in Portland as federal officers confront demonstrators on ‘America’s Newsroom.’
Editor's note: This column first appeared in the Washington Times.
After an effort by the legacy media to disappear the story, the nation is finally hearing about the mayhem and violence overtaking Portland, Oreg. For almost two months, the city has been in the grip of typical vandalism, chaos and bedlam that is the hallmark of the fascist group Antifa, a federally declared terrorist group. They, along with the Democratic-aligned Marxist group Black Lives Matter, have made Portland a hellscape for the law-abiding citizens who live there.
This story is now only being covered because President Trump realized local Democratic leadership had no real interest in ending the chaos and sent in federal law enforcement to establish the law and order every American wants and deserves.
But in today’s upside-down world, the federal government coming to the aid of a city under siege has enraged Democratic leadership. That alone should tell you everything you need to know about that party and its malevolent politics, but it’s the reaction and comment of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., that has proven the most revealing and shocking about the attitude of the perfunctory leader of the party.
DOZENS OF FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS IN PORTLAND DOXED AMID RIOTS, OFFICIALS SAY
Responding to the arrival and actions of federal law enforcement agents in Portland, Mrs. Pelosi tweeted, “Unidentified stormtroopers. Unmarked cars. Kidnapping protesters and causing severe injuries in response to graffiti. These are not the actions of a democratic republic. @DHSgov’s actions in Portland undermine its mission. Trump & his stormtroopers must be stopped.”
And exactly who are these people Mrs. Pelosi is casting as the same as Hitler’s most notorious and murderous terrorist organization? They are fellow Americans who dared to make a commitment to this country by joining law enforcement. They are our brothers, sisters, husbands, wives and best friends. They are our neighbors and friends. Yet Mrs. Pelosi, with a grotesque excitement, easily declared them Nazis and kidnappers.
She would not have said this as a lark. Everything she and the Democrats do is contemplated, assessed, then implemented. The smearing of Americans in law enforcement is something they decided was a good thing to do.
The Daily Wire reported the team dispatched to Portland to quell the daily riots are a DHS “elite unit of law enforcement operators” with authority under Mr. Trump’s Executive Order on Protecting American Monuments, Memorials, and Statues and Combating Recent Criminal Violence.
“The New York Times confirmed an earlier report that identified the Border Patrol Tactical Unit, or BORTAC,” as that elite unit, reported the website.
In response to the Democrats decrying the assistance in putting down the riots, Mr. Trump tweeted this weekend, “We are trying to help Portland, not hurt it. 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!”
Speaking to the press, the president also made clear he has no intention of allowing other great American cities to become victim of either frightened, incompetent or malevolent Democratic leadership.
More from Opinion
“We’re not going to let New York and Chicago and Philadelphia and Detroit and Baltimore and all of these — Oakland is a mess. We’re not going to let this happen in our country. All run by liberal Democrats,” he tweeted.
After Mr. Trump’s comments, the Chicago Tribune reported that the city will see the deployment of 150 federal agents in light of the slaughter inflicted upon Chicagoans every weekend.
“The Homeland Security Investigations, or HSI, agents are set to assist other federal law enforcement and Chicago police in crime-fighting efforts, according to sources familiar with the matter, though a specific plan on what the agents will be doing — and what their limits would be — had not been made public,” according to the Tribune.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE OPINION NEWSLETTER
Then Mayor Lori Lightfoot went on MSNBC and laughably insisted, “She will use every tool she has to stop Trump from sending ‘troops’ to the city, including filing a lawsuit. ‘We’re not going to have tyranny in the city of Chicago,’ Lightfoot said,” the Tribune noted.
Talk about a lack of self-awareness. This last weekend of violence in Chicago left 10 people dead and 70 injured, including 10 minors, according to Fox News. But it’s the arrival of federal assistance to quell the violence that threatens “tyranny.” Got it.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio was on the same alternative-reality track when he declared on Twitter, “We’ve seen the chaos secret police are creating in Portland. We won’t let it happen here.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The Wall Street Journal reported that shootings have increased in the city by 66.8 percent from the start of the year, with the number of shooting victims up by 77.5 percent. Yet, Mr. de Blasio is now threatening to sue to stop DHS from sending federal agents to help stem the bloodbath.
Democratic leadership calls federal law enforcement “stormtroopers” as local leadership fights against assistance to stop murderous crimes waves killing their cities. The rhetoric against police continues, and police budgets are getting cut, as in New York, where certain crime units have already been disbanded. Democrats revel in anarchy and mayhem, and throwing your family into the volcano is the price they decided is worth paying as they imagine making Mr. Trump look bad.
Best of Opinion
Get the recap of top opinion commentary and original content throughout the week.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.