Oregon mayor slams ‘culture of criminality’ in Portland amid riots: ‘This is defund the police’

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Oregon mayor links Portland riots to ‘defund the police’ movement

Stan Pulliam, mayor of Sandy, Ore., argues that the ‘culture of criminality’ in the city is creating fear among area business owners.

Mayor Stan Pulliam of Sandy, Ore., says Portland is "starting to look like a completely different city" after recent riots in the area, which he claims are the result of calls to defund the police.

"This is defund the police," Pulliam said on "America’s Newsroom" on Monday. "This is a culture of criminality. This is what it looks like."

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The Republican mayor told Bill Hemmer riots are creating fear among business owners and causing some to consider leaving the city.

"It really is starting to look like a completely different city than the one I know and love," Pulliam said.

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Pulliam recalled a recent conversation he had with a Multnomah County commissioner over the reason businesses in the area are boarded up.

"She said that we had boarded-up windows everywhere because of COVID," Pulliam said.

"Well, I have news for that county commissioner: COVID does not seep through plywood. These windows are boarded up because of the riots in downtown Portland."

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The mayor also discussed the impacts of the continued violence and vandalism on those living in the city.

"There seems to be no end," Pulliam said. "We had over one hundred days straight … throughout the summer of all kinds of violence and destruction of local storefronts."

"There seems to be no end in sight," he added. "And Portlanders are getting sick and tired of it."

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Despite this, Pulliam reiterated his call for an end to the unrest.

"You turn on the local news and see the mass riots and violence," he added later. "It’s time for it to come to an end. This culture of criminality, it’s got to stop."