Portland Election Night Protests: Mayor Wheeler Warns On Violence

PORTLAND, OR – There are at least six groups planning to protest downtown on Election night. That's the word from Mayor Wheeler who is hoping that the city can avoid a repeat of 2016 when so many people that had taken to the streets committed that Portland Police declared it a riot.

Wheeler says that not only have none of the groups applied for a permit, none of them have responded to outreach efforts from the police to try to keep things orderly.

That has the mayor, who plans to introduce legislation on Thursday placing restrictions on the time and place that protests can be held, concerned.

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"We want everyone to be able to safely exercise their First Amendment rights," Wheeler says. "But you know the laws: You cannot block streets, freeways, or public transportation.

"Most importantly, violence will not be tolerated."

The warning comes as Wheeler has been trying to fight Portland's image of – as Portland Police union boss Daryl Turner put it last month – "the most politically violent city in America.

"Lawlessness, aggression, and violence have replaced peaceful protests. In a harshly divided nation, we have become a stark example of what happens when fringe groups get exactly what they ask for with their grandstanding – attention."

Political protests in Portland have become increasingly violent since Election night 2016. Those protests, which garnered national attention, lasted for six nights and resulted in more than 100 arrests.

It turned out that the majority of those had not bothered to cast a vote in the election.

So far, at least one of the groups planning to protest on Election night, Occupy ICE PDX, put out a statement that pretty much said they would not be speaking with the police.

"Know the laws," they said in a statement, echoing Wheeler's comments. "Don't talk to cops and these are our streets. Most importantly, injustice will not be tolerated."

The group said that while police did reach out, "no one agreed to corroborate with cops."

The group is congregating at City Hall at 6 p.m. and they plan to march on an unspecified route.

Wheeler has said he will introduce the "Portland Safety Ordinance" on Thursday.

The mayor says that the ordinance would protect First Amendment guarantees but would establish specific guidelines on where and when demonstrations could happen as is the case in cities including Las Vegas, Pittsburgh, Long Beach, Cincinnati, Springfield, and Raleigh.

Wheeler's office points out that similar regulations have faced legal challenges in cities including New York, Seattle, Denver, Colorado Springs, and Tacoma – and survived.

"Portland is one of the most vibrant, livable and economically prosperous cities in the U.S, and we have a robust history of peaceful demonstrations — but in recent years we've become a magnet for agitators either with a history of – or an expressed intent to be violent," Wheeler says.

It's not clear if he will have enough support of his colleagues to get the ordinance passed.

File photo via Travis Loose/Patch.