We have to defend ourselves. No one else will do it.
Portland Police Bureau Chief Chuck Lovell signaled ahead of Antifa’s announced direct action Sunday that local law enforcement won’t intervene to protect residents from the riotous activity expected to take place.
The city braced for violence after Antifa accounts in Portland warned press to not film or photograph rioters at the planned Antifascist Action at the Salmon Street Springs water fountain in Tom McCall Waterfront Park on Sunday afternoon.
All the members of the police department’s Rapid Response Team had resigned during the course of the year 2021, after one of the team’s officers was indicted for an incident that occurred while the group was being attacked by rioters. Instead, authorities plan to “provide safety information and direction to participants and bystanders via loudspeaker,” according to Lovell.
By James Anthony