Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler’s tense visit with protesters— where he was booed, told to resign and given a list of demands– ended with his security detail engaging in a struggle with protesters late Wednesday night as they worked to get the mayor to safety, a report said.
While no protesters appeared to physically harm Wheeler, once he was inside the building a few people tried unsuccessfully to push past his security team in an apparent attempt to get inside. Others threw water bottles and other projectiles at the glass door, according to a video tweeted by New York Times correspondent Mike Baker.
Portland Police declared a riot soon after the mayor left and tensions escalated between protesters and federal agents.
Wheeler had joined protesters downtown earlier for a reported listening session where he thanked them for opposing the Trump administration’s “occupation” of the city in the deployment of federal agents.
“I think what we’re doing tonight is actually the best thing we can do right now,” Wheeler told the crowd after a protester asked how to get federal officers out of the city, according to KGW-TV. “Be here, be heard, be unified, and be clear. We didn’t want them, we didn’t ask for them, they’re not trained for what they’re being asked to do. And we want them to leave.”
He was nearly drowned out by the shouts and jeers and calls to resign.
Wheeler then addressed the much larger crowd from a raised balcony, saying “I am here tonight to stand with you.” He received some cheers when he chanted “Black lives matter!” with the crowd.
Wheeler later moved with protesters to the fence outside of the federal courthouse where he stood at the front and was teargassed along with the crowd, according to Baker.
Some protesters threw fireworks at the courthouse and tried to knock down the fencing.
Wheeler, who is also the police commissioner, has been accused by some of not reining in local police, who have used tear gas multiple times before federal agents arrived early this month in response to nearly two months of nightly protests since George Floyd was killed. Others, including business leaders, have condemned Wheeler for not bringing the situation under control before the federal agents arrived.
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He was also loudly booed when he told a protester that he didn’t support abolishing the police department.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
