Portland rioters burn city in ‘solidarity’ with Kenosha – The Post Millennial

Posted: August 26, 2020 at 4:37 pm

While the nation was distracted by civil unrest in Kenosha, chaos persisted in Portland, Ore. On the 90th consecutive day of rioting, multiple fires were set at the Portland Police Association building in a residential neighborhood, leading to 25 arrests last night.

Roughly 300 protestors marched directly north from Arbor Lodge Park at 9:30 p.m. to the union headquarters located in the 1800 block of North Lombard Street.

The crowd chanted, "Burn it down!"

Within minutes of the crowd arriving, rioters charged to the rear and cut power to the building. Flames were seen shooting up the side of the PPA. Dry summer weather exacerbated the fire.

"Due to the extreme life safety concerns," the commander immediately determined a riot, the Portland Police Bureau reported.

While the urgency to extinguish the fire was dire, an agitator appeared to pour an accelerant, causing the fire to explode rapidly.

Warnings were issued over loudspeaker as officers intervened to disperse the crowd, advising that failure to leave will subject rioters to arrest or the use of crowd control munitions, including tear gas and impact weapons.

Officers discovered that the first fire was lit on the west side of the building, and a second fire was actively burning on the south side. The fires were doused and the PPA was checked to verify that the flames had not spread to the interior.

Officers then disengaged to reduce the intensity of the situation. Almost immediately rioters returned, peeling chain link fencing into roadway to block traffic. Another fire was lit in the middle of the street.

At 11:30 p.m., several individuals lit two fires on the north side of the PPA, including the awning over the main entrance. Warnings were again issued via loudspeaker, urging all those present to flee south and east.

During at least one arrest, officers were surrounded by a mob that assaulted them with umbrellas and other objects.

As police attempted to disengage again, purported "members of the media" with "press" printed on their outer clothing were seen throwing rocks at officers. A rock struck the windshield of their transport vehicle, cracking the glass.

After tear gas was deployed, most of the participants evacuated the area and roads were cleared by 1:00 a.m.

Due to the threats of violence and destruction, approximately 30 patrol officers were reportedly pulled from the precincts, leaving emergency dispatch calls temporarily unanswered.

"That severely limited response to calls for service," the police report noted. "By the end of the evening, over 100 calls for service were holding in the city of Portland, including a priority disturbance, a priority assault, a priority burglary to an occupied apartment, welfare checks, threats, and roadway hazards."

All 25 arrests were booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on assorted charges, including riot, interfering with a peace officer, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, escape, and carrying a concealed weapon.

33-year-old Philipp Hoffman was arrested with a baton on hand while Paul Michael Losch, 39, was arrested carrying multiple knives and a walkie-talkie, which is used by Antifa for group communications.

Among others arrested, Robert Stamp, 35, wielded a dagger.

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Portland rioters burn city in 'solidarity' with Kenosha - The Post Millennial

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