Antifa members lit a fire outside of the police union headquarters in Portland last Saturday night, amid the ongoing unrest between law enforcement and anti-police protesters.
We are getting reports that some people have been periodically blocking vehicle traffic on North Lombard St. near North Campbell Ave. Please use caution if driving in the area.
— Portland Police (@PortlandPolice) April 4, 2021
According to police reports, there were some 40 people that gathered outside PPA headquarters and lit wood debris on fire. Police officers thereafter cleared the area in order to make way for fire officials to put out the flames.
A photo shared on Twitter by the Portland Police Department shows burned debris outside the Portland Police Association building in Northern Portland.
In the picture, the words “Nazis work here” can also be seen scrawled on the side of the building.
Portland police also reported that some people were periodically blocking traffic on North Lombard St. near North Campbell Avenue. However, there were no arrests made and no injuries reported.
Portland has been the center of ongoing unrest between law enforcement officials and anti-police protesters. The tensions peaked last summer amid the nationwide police protests sparked by George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis.
In relation to this continued unrest, a retired Marine Corps officials said in an interview that Police officers in Portland, Oregon, were leaving the department because “they are not supported.”
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On Tuesday, retired Marine Corps officer Gabriel Johson appeared in an interview on “Fox & Friends” and revealed many police officers in Portland, Oregon, who are leaving the department.
Johnson also stated that in July, he experienced harassment from Antifa as he marched into the chaos in Mark O. Hatfield, U.S. Courthouse in downtown Portland, carrying his American flag.
Antifa attacks Portland police union amid ongoing unrest https://t.co/cehaLk4qOv
— LoriCareyParasiliti (@CareyLori) April 6, 2021
“I was being called the N-word by Black people. People were chasing me around with baseball bats,” he told Fox News.
Johnson also added that he witnessed a 65-year-old Black veteran beaten by alleged Black Lives Matter protesters as he tried to stop the burning of Johnson’s flag.
Johnson told Fox News host Ainsley Earhardt, “I was actually kind of surprised because I was greeted with this hatred, hatred for the American flag and for what it stands for, and for me, it was really a symbol of justice and a uniting symbol that people should remember to bring us back together.”
“People in the city really have lost a sense of community and the community for everyone, including the officers that are out there serving in and night,” Johnson added,
Meanwhile, according to Portland’s police department reports, late last year, they received an “unprecedented” number of officers leaving their jobs mid-career to take lower-paying jobs somewhere else.
On Sunday, an article published by the city’s main newspaper gave a glimpse into why officers in Portland decided to leave.
The Oregonian reported that a total of 115 officers have left the department since July 2020, representing “one of the biggest waves of departures in recent memory.”
A retiring detective wrote that the community showed officers “zero support.”https://t.co/lNKwyuHMmq #portland— H L Wegley (@hlwegley) April 6, 2021
Since July 1, 2020, there were a total of 115 officers have left the department. This number represents “one of the biggest waves of departures in recent memory.”
In addition to this, the city’s main newspaper also stated that it reviewed 31 exit interview statements from these police officers. The exit interviews showed a certain level of disillusion with the job. For instance, a retiring detective reportedly wrote in one that the community showed officers “zero support.”
Meanwhile, Johnson reiterated the same sentiments as he stated that he believes “the massive exodus” is due to the lack of support. He said, “We knew going into the new year that we were going to have a massive retirement, but now what we’re seeing is a massive exodus, and I think it’s purely just from the way that they are not supported.”
Johnson added, “This is one of the only cities in America where you can actually throw Molotov cocktails at police officers and expect them not to do anything, but what we’ve seen in return from them is professionalism. These folks have stood there. They have taken it.”
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