It is being reported that last night in Portland an anti-police demonstrator shot a pro-police demonstrator dead. From Yahoo News:
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — One person was shot and killed late Saturday in Portland, Oregon, as a large caravan of President Donald Trump supporters and Black Lives Matter protesters clashed in the streets, police said.
It wasn’t clear if the shooting was linked to fights that broke out as a caravan of about 600 vehicles was confronted by protesters in the city’s downtown.
An Associated Press freelance photographer heard three gunshots and then observed police medics working on the body of the victim, who appeared to be a white man. The freelancer said the man was wearing a hat bearing the insignia of Patriot Prayer, a right-wing group whose members have frequently clashed with protesters in Portland in the past.
Police did not release any additional details and were at the scene investigating late Saturday.
It is hard for me to imagine that this sorry incident is completely unrelated to the killings in Kenosha in which a pro-Trump, pro-police teenager killed two people in what might or might not have been self-defense. Whatever the case and however you define “violence”, the violence is escalating and that has to end. Short of a road to Damascus change of heart it’s hard for me to see how that happens in the absence of elected officials’ taking their obligation to defend persons and property seriously which is nearly as hard to imagine.
If the reason that Portland’s mayor has allowed the protests to go on and on was because he saw it as the less politically risky thing for him to do, I would say that the calculus has changed. Stop trying to augur whose electoral chances are hurt or helped and start doing the right thing. Governors and mayors have no higher obligation than to enforce the law. If they don’t see it that way, perhaps it’s time for them to resign and let someone more willing to shoulder that obligation do so.
‘Stop trying to augur whose electoral changes are hurt or helped and start doing the right thing.’
Thanks to Jungle Primaries, Ted Wheeler’s opponent in the mayoral race wants to abolish Portland’s police and prison system NOW. So by not allowing worse to happen he may actually be improving HIS chances of reelection.
And if BLM actually goes a little further and burns him out of his apartment (they’re already laying siege to it) he might even be able to play the ‘victim’ card as well. See what OMB made BLM do to me!
There’s no upside to law enforcement for these fools. Because the LEOs and ordinary citizens aren’t the people these politicians pal around with and get donations from. THOSE people are who matter to these mayors and governors. And THOSE people are 100% into the SJW/Woke/OMB thing, mostly for the power it gives them. Can’t p**s off your friends, can you? (even though they’ll gleefully stab you in the back over a misspoken pronoun).
We’re in the middle of a Cultural Revolution, and these idiots think they’re still in control. And if they can convince OMB to send in the ‘stormtroopers’ to restore order, they’ll be able to paint him as Mr. H and then they’ll have him fer shur!
As for Kyle Rittenhouse (the accused murderer in Kenosha) there’s plenty of evidence, video and otherwise, that he was assaulted with lethal intent before firing. And his second victim may have shot first while Rittenhouse was on the ground after being knocked around. One can argue whether it was smart for him to be where he was when he was (a number of Kenosha residents apparently took up arms to protect their property), but if he hadn’t been attacked and beaten two people would still be alive.
plenty of evidence,
Unfortunately, These people prefer truth to facts. What they mean is every truth will fit the narrative.
Trump may be the only national figure including news media that has NOT declared George Floyd’s
Death a police murder, despite plenty of evidence to the contrary. The worst thing is that they say that out of fear.
Fear of the mob.
The NPR softball interview of an author who advocates looting shows the mindset of liberal elites. I think NPR’s views on political and cultural issues are shared by most Dem party professionals and activists. They think being racist is a mortal sin and letting cities descend into anarchy is no big deal in comparison to being called racist.
https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2020/08/27/906642178/one-authors-argument-in-defense-of-looting
I was distressed that NPR would give an individual who’s pretty obviously mentally ill a platform.
The mayor of Portland held a press conference; he stated he will not resign. In the words of Oregon Live;
“The mayor, chief and district attorney did not announce any planned measures to prepare for possible violence, such as a curfew or specific police tactics, but said they plan to meet later this afternoon to discuss preparations for tonight.†i.e. their plan is to continue on the present course.
To be honest; it’s not the mayor of Portland that deserves the most blame. The city DA has a no bail; automatic release policy for “protestorsâ€. And the city council is talking about defunding the police. And those officials were elected by the people — the violence has substantial popular support. Even a non-foolish mayor would be ineffective in that scenario.
Like the cultural revolution; Frances war of religion; this ends when people are utterly tired of fighting, and are willing to sacrifice what seemed sacred for peace. Sadly; like Covid vaccines, it maybe a lot further away then we desire.
The medical examiner says that George Floyd died of a fentanyl overdose.
“The medical examiner says that George Floyd died of a fentanyl overdose.”
Link please. I give a LOT of fentanyl to pts. That did not look in any way like an overdose. With an overdose pts are comatose. They arent up walking and talking. The actual drup level, which is what non-medical people fixate on, is not that meaningful.
Steve
George Floyd died of a fentanyl overdose. Or a heart attack.
Since he himself said :”I can’t breathe” three times before leaving his own seat in his own vehicle. What I’m griping about is major news networks and national politicians stoking the racial fire for their own gain and to appease BLM. (Which can’t be done). The “police murder” of the sainted George Floyd may have been negligent homicide but that won’t satisfy the mob.
Whatever the facts are they already know the truth.
And they honestly believe they’ve uncovered a new way to establish truth better than investigation and the scientific method.
This is a rejection of Western Civilization.
As a famous and much-admired woman once said, at this point what difference does it make? The overwhelming likelihood is that the police officers who’ve been charged in his death will be acquitted and additional riots will follow. It is presently an article of faith that Mr. Floyd was murdered by a police officer. Adherents to that faith were not reasoned into it and they won’t be reasoned out of it.
This is the proper construction:
“A memorandum filed by the Hennepin County Attorney’s office on June 1 indicated that chief medical examiner Dr. Andrew Baker, who listed Floyd’s death as a homicide, thought the amount of fentanyl in Floyd’s blood was “pretty high†and could be “a fatal level of fentanyl under normal circumstances.â€
“[Dr. Baker] said that if Mr. Floyd had been found dead in his home (or anywhere else) and there were no other contributing factors he would conclude that it was an overdose death,†the memo said.
According to another memo on June 1, Dr. Baker told investigators that while Floyd had a high amount of fentanyl in his system, he was “not saying this killed him.â€
I’m not competent to parse that.