Riot Declared Outside Portland Mayor’s Apartment Building: ‘This No Longer Has Anything to Do with Black Lives Matter’

Katherine Rodriguez

Portland police declared a riot outside the high-rise apartment building where Democrat Mayor Ted Wheeler lives, making 19 arrests Monday night.

Protesters calling for the mayor to resign broke windows to get into the building and started fires outside the building, according to a video of the incident.

“They broke the glass, and there were glass shards everywhere here,” Eli Shemali told KGW.

Police made 19 arrests that night, including one where a police officer was filmed repeatedly punching a rioter before making the arrest.

The next morning, neighbors were frustrated with the cleanup and having to deal with the aftermath of a riot.

“I think, sadly, this no longer has anything to do with Black Lives Matter and that’s the tragedy of this. I think that message has been co-opted by people with a totally different agenda,” said Tom Drewes, who lives in the same apartment building as Wheeler.

Black Lives Matter organizer Seneca Cayson says she is frustrated too, adding that the Black Lives Matter protests are being taken over by political sides taking aim at each other, and she feels the black people and the social justice cause are suffering as a result.

“And I immediately just dropped my head and said, ‘We’ve got to do something different,'” said Cayson. “So, I personally reached out to [Wheeler’s] office and left a message to say, ‘I’d like to speak because not only do I have my opinions but I have some solutions that I know that I can get across.’”

Wheeler said Monday evening that these violent “acts” ranging “from stupid, to dangerous to criminal,” must stop.

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