Black Lives Matter protesters chain themselves together in lobby of Mayor Ted Wheeler's condo, riots erupt in Portland

A group of Black Lives Matter protesters chained themselves together inside the lobby of Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler's condo on Friday night. The sit-in was part of a larger demonstration outside of Wheeler's apartment, where approximately 150 people gathered to protest police brutality and racial inequality.


At around 7 p.m., approximately one dozen BLM protesters assembled inside the lobby of progressive mayor's apartment complex in the Pearl District. The group vowed to stay locked inside the lobby until Wheeler heard their demands. The group left three hours later.
The group demanded that Wheeler reduce the Portland Police Bureau budget, commit to never voting for police budget increases again, abolish the police bureau, and for the Democratic mayor to resign.
"Specifically, we demand that you and your fellow city leaders immediately develop a task force to plan for a 50% reduction of the Portland Police Bureau budget by 2021, and a complete abolition of the Portland Police Bureau by 2022, with no private or technological replacement," the Portland group demanded. "This timeline gives existing police officers ample time to find and train for alternative, meaningful work that benefits the community."


"Furthermore, we demand that the resources saved from the abolition of the Portland Police Bureau be re-invested into Black, Indigenous, and Brown communities, community-centered health and safety, and city services and programs that address the root causes of violence, crime, and inequality," the group added. "We also demand that you - with your extreme wealth, nepotistic career history, and family legacy that highlight you as a true embodiment of white supremacy - resign from your position as the Police Commisioner and Mayor of Portland."

One resident of the apartment building tried to broker a meeting between Wheeler and the protesters. David Kahn, former president of basketball operations for the Minnesota Timberwolves, stopped to speak to the demonstrators inside the lobby.
Kahn, who said he is a friend of the mayor, told The Oregonian he offered to set up a meeting on Monday with Wheeler, but the group declined.
"I'm certain that if he was here tonight we probably could have arranged for something, but he's not," Kahn said. "But I know for a fact that is a standing policy for him."
Tim Becker, a spokesperson for Wheeler, did not confirm whether the mayor was at his home or not.
Protesters painted bloody red handprints on the windows of the lobby and put up signs that read: "Send Teddy to the Hague."
Agitators shined lights into the windows of the apartment building, and a metal band played live music outside the condos in an effort to not allow Wheeler to get sleep. The security at the condo reportedly called police, but authorities did not respond.
A resident of the condo building allegedly threw objects at the protesters from their window or balcony.

BREAKING VIDEO: Protesters outside the apartment building of Ted Wheeler are making sure he doesn’t sleep tonight.… https://t.co/K99d56PCRP

— Anoncat Ⓐ☂️🏴 ➐ (@Anoncat Ⓐ☂️🏴 ➐)1598672732.0

Protesters also gathered outside of Wheeler's apartment in June. The protest was declared an unlawful assembly.
Wheeler was outside cleaning up trash in his neighborhood the next day. "I live here, and these are my neighbors," Wheeler said in June. "And I'm sure they're not very happy this morning. They're probably not very excited to be my neighbors at the moment."
Wheeler attempted to pander to far-left protesters in July, but that ended with miserably for the Democratic mayor. Agitators threw objects at him, cursed at him, called him a "f***ing fascist," and chanted: "Tear Gas Teddy!" The protest turned violent and tear gas was deployed towards the crowd, including Wheeler.
For the 93rd straight night, there were protests in Portland. On Friday night, shots were allegedly fired into the air, and nobody was hurt.
The Portland Police union building was set on fire.
"Individuals wheeled multiple dumpsters into the road and lit at least one on fire. The fire was in the road and not threatening any structures. In the interest of deescalating the situation, Portland Police Bureau (PPB) officers remained out of sight," the Portland Police Bureau said. "However, arsonists put some debris, including a large mattress, against the front door of the building, appeared to spray accelerant on it, and lit it on fire. The flames appeared to engulf the front door area of the building and nearly reach the roofline."
"Due to the extreme life safety concerns, the Incident Commander declared the incident a riot," they added.