Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, a Democrat, joined protesters in the streets Wednesday night to show his support. He was part of a crowd that was tear gassed by federal authorities in order to keep crowds at bay from federal buildings.
Civil unrest has ravaged Portland for nearly two months and federal authorities have been called in to help restore the order.
Agents deployed tear gas and stun grenades into the crowd Wheeler was a part of. It’s unclear if federal agents knew Wheeler was in the crowd when they fired the weapons.
One protester held up a sign with a message that read “Tear Gas Ted.”
Earlier in the night Wheeler was jeered by the crowd as he tried to rally the anarchists and show sympathy with them. He was briefly applauded when he shouted “Black Lives Matter” and pumped his fist in the air.
“I want to thank the thousands of you who have come out to oppose the Trump administration’s occupation of this city,” Wheeler said. “The reason this is important is it is not just happening in Portland … we’re on the front line here in Portland.”
As Wheeler was rallying one group of protesters, another group was trying to burn down the federal courthouse.
Rioters have set fire to the Portland federal courthouse. #PortlandRiots #antifa pic.twitter.com/1BZrPpv2fd
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) July 23, 2020